Moreover, the first two years at Georgetown also provide students with a comparatively early introduction to the patient, as well as to the spiritual and ethical dimensions of medicine. The fourth year also provides ample time for elective studies and for research. First-year courses are particularly concerned with how bodily organs interact and with the ways in which this interaction comprises the total human organism. In addition, students continue their introduction to clinical practice through ambulatory care experiences and through a course in physical diagnosis. Finally, in three blocks of curricular time, students take an interdepartmental course called Clinical Problem Solving, which also serves to continue the introduction to patient care and provide a bridge between the basic science emphasis of the preclinical curriculum and the clinical emphasis of the third and fourth years.
Elective courses supplement the preceding required components of the first and second year.
The student may use electives to pursue in greater depth some aspect of medicine introduced in the courses or to obtain selected special knowledge not covered in the courses. Electives are chosen in advanced basic sciences, behavioral sciences, clinical sciences, ethics, economics, sociology, demography, community medicine or research. Some may be taken from faculty on Georgetown's Main Campus. The third year contains 48 weeks divided into four blocks, each being 12 weeks in duration. These clerkships are conducted by clinical departments at the Medical Center and its affiliates.