Today this unique relationship continues with faculty from campus departments joining faculty from the School of Medicine's fourteen departments in teaching the core courses in medicine. Both preclinical and clinical courses are taught by UCSD faculty physicians who also have active patient caseloads. Courses are continually evaluated and updated by interdisciplinary course committees. An honors, pass, fail grading system puts the emphasis on mastering the knowledge students need to practice medicine. The honors grade is not used to rank the class numerically but to acknowledge students who have demonstrated superior academic performance.
Students receive individual evaluations written by the faculty.
Students at the UCSD School of Medicine are encouraged to explore a variety of clinical, laboratory, and community-based experiences. UCSD facilities are the main sites for clinical education and are licensed for 500 beds. The majority of UCSD inpatients are admitted at UCSD Medical Center-Hillcrest, where a number of Regional Care Centers are located, including San Diego and Imperial Counties' only Level I Trauma Center. The UCSD Ambulatory Care Center is located across the street from the hospital tower. Adjacent to the Thornton Hospital is the Perlman Ambulatory Care Center and the Shiley Eye Center.