Undergraduate Medical Education (General Medicine Program)

The Department of Community Medicine actively participates in the General Medicine curriculum. In other fields, the department collaborates with other schools of the university as needed.

The department is responsible for delivering the following courses within the General Medicine program:

 Basic Sciences Stage

1. Principles of Health Services – Topics include the history of the health system in Iran and worldwide, concepts of health and disease, principles of Primary Health Care (PHC), environmental health, immunization, health system management, health education and promotion, and national and international health‑related organizations.

2. Medical Statistics – Basic concepts of statistics and probability are discussed.

3. Basic Epidemiology – Topics include measures of disease frequency, causal relationships, types of biological studies, etc.

4. Medical Etiquette 4 – This course covers the roles of physicians in the health system, the overall structure of service delivery, and communication skills with patients. The aim is to familiarize students with physician roles, health system structure, and the clinical environment before they begin their clinical training.

 Pre‑clinical Stage

1. Research Methods in Medical Sciences – The aim is to familiarize students with the principles of writing a research proposal. The course is delivered in a workshop format under the supervision of faculty members and mentorship of senior residents. Student evaluation is based on the proposal submitted at the end of the course.

2. Principles of Demography – Basic demographic concepts, relevant indicators, and their role in health management are discussed.

3. Epidemiology of Common Communicable and Non‑communicable Diseases – Students become familiar with the most common diseases in Iran and the West Asia region and acquire the ability to use epidemiological data in clinical decision‑making.

 Clerkship (Externship) Stage

1. Community Medicine Clerkship – This one‑month course involves student attendance at comprehensive health service centers. Students gain firsthand experience with primary care services provided at these centers, including maternal and child health, elderly care, mental health, nutrition, environmental health, vaccination, school health, and oral health. They first observe and then begin delivering services. Student evaluation is based on a logbook and an end‑of‑course examination.

 Internship Stage

1. Community Medicine Internship – During this one‑month course, students learn the principles of risk assessment and management at both individual and community levels. Using a project‑based learning strategy, they identify a health problem related to the services of comprehensive health centers, then design, implement, and evaluate an intervention to control it. This course is delivered in the health centers under faculty supervision and with the participation of mentors. Evaluation is based on a portfolio.

2. Family Medicine Internship – This two‑month course takes place at selected comprehensive health centers or hospital outpatient clinics under the supervision of a mentor. Students become familiar with the management of common outpatient diseases. They learn the principles of rational prescribing and quaternary prevention, and work directly with electronic prescribing software.