Human Medicine Degree Plan: Courses by Stage and Duration

How long Human Medicine takes

In universities across Peru and Latin America the degree takes 12 to 14 semesters (6 to 7 years) and includes a rotating internship at the end. Graduation requirements and, in Peru, the SERUMS rural service for those working in the public sector come afterwards.

Some universities organize the plan by years instead of semesters, and several run annual rather than semester-long courses. Check the exact structure of your study plan.

The three stages of the curriculum

The degree moves through fairly clear stages: basic sciences, clinical training and hospital practice.

• Basic sciences (early years): anatomy, histology, embryology, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology and basic pharmacology.
• Clinical training: semiology, pathology, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, diagnostic imaging and specialties.
• Hospital practice: clinical rotations and a rotating internship in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and community health.

Courses by stage (reference)

• Early terms: anatomy, histology, embryology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology and immunology.
• Middle terms: pharmacology, pathology, semiology, public health and epidemiology, biostatistics and research methodology.
• Clinical terms: internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, dermatology, neurology and other specialties.
• Final terms: medical law, medical ethics, health management, elective rotations and the rotating internship.

Critical prerequisites: where students get stuck

Basic sciences are the gateway: anatomy and physiology unlock semiology and almost all clinical courses; biochemistry unlocks pharmacology; and pathology unlocks the medical specialties. Failing one of these usually costs a year, not a semester.

• Anatomy and physiology → semiology → internal medicine and surgery
• Biochemistry → pharmacology → clinical therapeutics
• Pathology → medical specialties
• Statistics and methodology → research and thesis

How to organize such a long degree

With 12 or more terms, credit progress matters more than the term number you are in. Keep your plan digitized, mark every passed course and check your real progress percentage at the end of each rotation.

Also protect your average: many specialties and internship programs require a minimum to apply. Recording your grades in Mi Malla as they come lets you see your weighted average and project what you need to reach your goal.

Digitize your Human Medicine degree plan

Upload the PDF or a photo of your plan to Mi Malla: terms, courses, codes and credits are extracted, and you get an interactive plan with prerequisites. Mark what you have passed and see how far you are from the internship.