Other Terminology

Advancement

Institutional advancement is a strategic, integrated method of managing relationships to increase understanding and support among an educational institution's key constituents, including alumni and friends, government policy makers, the media, members of the community and philanthropic entities of all types. Advancement disciplines include alumni relations, communications and marketing, government relations and fundraising.

Benware

An intercampus-developed software package used for in-house examinations for medical students.

Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Learn is UIC’s learning management system that allows for the creation, administration, tracking and delivery of digital content via course sites.

Canceled

With one l (el), also canceling and cancellation. The lecture was canceled because the speaker was ill.

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

This is the newish engineering-based medical school that is a partnership between Carle Health System and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

CBT - Computer-Based Testing Center

This is a certified Prometric Testing Center on the Rockford campus where medical students take their Step exams.

Clerkship

Medical students participate in clinical clerkships at various hospitals and clinics under the supervision of a faculty member. These are typically several-week rotations. The clerkship director is a faculty member responsible for the daily operations of the clerkship.

Community Faculty

Faculty members who are a volunteer or non-salaried faculty are referred to as community faculty when that designation is necessary for clarification; otherwise, “the who may have various titles based on their qualifications and length.

Convocation

This is what the College of Medicine calls its graduation ceremony in May. The official graduation ceremony happens in Chicago.

Course work

Spell as two words, not hyphenated.

Doctoring and Clinical Skills (DoCS)

This is a new course in Phase I of the curriculum.

Doctor

It is the practice at UIC to avoid using the courtesy title Dr. before anyone’s name in an article because the title does not clarify the person’s specialty. Instead, place the individual’s degree designation after the name, set off with commas: John Jones, DDS, attended the ceremony. For people who hold PhDs, the optimal construction is: Jane Smith, who has a doctorate in immunology (may substitute PhD for doctorate).

Again, the reason is to clarify the specialty. Per AP style, only the last name is used on second reference: Smith works in the anatomy lab. (We make an exception and use the Dr. on subsequent references.)

Health care

two words always with no hyphen according to AP style, including as a modifier.

Illinois Medicine Curriculum

The curriculum developed for the University of Illinois College of Medicine for the 2017-2018 academic year has been termed the Illinois Medicine Curriculum. Through an intensive process, faculty from across all campuses collaborated curricular renewal to integrate teaching of basic sciences with clinical applications, enhance student-directed learning, and utilize active learning methodologies. The Illinois Medicine Curriculum launched in 2017 and is organized into Phase 1 (pre-clerkship curriculum), Phase 2 (core clerkships plus electives), and Phase 3 (career pathway electives, sub-internship, and intra- and extramural electives). Themes woven throughout the four-year curriculum are: Foundational Knowledge; Clinical Practice of Medicine; Health, Illness & Society; Health Care Systems; and Professional Development.

Illinois Medicine

The name of the University of Illinois College of Medicine’s magazine, which covers news, alumni notes and features from all four campuses and is distributed to alumni and other constituents. Use only for references about the magazine.

Intern/Internship

After completing medical school, doctors complete their first year of post-medical school training, which is sometimes referred to as the intern year. The intern does not have the right to practice unsupervised medicine, and must practice within the confines of the training program in which they are enrolled.

Internist

Also known as an internal medicine physician, this doctor specializes in primary care screening and treating adult health problems.

Manikin

This is the preferred medical term for the models of the human body used for teaching anatomy and demonstrating medical techniques, as opposed to “mannequin” used more for the window display dummies used by stores.

M1, M2, M3 and M4

First-year medical students, second-year medical students, third-year medical students and fourth-year medical students are often referred to as M1s, M2s, M3s and M4s, respectively. In the new curriculum, students are in phases so sometimes they are referred to as Phase 1, Phase 2 or Phase 3 students instead. Avoid using M1, M2, M3, M4 and instead use Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4.

PGY - Post-Graduate Year.

Used informally when talking about residency years, as in Joe is a PGY I. The PGY II curriculum includes more OB care. Use the more-descriptive “first-year resident” in formal communication. Use this instead of R1.

Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3

The Illinois Medicine curriculum designed in 2017 has students complete three phases.

PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program. One word with both Ps capitalized.

Principal, Principle

Principal refers to a person who has controlling authority or is in a leading position: principal investigator. Principle refers to a fundamental rule, law, doctrine or assumption.

Preceptor

A preceptor is a skilled practitioner or faculty member who supervises students in a clinical setting to allow practical experience with patients.

Preceptorship

A preceptorship is an elective mentored experience in which a practicing physician volunteers to give personal instruction, training, and supervision to a medical student during the first year or through the winter term of the second year of medical school.

Preventive

Use this instead of preventative, e.g. The residents practice preventive medicine.

R1, R2, R3

Do not use. May refer to First-year Resident, Second-year Resident, Third-year Resident. Use PGY for Post- Graduate Year instead for[AP1] consistency.

Staff

The word functions as a plural noun when used alone, and should take a plural verb form: Staff are invited to attend. However, the word functions as a singular noun when used with the, and should take a singular verb form: The staff is invited to attend.

Step Exam

See United States Medical Licensing Examination

University of Illinois System

The University of Illinois System includes three distinct universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield, as well as the UI Health system. The U of I System and its universities have regional campuses, research facilities, clinics and Extension offices throughout the state. The University of Illinois Online Catalog offers information on all online classes and programs throughout the System. The System Offices provide support and administrative services for all these entities and report to the president. Use University of Illinois judiciously, as the general public typically interprets an unqualified mention to mean only the Urbana-Champaign campus. Do not refer to the Urbana-Champaign campus simply as Illinois. On first reference, use the full name of the university rather than the acronym. On second reference, use Urbana, not UIUC.