Mini Medical School: Introduction to Medical Science (FutureLearn)

Mini Medical School: Introduction to Medical Science (FutureLearn)

Discover the science underpinning modern medical practice today and how to maintain and promote good physical and mental health. Master the basics of medicine with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. This three-week course offers you a fascinating and informative introduction to modern medicine.

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Whether you’d like to better communicate with healthcare professionals, you’re considering a career in medicine, or you’re keen to separate medical fact from fiction in the COVID-19 era, this course will equip you with the up-to-date medical knowledge you need.
Access the latest medical science and wellness teaching
Understanding medicine and your own health is becoming a necessity in a time when anti-science disinformation is burgeoning.
On this course, you’ll study the broad spectrum of topics you’d encounter at medical school, including anatomy, physiology, body systems, cell biology, molecular biology, and genetics.
Learn key medical concepts and demystify medical jargon
You’ll be introduced to technical medical jargon and concepts explained in everyday language. Although you won’t know all of the associated medical jargon, you’ll understand the underlying medical concepts, and will build the confidence to ask your doctor to communicate with you in everyday language.
Learn about medicine to make more informed healthcare decisions
As medicine gets to be more expensive and technical, it’s likely you’ll need to be a healthcare advocate for yourself or those close to you.
This course will empower you with the medical information you need to make good decisions about your health and the health of those around you.
Study with Mini Medical School founder, Dr JJ Cohen
Lead educator and immunologist, Dr JJ Cohen, founded the Mini Medical School in 1989. You’ll learn from his unique approach and study a program attended by over 25,000 learners.
With a U.S. National Glaser Award for outstanding medical school teaching, Dr Cohen also holds honorary degrees from Sherbrooke and McGill University.

What topics will you cover?

  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Body Systems
  • Cellular & Molecular Biology & Genetics

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore how to talk productively with a health care provider by asking for conversations in everyday language.
  • Discuss how to make well-informed decisions about illness, wellness, and life-style choices.

Investigate reliable and up-to-date medical information to assist making better health decisions in the future.

  • Identify different anatomical and physiological processes and associated diseases.
  • Summarize the symptoms of diseases that impact the anatomical and physiological health of a patient.
  • Reflect on the information gained in this course and how it will impact your interaction with medical professionals in the future.

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone who’d like to know more about how their body works, and how to keep it working well.
This may include individuals with specific health concerns, anyone thinking about a career in healthcare and medicine, pre-med or pre-nursing students, those in nursing training programmes, home-schoolers, current or retired healthcare professionals looking to refresh their skills, and medical librarians.

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