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Jefferson Medical Students Receive Their White Coats

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new crop of students embarked on their journey to become physicians at Jefferson's Sidney Kimmel Medical School on Friday.

They are the first class to start a revamped curriculum.

Associate Dean Dr. Debra Ziring says students get hands-on experience in a clinical setting from day one. Memorization takes a back seat to technology at JeffMD, where students will focus on the human aspect of medicine.

"So they start learning patient cases right from the start, working through it with a faculty member. So, anchoring the basic science in a clinical context," said Ziring. "Instead of learning all the basic science and then being allowed to go into the clinical setting. The two pieces are occurring simultaneously."

This is exactly why Jefferson was on top of the list for Trevor McBride from Colorado.

"I really, truly believe that the early clinical experience, and trying to figure out how to help the patient, not just memorize the facts behind it, is what's going to make us the best doctors in the country," he said.

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