As one of two medical schools in the Louisiana State University system, the School of Medicine in New Orleans boasts impressive facilities and a variety of options for hands-on experience in Louisiana's largest city. Due to Louisiana State University's status as a state-supported medical school, admission is only granted to Louisiana residents, although exceptions can be made for children of LSU-New Orleans alumni.
One of the most outstanding features of the school is the Student Learning Center, which was newly rebuilt in 2009, after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Learning Center features high-tech mannequins that can be programmed to simulate various medical conditions, including childbirth and traumatic injuries, along with real medical equipment for students to use in practicing surgical techniques. Beyond the campus, most third and fourth year students complete clerkships in various specialties at hospitals throughout New Orleans. However, students who have been accepted into the Rural Scholars program spend those two years at Louisiana State University's Lafayette campus gaining specialized knowledge of the medical needs in rural areas.
Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans
Student Admissions
1901 Perdido Street
Box P3-4
New Orleans, LA 70112
504-568-6262
medschool.lsuhsc.edu
Louisiana State University's second medical school is located in the northwest Louisiana city of Shreveport, a major medical hub for the Arkansas-Texas-Louisiana border area. Like the medical school at Louisiana State University of New Orleans, admission is limited to residents of the state or children of LSU-Shreveport alumni.
The first year of study begins with a week-long orientation course that includes CPR training and an introduction to the medical library. After that, the first year curriculum is divided into a series of interdisciplinary modules that cover topics such as ethics, doctor/patient relationships, anatomy and physiology. Second year modules include a review of the basic sciences and deeper study of the body's organ systems in preparation for the third and fourth year clerkships. In the third year, students complete required clerkship rotations in fields such as gynecology, neurology, and pediatrics at medical facilities throughout the Shreveport area. The fourth year of study is comprised of clerkships in family practice, emergency medicine, and elective inpatient and outpatient units of the student's choice.
Louisiana State University
Health Sciences Center-Shreveport
1501 Kings Highway
PO Box 33932
Shreveport, LA 71130
318-675-5000
Located near New Orleans' famous French Quarter, the Tulane University School of Medicine is Louisiana's only private medical school, meaning that there is no special preference given to Louisiana residents in the admissions process. Exceptionally ambitious students may also choose to take advantage of Tulane's renowned School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and earn a master's degree in one or both of those disciplines at the same time they earn their medical degree.
For all students, the first two years of the program are largely devoted to pre-clinical coursework. Clerkships take place in the third and fourth years, although most of the 20 months of clinical experiences are spent in required rotations. Students do spend five months in a clerkship in their specialty of choice. Many students choose to spend this time at a facility other than Tulane, with some participating in Tulane-sponsored exchange programs in Europe and Japan.
Tulane University
School of Medicine
1430 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
504-988-5187
tulane.edu/som