Options
Students will be provided with an opportunity to pursue areas of interest either to broaden or deepen their knowledge and skills in selected areas. All students must be involved in an option study which they will select from a range offered by departments, centres and institutes in the faculty.
reg. Fourth year
Fourth year is an introduction to clinical medicine emphasising etiology, pathology, and the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. A fully integrated teaching program with combined teaching from the departments of Medicine, Surgery, Pathology, Microbiology, Geriatrics, Community Medicine, Psychological Medicine and Social and Preventive Medicine is the major source of core knowledge in fourth year. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, radiological sciences and accident and emergency medicine are also studied.
Other major features of fourth year include extensive hospital bedside teaching, general practice attachments, laboratory practical sessions and a project on research in medicine.
Fourth year is made up of three terms, rather than two semesters as in previous years. The first two terms include the integrative teaching program, laboratory medicine and clinical tutorials as the major components, with regular teaching in community medicine and a weekly research in medicine seminar.
The third term consists of an introductory lecture series (three weeks) followed by two five-week blocks made up of (a) psychological medicine hospital attachment (occupying two and a half days per week for the five weeks and consisting of lectures and small group tutorials in the major psychiatric hospitals, building on the weekly clinical tutorials which take place during first and second terms in the general hospital setting); and (b) radiological sciences and accident and emergency medicine.These are combined in the other five-week rotation, two and a half weeks for each, involving a largely practical teaching program in general hospital departments.
Teaching methods
The fourth year curriculum offers a variety of teaching methods for students including lectures, seminars, computer-assisted learning packages, GP attachments, medical contact visits, practical classes, group discussions and post-mortem sessions.
Assessment
The following assessments are conducted in fourth year.
(1) All-year continuous assessment as assessed by the medicine/surgery tutor which will contribute 10 per cent to the final mark.
(2) A comprehensive multiple-choice examination will be conducted at the end of the integrative teaching program (end of second term). This exam will contribute 30 per cent of the final mark.
(3) A laboratory exam based on the laboratory medicine component in first and second terms contributes 10 per cent of the final mark. A satisfactory post-mortem report is also required to complete this component.
(4) At the completion of third term students will be required to undertake a clinical exam in the form of an objective structured clinical assessment (OSCA). This assessment will incorporate stations dealing with all material taught and discussed throughout the year. The exam will contribute 30 per cent of the final mark.
(5) Component marks from MED4004 (Community medicine) and MED4008 (Psychological medicine) each contributing 10 per cent towards the final mark. These component marks will be derived from various assessments throughout the year.
(6) A satisfactory contribution to one of the MED4006 (Medicine and research) seminars held in the first two terms is also a prerequisite to completing the fourth year.
Students who fail to pass any of the component sections of fourth-year clinical studies listed below may be requested to complete further work or a review examination at the end of third term.
Subjects
First and second terms
* MED4002 Practice of surgery and internal medicine
* MED4001 Integrative teaching in clinical sciences (medicine, surgery, pathology, microbiology, geriatric medicine, community medicine, social and preventive medicine and psychological medicine)
* MED4003 Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
* MED4005 Laboratory components related to integrative teaching (pathology tutorials and post-mortem review sessions; clinico-pathology correlation sessions)
* MED4004 Community medicine
* MED4006 Medicine and research
Term 3
* Introductory lecture series
* MED4004 Community medicine and MED4010 Social and preventive medicine
* MED4002 Practice of surgery and medicine (cont.)
* MED4008 Psychological medicine hospital attachment
* MED4009 Radiological sciences
* MED4007 Accident and emergency medicine
Coordinators
Year coordinators
Professor V Marshall (Surgery) and Professor H H Salem (Medicine)
Course coordinators
Accident and emergency medicine: Dr A Yuen and Dr L Dziukas
Clinical pharmacology: Professor A McLean
Community medicine: Dr S Sommer
Medicine: Dr J Hansky (MMC); Professor H H Salem and Dr M Oldmeadow (Box Hill/Alfred)
Medicine and research: Professor H Walters and Dr M Robbie
Microbiology: Dr G Cross
Pathology: Dr M Robbie
Psychological medicine: Professor N Keks
Radiological sciences: Dr N Sacharias
Social and preventive medicine: Dr M Abramson
Surgery: Professor V Marshall (MMC); Associate Professor F McDermott (Alfred)
First and second terms