Monash University

Leader: Associate Professor Ben Canny and Dr Carol Lawson

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2008 (Day)
Sunway Second semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

Through 'Community Partnerships' placement, the student develops an awareness of the sector's relevance to the practice of medicine and the socio-economic context of health and illness. In 'Information Management and Health Promotion' the student develops skills in data management and critical appraisal of evidence and knowledge to assist in clinical decision-making. The student will develop and develop a Health Promotion poster. 'Hormones, sex growth and nutrition' enables the student to examine three meain areas: 'Introduction to endochrinology', 'Sex, reproduction and development' and 'Gastroenterology, nutrition and metabolism'. 'Clinical Skills' assists the student to develop clinical reasoning and focused history taking based on these areas. PCL and SPC: weekly case studies are used to integrate material presented in all themes. Rural/urban placement: a fortnight focusing on either the experience of practicing medicine in the urban or rural environments will be undertaken as in Semester 1. Through Human Lifespan Development, students study in depth the stages of human development across the lifespan.

Objectives

On completion students will be able to:

Theme 1

1. develop a perspective on issues of social equity and justice;

2. develop knowledge of the welfare system and its relevance to medicine;

3. appreciate the operational philosophy and service delivery components of key agencies;

4. understand the concept of the 'whole person' and in particular, the social and economic context of health and illness;

5. develop an understanding of social and public policy and how it impacts on people's lives;

6. understand their capacity to contribute to the well being of those people who are disadvantaged;

Theme II

7. articulate the relationship between data, information, evidence, knowledge and informed care;

8. demonstrate in applied situations, enhanced information technology skills, application of critical skills to clinical and research questions and application of a range of knowledge based systems in clinical practice;

9. appreciate the different perspectives in health promotion through the application of the sociological imagination;

10. define, compare and contrast medical, behavioural and socio-environmental approaches to health promotion;

11. understand the application of a range of health promotion theories of change, ranging through individual to social

12. understand and participate in the basic health promotion process of program development, planning, implementation and evaluation;

13. systematically apply critical appraisal and knowledge management skills to the evaluation of health promotion intervention strategies;

14. identify appropriate strategies for health promotion interventions including targeting high risk and population-based strategies;

Theme III

15. understand the relevance of biomedical sciences to the practice of medicine in the areas of endocrinology and metabolism, sexuality, development and growth, gastroenterology and nutrition and apply to case based situations;

16. comprehend the role of endocrine systems in normal and pathological function;

17. describe the basic processes of reproduction and early development, examine strategies to manage fertility and explore the relationship between and management of fetal conditions and adult disease;

18. understand the normal growth pattern and the attendant nutritional requirements of individuals from birth to adulthood;

19. describe the anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract and comprehend the pathophysiology of common symptoms and major diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;

20. work within small peer groups in the researching and documentation of case-based information;

Theme IV

21. understand the framework for taking a focused medical history and performs an examination of the reproductive, endocrine and gastrointestinal systems;

22. demonstrate an understanding of the investigations and imaging techniques used in the examination of the patients' reproductive organs, the endocrine and gastrointestinal systems;

23. further develop clinical reasoning skills underlying focussed history taking, examination and the selection of a particular investigation;

24. understand the link between clinical presentation and underlying pathophysiology to comprehend available management options;

25. further develop 'active listening' empathy, concern and an awareness of key gender, cultural and ethical issues when communicating with patients, their families and carers;

26. communicate clinical information and conclusions both verbally and in writing with clarity, consideration and sensitivity, to patients, their carers and other health professionals;

Lifespan Development

27. demonstrate an understanding of approaches to the study of human development across the lifespan;

28. demonstrate an understanding of the trajectory of development, and its importance to an understanding of the individual as a complete human being within a social setting;

Rural placement - refer to MED2031

Assessment

Assessment in MED2031 and MED2042 will be both formative and summative. Formative assessment tasks in both Semesters include OSCEs and on-line self-tests. Summative assessment tasks:

MED2031 mid semester exam: 5%
MED2031 end of semester exam: 5%
MED2042 mid semester exam: 5%
MED2042 end of semester exam: 10%
MED2042 Student Project Case presentation: 5%
Year Two Portfolio: 20%
Year Two Rural Project: 5%
Year Two Health Promotion Project: 10%
End of Year OSCE (incl Vertical Integration assessment component): 15%
Vertical Integration Exam (Year One and Two): 20% For MED2031 the end of semester results will be pass grade only (PGO). For MED2042 the end of semester results will be graded.

Prerequisites

MED1011, MED1022, MED2031

Co-requisites

Must be enrolled in the MBBS or MBBS/LLB