Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Course

This combined program is a recognition by the faculties of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and Law that the burgeoning area of medical law requires a pool of graduates with an academic grounding in both professions. Monash is the only university in Australia that offers this joint degree.

The Monash University Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery program will strive to graduate doctors who:

• are knowledgeable, skilful, reflective and compassionate
• are innovative in their approach to and solution of problems
• are skilled at accessing, appraising, and applying the best available evidence to their everyday practice
• demonstrate awareness of the social, ethical, economic and environmental context of health and illness and psychological wellbeing and delivery of care
• are committed to the health of populations as well as individuals
• are concerned with issues of equity, quality and humanity in health care and act as advocates for the disadvantaged and dispossessed
• maintain high standards throughout their professional life by a commitment to life long learning and teaching
• have the skill to address the key questions relevant to the community and to medicine
• are capable of leadership and yet are comfortable working as a team member
• uphold the community's trust and expectations of the role of a doctor
• are advocates for health by practising preventative medicine and health promotion
• recognise the essential role of research in underpinning medical practice.

The objectives of the LLB program at Monash are to enable students to gain an understanding of basic legal concepts and legal institutions and of the historical, social, political and economic factors influencing their development. Upon completion of the LLB, students will be able to identify, use and evaluate the concepts, principles, rules and methods used in legal argument and will have developed oral and written skills, especially of legal argument, legal research and critical analysis. Students will have gained an understanding of concepts of justice, a concern to promote justice and an appreciation of their professional responsibilities.

Clinical practice units

This course requires students to undertake off-campus clinical placements. In the clinical setting students will have an opportunity to apply theory to practice under supervision. Attendance is mandatory for the clinical component of each unit.

Where a student's skill or knowledge is found to be inadequate, access to the clinical component of the unit will be denied. A student may be withdrawn from a clinical practicum if required skills and knowledge are deemed inadequate, or on other grounds deemed appropriate by the Deputy Dean (MBBS Curriculum).

Law component

Students undertake a program of core and elective units from the Faculty of Law. Refer also to 'Bachelor of Laws - basic course structure' at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2010handbooks/undergrad/law-08.html.

Medicine/surgery component

On the weekend prior to the commencement of the course, students will attend a residential transition program, designed to focus on transition to university life, personal ethics, healthy lifestyle, group support and introduction to communication skills.

Years one and two

Throughout the first two years, blocks of systems-based sub-units will be presented with a mix of basic medical science content, patient-based presentations and discussions in small groups. These sub-units combine basic content with generic skills and are set in appropriate clinical contexts, largely through the use of patient-oriented learning. Topics include:

• cardiovascular
• endocrinology
• gastrointestinal
• genomics
• human behaviour
• human development and growth
• immunology and infection
• metabolism
• molecules, cells and tissues
• musculo-skeletal
• neurosciences
• nutrition
• renal
• reproduction
• respiratory.

Years three and four

In the third and fourth years, the clinical content is delivered in blocks of clinical rotations, with a mix of advanced and applied medical science, patient-oriented presentations, and discussions in small tutorial groups. A diversity of clinical settings is used, including a range of hospitals, ambulatory clinics and the rural environment. The emphasis will be on students gaining real clinical experience, participating in patient care and understanding how health care teams work.

In the third year, students will study 'Integrated medicine and surgery' which will be taught together with a series of problem-based and core-based learning sessions. The fourth year will be largely taken up with the core clinical rotations* of 'Women's and children's health' and 'General practice and psychological medicine'.

Year five

The fifth year of the course is focused on facilitating the transition of students into the medical workplace as trainee interns and will be structured as a series of clinical rotations*. Students will participate in a range of learning experiences designed to substantially enhance their clinical reasoning, diagnostic and case management skills. Students will consolidate and enhance their knowledge, clinical skills and professional behaviours in five clinically orientated rotations:

• aged care
• emergency medicine
• medical
• surgical
• specialty.

In addition, students will undertake a student elective rotation in a clinical area of personal interest, subject to faculty approval.

* Students choose from a range of placements offered by the faculty.

The medicine/surgery component requires that students complete 240 points of study, comprising 48 points in each year, except fourth and sixth year (which is comprised entirely of law units). The law component requires that students complete 144 points of study, including 18 compulsory units and a further 36 points of elective law units. The structure as outlined below would allow a student to complete the double-degree program within seven years.

First year

• MED1011 Medicine 1
• MED1022 Medicine 2

(48 points)

Second year

• LAW1101 Introduction to legal reasoning
• LAW1104 Research and writing
• MED2000 Mark and Grade for Years 1 and 2
• MED2031 Medicine 3
• MED2042 Medicine 4

(60 points)

Third year

• LAW2101 Contract A
• LAW2102 Contract B
• MED3051 Medicine and surgery 1
• MED3052 Medicine and surgery 2

(60 points)

Fourth year

• LAW2201 Torts A
• LAW2202 Torts B
• LAW3301 Criminal law and procedure A
• LAW3302 Criminal law B
• LAW3401 Property A
• LAW3402 Property B
• 18 points of law electives

(54 points)

Fifth year

• LAW3201 Constitutional law
• MED4000 Mark and Grade Years 3 and 4
• MED4071 General practice and psychological medicine
• MED4082 Women's and children's health

(54 points)

Sixth year

• LAW3101 Administration law
• LAW4169 Equity
• LAW4170 Trusts
• LAW4171 Corporations law
• LAW5104 Civil procedure
• LAW5125 Lawyers, ethics and society
• LAW5159 Evidence
• 12 points of law electives

(54 points)

Seventh year

• MED5091 Advanced clinical practice I
• MED5092 Advanced clinical practice II
• MED5100 Honours Grade
• MED5102 Contemporary developments in clinical practice: patient safety
• 6 points of law electives

(54 points)

Eligible students may if they choose, during the course of the MBBS, intermit their studies to undertake the Honours degree of Bachelor of Medical Science.

Bachelor of Laws

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (with Honours)

Bachelor of Laws (with Honours)

Where more than one award is listed for one or both components of the double degree the actual award(s) conferred may depend on units/majors/streams/specialisations studied, the level of academic merit achieved, or other factors relevant to the individual student's program of study.