Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Unit

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Offered	Clayton Second semester 2010 (Day) Sunway Second semester 2010 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Margaret Hay

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. discuss the relevance of biomedical science to the practice of medicine in the areas of endocrinology and metabolism, sexuality, development and growth, gastroenterology and nutrition, and apply knowledge in these areas in an integrative manner to the understanding of particular cases or clinical issues;
16. describe the role of endocrine systems in normal and pathological function;
17. describe the basic processes of reproduction and early development, comprehend infertility and strategies to manage reproduction and contraception, understand how fetal conditions can determine adult disease also recognising how specific anomalies can be diagnosed prenatally and how some of them may be corrected or managed.
18. discuss the normal growth pattern and the attendant nutritional requirements of individuals from birth to adulthood, recognise the sources of deviation from such normal patterns and appreciate the role of nutrition in health and disease, taking account of social and cultural influences;
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. outline therapeutic agents relevant for endocrine, reproductive, gastrointestinal, and psychological conditions.
21. work effectively and communicate constructively within small peer groups in the researching and documentation of case-based information and apply audiovisual presentation skills in the conveying of such information to student peer groups.

Theme IV

22. understand the framework for taking a focused medical history and performs an examination of the reproductive, endocrine and gastrointestinal systems;
23. demonstrate an understanding of the investigations and imaging techniques used in the examination of the patients' reproductive organs, the endocrine and gastrointestinal systems;
24. further develop clinical reasoning skills underlying focussed history taking, examination and the selection of a particular investigation;
25. understand the link between clinical presentation and underlying pathophysiology to comprehend available management options;
26. further develop 'active listening' empathy, concern and an awareness of key gender, cultural and ethical issues when communicating with patients, their families and carers;
27. communicate clinical information and conclusions both verbally and in writing with clarity, consideration and sensitivity, to patients, their carers and other health professionals;

Rural placement: On the completion of this placement students will be able to:

28. describe and discuss how rural contexts impact on the assessment of health conditions.;
29. recognise the importance of context and clinical reasoning in relation to focused history taking;
30. describe and discuss how a rural context impacts on the clinical and non-clinical management of patients;
31. analyse the ways in which rural diversity can impact on rural health, illness and clinical practice;
32. reflect on the nature of a rural clinical practice from a clinician's perspective.

Student Project Cases: On the completion of this activity students will be able to:

33. integrate information from the four curriculum themes based on the range of learning activities, including self-directed research;
34. integrate and synthesise information from different body systems and human perspectives in the appreciation of clinical issues;
35. identify relevant resources and critically analyse information from a variety of sources;
36. develop skills in problem solving and apply in a medical context;
37. develop interpretative skills related to the evaluation of endocrine, metabolic, gastrointestinal, nutritional, reproductive and developmental information and issues, interfacing biomedical science with clinical medicine;
38. work effectively and communicate constructively within small groups in the planning, development and implementation of teamwork tasks, with individual and group responsibilities and adherence to project timelines;
39. discuss issues and problems in a structured manner and act as spokesperson for a group in a wider forum;
40. apply skills in audiovisual presentations on particular topics in medicine;
41. develop skills in preparation of written summaries in the form of notes suitable for effective communication and education;
42. apply constructive critiques to verbal and written presentations.

Rural placement and Student Project- refer to MED2031.

Assessment

Examinations and written assignments account for 30% of the end of Year 2 result as follows:
Mid semester test: 5%
End of semester examination: 10%
OSCE: 15%
The following in semester assignments are carried out across the full year:
Year Two Portfolio: 30%
Year Two Rural Project: 5%
Year Two Special Project Case: 5%
Vertical Integration Exam: 20%
The Vertical Integration Exam accounts 20% of the full year result.
For MED2042 the end of semester results will be pass grade only (PGO).
Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 80% at designated small group teaching activities to pass this unit.

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Christine McMenamin

Prerequisites

MED1011, MED1022, MED2031

Co-requisites

Must be enrolled in the MBBS or MBBS/LLB