Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Course

This course is designed to further develop medical practitioners knowledge and skills so that they are able to provide a high quality clinical forensic medical service. This will include ethical and legal issues arising in forensic medical practice, the skills required to interpret injury patterns and communication with the justice system.

This course is designed to:

• establish academic standards in clinical forensic medical practice
• produce graduates who have a sound knowledge of medico-legal principles
• develop practitioners skills in providing clinical forensic services in the community
• strengthen the teaching- research nexus in forensic medical education
• foster the development of career pathways in forensic medicine.

Assessment

Assessment activities, including the thesis option, are designed to further develop the participants' understanding of the theoretical principles underpinning forensic practice. Assessment methods will vary but may include coursework and workshop participation, formal assignments, casebooks and minor thesis.

This course is offered via coursework and minor thesis, or by coursework only. The coursework component comprises core and elective units.

Core units

• FOR4001 Medical evidence
• FOR4002 Injury interpretation
• FOR4003 Ethics, medicine and the law

Coursework and minor thesis option

Students complete:

• 48 points of electives
• a minor thesis

Students undertaking the minor thesis are required to prepare a research proposal at an early stage of their minor thesis enrolment and have this approved by their thesis supervisor. The area of research must cover a topic directly related to forensic medicine, and should include at least one elective unit of instruction on research methodologies and basic statistics.

Coursework only option

Students complete:

• 54 points of electives

Elective units

Students select units from the list below or may also (with departmental approval) choose other graduate units offered by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, other faculties at Monash University or other tertiary institutions.

• FOR4004 Elements of the forensic sciences
• FOR4005 Child and adolescent sexual abuse
• FOR4006 Non accidental injury in childhood
• FOR5005 Adult sexual assault
• FOR5006 Traffic medicine
• FOR5007 Elements of forensic toxicology
• FOR5008 Custodial medicine
• FOR5010 Project in forensic medicine

Minimum grade for course completion

Students must achieve a minimum distinction grade average in all three core units to qualify for this award. Students who do not achieve this average will exit with a Graduate Certificate of Forensic Medicine or Graduate Diploma of Forensic Medicine, depending on the units completed, providing all requirements for the award has been met.

Students may exit this course with a Graduate Certificate of Forensic Medicine or Graduate Diploma of Forensic Medicine providing all requirements of that award have been met.

Master of Forensic Medicine