Refer to the specific
census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Synopsis
MED3051 is an integrated medicine/surgery curriculum based on the four themes of the medical curriculum: Personal and professional development; population, society, health and illness; foundations of medicine; and clinical skills. Evidence-based educational approaches support students in acquiring appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills in medicine, surgery, clinical skills, evidence-based clinical practice, occupational and environmental medicine, pathophysiology, pharmacology, ethics and law. Previous learning will be extended.
Objectives
By the end of Year 3, students are expected to be able to:
Theme 1: Personal and Professional Development
- describe ethical and legal issues pertinent to clinical contexts;
- articulate professional rights and responsibilities including advocacy for patients and their families;
- demonstrate ability to work in multi-professional teams;
- identify, develop and use strategies to meet professional and personal challenges and needs;
Theme II: Population, Society, Health and Illness
- correctly apply principles and key steps in evidence based clinical practice;
- demonstrate application of the principles of evidence-based medicine to the diagnosis, management and prevention of occupational and environmental disease;
- elicit an accurate occupational and environmental history;
- describe how to certify a patient's fitness for work;
- effectively advise patients on the cause and prevention of the better-known occupational and environmental diseases;
- recognise human and institutional factors relevant to risk management in health care settings;
Theme III: Scientific basis of clinical practice
History/examination and Differential Diagnosis:
- Identify and apply the scientific bases that underpin the rational approach to eliciting a history and examining a patient in common diseases;
- Formulate a differential diagnosis and problem list relevant to the patient;
Clinical Features, Natural history, Pathogenesis and Pathology of disease
- Describe the natural history, pathogenesis and morphology of pathological processes related to specific diseases and conditions. Relate these to their clinical manifestations;
Recognition of Complexity in Patients' Health and Disease:
- Recognize that patients can present with problems due to multiple causes and contributing factors, including psychosocial factors, which impact upon their management, care and outcomes;
Investigating Health Problems:
- Determine and describe the scientific rationale that underpins the selection of appropriate investigations to confirm the diagnosis and guide the management of the patient;
- Interpret the results of investigations and relate these to the diagnosis and/or management of the patient's condition;
General Principles of Management
- Outline the scientific basis for the range of therapeutic approaches available to manage a patient's problem;
- Analyse the scientific rationale that underpins medical and surgical therapies (the scientific basis of therapies and their implementation);
- Select appropriate management options for patients, medical (including pharmacological) and interventional (particularly surgical);
Surgical Management
- Explain the key features of processes undertaken to provide surgical care for a patient, including preoperative assessment, operating room processes, anaesthetic management and postoperative care;
- Describe the key principles of common operations and procedures important to the effective surgical management of patients' problems;
Pharmacotherapeutics
- Use a rational approach, incorporating knowledge about safety, to select appropriate therapeutic drugs. Describe the basis of their mechanism of action, important aspects of their pharmacokinetics, adverse effects and drug interactions;
The Role of Research in Advancing Medical Knowledge:
- Identify and criticise how research contributes to the body of scientific knowledge available to medical practitioners;
Theme IV: Clinical skills
- communicate clearly, considerately and sensitively with peers, patients, relatives, doctors, nurses, other health care professionals and the general public;
- conduct a patient-centred interview that is tactful, accurate, organised and problem-focused;
- describe principles for giving information to patients (eg applied to procedural information, patient education skills);
- conduct relevant and appropriate physical and clinical examinations;
- describe and use clinical reasoning skills;
- frame appropriate diagnoses/differential diagnoses in commonly presenting complaints;
- correctly perform specified practical techniques, tasks and procedures; and
- describe normal and abnormal reactions to illness, disability and loss.
Assessment
Assessments are continuous and will be both formative and summative. Formative assessments may include written instruments such as EMQs and short answer questions linked with PBLs together with observation of clinical skills through Mini Case Records (MCRs) and completion of a clinical skills logbook.
Students must demonstrate satisfactory participation and performance in clinical skills activities during clinical attachments. Portfolio components must be completed as required. Pass grade only (PGO). Students must attend a minimum of 80% tutorials and clinical placements to pass this unit.
Chief examiner(s)
Associate Professor Shah Yasin
Contact hours
Approximately 13 hrs/week of structured teaching and learning, 10 hrs/week of unstructured learning in clinical settings and 10 hrs/week self directed learning (private study).
Prerequisites
MED2031, MED2042
Co-requisites
Must be enrolled in the MBBS or MBBS/LLB
