Specialty Clinical Practices provides clinical teaching in Children's Health, General Practice, Psychiatry and Women's Health. Students will undertake clinical placements in at least 2 specialty areas across the semester. Learning activities, tailored to the specific placement, may include lectures, tutorials, case-based learning, bedside tutorials, practical skills sessions, and specialty teaching clinics and directed learning activities. Students are expected to attend clinical settings, undertake independent learning activities and consolidate knowledge and skills from previous learning. EBCP and Health Economics components will be integrated with placement activities.
Upon successful completion, for the disciplines relevant to each of the clinical placements undertaken, students should be able to:
Theme I: Personal and Professional Development
- Apply the legal requirements and protocols to clinical practice including documentation, patient care and safety
- Respect and maintain privacy and confidentiality (peers, university & health care staff, external stakeholders, patients, clients)
- Recognise issues related to justice and the role of advocacy that are evident within the health system
- Practice and discuss ethical decision making and consultation in clinical environments
- Display a respectful, non-judgemental and empathic approach to others
- Maintain an appropriate standard of professional behaviour including demeanour, appearance and meeting commitments and acts as a role model for junior students
- Communicate clearly, effectively and appropriately in oral, written and electronic formats
- Explain the potential harm created by risks and errors in health care settings and the responsibilities of health care professionals in ensuring the quality of patient care
- Identify activities in clinical settings that contribute to research and quality improvement in healthcare
- Review and critically reflect upon judgments and health care practices relating to patient outcomes
- Recognise peers experiencing difficulty and identify support strategies.
- Use appropriate environments and strategies for sensitive and effective communication and interaction with others in clinical environments (patients and carers, peers and health care professionals)
- Acknowledge the roles and responsibilities of patient centred health care team members be willing to assist by taking on appropriate roles
- Engage in learning opportunities and participate in peer learning, leadership and teaching activities
- Articulate own strengths, acknowledge own limitations which impact upon performance, seek support and self-advocate for improvement
- Take responsibility for own self-care and health issues.
Theme II: Population, Society, Health and Illness
- Discuss occupational and environmental factors that affect health, well-being and safety and the capacity to perform work
- Explain medical, behavioural and socio-environmental approaches to health promotion
- Explain the rationale for a health intervention/screening program
- Identify and explain relevant programs and community resources available to patients and their families
- Critique appropriate strategies for disease prevention and health promotion for patients
- Source and interpret biostatistical information relevant to health and disease in populations across a range of contexts (e.g. rural, indigenous, refugee, vulnerable/'at-risk' populations)
- Compare study designs used in population health and clinical research publications/reports/projects
- Describe the impact of public health policy and the essential roles of systems on the delivery of health care to the individual across a range of contexts (e.g. rural, indigenous, refugee, vulnerable/'at-risk' populations)
- Evaluate the rationale, methodology and application of clinical decision making processes and strategies
- Identify organisational factors which impact on patient care and participate in quality improvement processes
- Explain the economic perspective on health issues and health care
- Synthesize and effectively communicate observations and analysis in written and oral formats appropriate for scientific/medical audiences
- Formulate and conduct an effective search for information relevant to the clinical care of a patient
- Organise, manage, interpret and apply information from medical research literature, lay press and clinical practice guidelines according to discipline guidelines/practices
- Critique data and information sourced in medical literature
- Outline the evidence used to make a clinical decision.
Theme III: Foundations of Clinical Practice
- Apply the knowledge and concepts of basic biological, psychological and social science to common and important clinical conditions
- Identify biological, psychological and social factors pertinent to understanding the illness and its management
- Identify common and important illnesses, conditions and disorders.
Theme IV: Clinical Skills
- Conduct a structured and organised patient centred interview
- Elicit a structured, comprehensive and logical history for neonates, babies, children, adolescents, and adults
- Perform an appropriate examination (relevant to practice in general practice, psychiatry, women's health and children's health)
- Perform specified clinical procedures and tasks in clinical environments
- Justify selection of investigations for the patient's presenting problems or conditions
- Request/order relevant investigations correctly
- Interpret results of specified investigations and use to guide patient management
- Prioritise patient care in order of urgency under structured supervision
- Generate a ranked problem list
- Develop a differential diagnosis (list) and justify the most likely options relevant for the patient
- Develop and justify management plans for common problems and conditions for a patient whose illness remains undifferentiated
- Select and justify their choice of medication, dose and mode of administration for the patient
- Monitor the patient, recognise common complications and plan an immediate response under structured supervision
- Develop and implements an individualised patient management plan for fluid, electrolyte and blood product use
- Perform admissions, discharges and referrals including documentation and patient preparation
- Provide structured and effective case presentations
- Accurately record case details and clinical activities in appropriate formats.
This unit 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.
Summative assessment tasks (written and practical) specific for the discipline area of the clinical attachments (i.e. Children's Health, General Practice Women's Health, Psychiatry) with a total of 24 assessment workload points for in-semester assessment (100%)
Hurdle requirements for each area of clinical attachment (ie Children's Health, General Practice Women's Health) such as specified clinical tasks and completion of logbooks. Successful completion of web-based Evidence-Based Clinical Practice, Health Economics, and Health Systems Management components.
80% minimum attendance hurdle requirement.
MED3051, MED3062 and MED3200 or GMB3031, GMB3042 and GMB3200.
MED4000 and MED4200. Must be enrolled in courses 0040, 1074, 3856, 3952, 4531, 4533 or 4532.