Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Honours)

It's an exciting time to be studying medicine at Monash. We are the only Victorian university to offer a direct-from-school medical degree course, and we also offer graduate entry course leading to the same medical degree. Whichever your pathway to medicine at Monash, you will see the discoveries of our world-renowned researchers put into clinical practice and enjoy our links to the largest health-care provider network in Australia, which includes the Monash Medical Centre and The Alfred, Melbourne's major casualty hospital.

The course is designed as an integrated curriculum, with units taught in an interdisciplinary fashion by staff from across the faculty and in a wide range of learning environments, both campus and clinical. For school leaver entry, the first two years are largely campus-based, although some city and rural clinical placements are possible. Interdisciplinary units introduce the basic medical and behavioural sciences of anatomy, biochemistry, genetics, immunology, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, psychology and sociology.

Years 3 to 5 are conducted in clinical settings, generally in hospitals and practices across metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria. During this period you will spend around 40 hours per week working at a clinical site. This will provide you with time for self-directed study, and the time and opportunity to be in control of your own learning and to develop skills in problem-solving and the critical appraisal of information. Year 5 offers rotations through a number of clinical settings, such as aged care and emergency care, with the chance for elective and selective studies.

The course is accredited by the Australian Medical Council. After successfully completing the medical course, you become eligible for provisional registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Medical Board of Australia. After serving a compulsory internship year of residence in an approved hospital, you become eligible for final registration in Victoria and other states of Australia. You initially work as a doctor within the hospital system and can undertake further specialty training in a range of areas, such as general practice, obstetrics, paediatrics, psychiatry and surgery.

To broaden your options, you will have the opportunity to take intermission from your MBBS studies after Year 2 to undertake the Honours degree of Bachelor of Medical Science, and focus on an area of medical science research, before returning to the MBBS (Hons) course. This will place you in an excellent position to continue with medical research at a later stage, perhaps through a PhD, should you so wish.

Rural practice

All students are encouraged to spend time in rural areas. In order for the University to meet the requirements of the Australian Government Rural Clinical Training and Support (RCTS) program, all students that hold a Commonwealth-supported place (CSP) are required to undertake a minimum of four weeks experience in rural areas. Student placements in clinical years may be in metropolitan or rural locations. Students are allocated to particular locations (including rural placements) for up to 12 months. A cohort of students will be given the opportunity to spend up to two years in a rural site.

Awarding of honours grade

Students completing this degree may receive an overall honours grade based on a high level of academic achievement.

The honours grade is recorded in the unit MED5100 (Final MBBS grade) and is calculated from the results achieved in units studied as follows:

• 60 per cent of the result achieved for MED4000
• 30 per cent of the result achieved for MED2000
• 10 per cent of the overall average results achieved in year 5 of the course.

Students will receive an honours grade for the following scores:

• H1 - a result of 80 per cent or higher
• H2A - 79-75 per cent.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 8, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 8, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that you will:

1. be knowledgeable, skilful, reflective and compassionate
2. be innovative in your approach to and solution of problems
3. be skilled at accessing, appraising, and applying the best available evidence to your everyday practice
4. be able to critically review medical research literature
5. be able to develop a focused research question
6. apply data analysis methods appropriate for a research question
7. demonstrate awareness of the social, ethical, economic and environmental context of health and illness and psychological wellbeing and delivery of care
8. be committed to the health of populations as well as individuals
9. be concerned with issues of equity, quality and humanity in health care and act as an advocate for the disadvantaged and dispossessed
10. maintain high standards throughout your professional life by a commitment to life-long learning and teaching
11. have the skill to address the key questions relevant to the community and to medicine
12. be capable of leadership and yet be comfortable working as a team member
13. uphold the community's trust and expectations of the role of a doctor
14. be an advocate for health by practising preventative medicine and health promotion
15. recognise the essential role and use of research which underpins medical practice.

Special requirements

Students must refer to the information available on the special requirements outlined below. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have the correct documentation.

Police checks

Students must have a current Police check regarding their suitability to undertake placements. Refer to the faculty's police checkspolice checks (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/police-checks.html) webpage.

Working with Children checks

Students must have a current Working with Children check regarding their suitability to undertake placements. Refer to the faculty's Working with Children checksWorking with Children checks (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/wwc-check.html) webpage.

Immunisation and infection requirements

In accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations, this course requires that students comply with the faculty's Immunisation and vaccination policy and proceduresImmunisation and vaccination policy and procedures (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/immunisation/). These are designed to provide maximum protection against the increased risk of some vaccine preventable diseases for students, patients and workers in a health care setting.

This policy, and the associated procedures require that students have certain specified vaccinations, and have their blood borne virus status determined, before they commence a clinical placement. Students who have not complied with this policy may not be able to undertake clinical placement, with the attendant academic consequences.

Prospective students are provided detailed information on the effect of blood borne virus infection on the scope of practice of health care workers. Students who test positive to a blood borne virus (including HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C) will be required to consult a specialist medical practitioner approved by the faculty to provide advice on any necessary restrictions on work practices to protect patients and others from infection.

First Aid Certificates

It is highly recommended that students hold or attain by the end of first semester, a current registered Level 2 or Senior First Aid Certificate.

Student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

In keeping with a student's professional responsibilities, all MBBS students must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and must keep the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences informed of any matters that would impact on that registration.

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.

Students must be aware of the faculty's Clinical Placement GuidelinesClinical Placement Guidelines (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/policies/docs/clinical-fieldwork-placement-guidelines.pdf).

Students will not be permitted to attend any clinical placements unless they have current valid Working With Children and Police checks, and have a satisfactory immunization status.

Clinical expenses

Students are responsible for all travel and accommodation expenses during clinical placements.

The course develops through theme studies in personal and professional development; population, society, health and Illness; scientific basis of clinical practice; and clinical skills, all of which come together in professional practice demonstrated in the clinical placement units.

Part A: Personal and professional development

These studies focus on the doctor as an individual. The focus will be on the personal attributes and qualities you will need as a medical student and, ultimately, a medical practitioner. It covers elements of health enhancement, professional responsibilities, communication skills, information technology, medical informatics and computing skills, ethics and legal issues, and clinical effectiveness.

Part B. Population, society, health and illness

The focus of these studies is the social, environmental and behavioural contexts of illness and the practice of medicine, especially in rural and remote areas, and broad societal issues such as health promotion, epidemiology, public health, community diversity, population and global health. You will also study the history and philosophy of the scientific approach to medicine, and approaches to knowledge and information, and hence develop a sound understanding of evidence-based medicine.

Part C. Scientific basis of clinical practice

These studies address human systems, and through them you will develop the knowledge and concepts that underpin both the basic medical sciences and in the clinical sciences.

Part D. Clinical skills

This theme encompasses the whole range of clinical skills and will develop defined clinical competencies. This will begin with clinical aspects of communication skills and move through history taking and physical examinations to the more advanced clinical and procedural skills.

Units are interdisciplinary, with themes woven through each semester.

Years 1 and 2

Blocks of systems-based sub-units are 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 system
• endocrinology
• gastrointestinal tract
• genomics
• human behaviour
• human development and growth
• immunology and infection
• metabolism
• molecules, cells and tissues
• musculo-skeletal system
• neurosciences
• nutrition
• urinary system
• reproduction
• respiratory system.

Years 3 and 4

During this period, 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 variety of clinical settings are used, including a range of metropolitan and rural 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, you will study integrated medicine and surgery and pathology which will be taught together with a series of problem-based and core-based learning sessions. Year 4 will be largely taken up with the core clinical rotations of:

• children's health
• general practice
• psychological medicine
• women's health.

Year 5

The final year of the course focuses on facilitating your transition into the medical workplace as a trainee intern and will be structured as a series of clinical rotations*. You will participate in a range of learning experiences designed to substantially enhance your clinical reasoning, diagnostic and case management skills. You will consolidate and enhance your knowledge, clinical skills and professional behaviours in five clinically orientated rotations:

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

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

* Students may choose from a range of placements offered by the faculty or may arrange to undertake an elective rotation in another faculty-approved healthcare facility or university in Australia or overseas.

The course develops through theme studies in personal and professional development; population, society, health and Illness; scientific basis of clinical practice; and clinical skills. These are integrated in units throughout the course and come together in professional practice demonstrated in the clinical placement units.

Students must complete 240 points.

The course progression mapcourse progression map (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2016handbooks/maps/map-4531.pdf) will assist you to plan to meet the course requirements, and guidance on unit enrolment for each semester of study.

Students complete:

• MED1011 Medicine 1 (24 points)
• MED1022 Medicine 2 (24 points)
• MED2000 Year 1 and 2 final grade (0 points)
• MED2031 Medicine 3 (24 points)
• MED2042 Medicine 4 (24 points)
• MED3051 Medicine and surgery 1 (12 points)
• MED3062 Medicine and surgery 2 (12 points)
• MED3200 Introductory clinical studies (24 points)
• MED4000 Year 3B and 4C final grade (0 points)
• MED4190 Specialty clinical practices (24 points)
• MED4200 Integrated clinical studies (24 points)
• MED5091 Advanced clinical practice 1 (18 points)
• MED5092 Advanced clinical practice 2 (24 points)
• MED5100 Final MBBS grade (0 points)
• MED5102 Contemporary developments in clinical practice: Patient safety (6 points)

Prior to graduation, eligible students may intermit their studies and apply for admission to 0041 Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) which provides a one year honours research compliment to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Honours).

Students may exit this course with a Bachelor of Human Sciences after successfully completing at least 144 points of study.