Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine - 2018

Monash is the only Victorian university to offer both direct-from-school entry and graduate entry 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, Eastern Health and health services in rural, regional and outer metropolitan Melbourne. The school-leaver entry medicine program is also offered in Malaysia and has identical curriculum and synchronous identical assessment and is fully integrated with the Australian program.

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.

At the completion of this one year of study graduate entry students join the school leaver cohort in Year 3.

Year three to five of the course 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 provides 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 five 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 course, graduates 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, domestic graduates become eligible for final registration in Victoria and other states of Australia. Graduates 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 medicine studies after second year to undertake the honours year of the Bachelor of Medical Science (leading to the award of Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)), and focus on an area of medical science research, before returning to the 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

You are encouraged to spend time in rural areas. In order for the University to meet the requirements of the Australian Government Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program, all students that hold a Commonwealth-supported place (CSP) must have an opportunity to undertake a structured rural placement, with at least 50% of these students completing rural training of at least four consecutive weeks during their degree. A cohort of students will be given the opportunity to spend up to two and a half years in a rural setting.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework Level 7 and Level 9 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework Level 7 and Level 9 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 be able to:

Stage one: Bachelor of Medical Science

1. demonstrate awareness of the social, ethical, economic and environmental context of health and illness and psychological wellbeing and delivery of care
2. demonstrate knowledge regarding the health of populations as well as individuals
3. show knowledge and skills relating to medical science and health issues
4. reflect upon and show compassion for issues pertinent to equity, quality and humanity in health care
5. take responsibility for your own self-directed learning
6. recognise the essential role and use of research in underpinning medical practice
7. access and critically review medical research literature and best available evidence
8. develop a focused research question and suggest an appropriate research method
9. promote approaches that support preventative medicine and health promotion
10. act as both a leader and effective team member in learning environments
11. reflect upon the role of a doctor and recognise the community's expectations of this role.

Stage two: Doctor of Medicine

1. apply highly developed knowledge of the social, ethical, economic and environmental context of health and illness and psychological wellbeing and delivery of care
2. apply advanced knowledge to promote the health of populations as well as individuals
3. apply advanced knowledge and skills relevant to disciplines of medicine and your practice
4. show compassion and act as advocates to address issues of equity, quality and humanity in health care
5. apply skills that support life-long learning throughout your professional life
6. critically review and make judgements of medical research literature
7. show highly developed expertise in accessing, appraising, and applying the best available evidence to professional practice
8. apply highly developed knowledge and skills to identify and research or evaluate a problem or issue in medical science or professional practice
9. use specialist knowledge and skills to address the key questions relevant to the community and to medicine
10. solve complex problems using innovative and effective approaches
11. show active and expert advocacy for health by practising preventative medicine and health promotion
12. act as an effective leader and team member in workplace settings
13. reflect upon the role of a doctor and demonstrate the ability to meet the community's expectations of this role.

This course requires you to undertake off-campus clinical placements. In the clinical setting you will apply theory to practice under supervision. Attendance is mandatory for the clinical component of each unit. You must be aware of the faculty's Clinical/Fieldwork Placement Handbook - Guiding Principles, Procedures, Policies and Behavioural RequirementsClinical/Fieldwork Placement Handbook - Guiding Principles, Procedures, Policies and Behavioural Requirements (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/policies/clinical-fieldwork-placement/index.html). You will not be permitted to attend any clinical placements unless they have current valid Working with Children and Police checks, and have a satisfactory immunisation status.

Clinical expenses

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

Concurrent study

Permission must be granted by the Monash School of Medicine for students to apply for concurrent study (including online courses) while enrolled in the Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine.

The course accreditation is provided by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC). The school leaver entry Australian course is accredited by the Singapore Medical Council (SMC).

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

'Personal and professional development' will focus on the doctor as an individual and concentrates on the personal attributes and qualities needed by medical students and, ultimately, medical practitioners. 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

'Population, society, health and illness' develops your abilities to deal with broader society and population issues. You will consider the social, environmental and behavioural contexts of illness and the practice of medicine, including an emphasis on rural and remote Australia. Other elements of this theme will be built around health promotion, epidemiology, public health, community diversity, population and global health, and a range of other societal issues. The history and philosophy of the scientific approach to medicine will also be included, extending this to approaches to knowledge and information, and an understanding of evidence-based medicine.

Part C. Scientific basis of clinical practice

'Scientific basis of clinical practice' includes much of the human systems-based teaching in the course. The knowledge and concepts that underpin medicine, both in the basic medical sciences and in the clinical sciences, are included.

Part D. Clinical skills

'Clinical skills' encompasses the whole range of clinical skills. This begins with clinical aspects of communication skills and introduction to practical clinical skills including handwashing, sharps disposal, subcutaneous and intramuscular injecting. Early in the course you will interact with health care professionals during medical contact visits, and will be introduced to the medical interview, taking a family history, ethical aspects of medical contact visits. Comprehensive history taking, systems based physical examinations and procedural clinical skills are further developed during later clinical placements. The approach in clinical skills development will be to develop defined clinical competencies.

Units are interdisciplinary, with themes woven through each semester.

Years one and two

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
• reproduction
• respiratory system
• urinary system.

Years three and four

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 you 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 pathophysiology which will be taught together with a series of problem-based and core-based learning sessions. The fourth year will be largely taken up with the core clinical rotations of:

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

Year five

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 their clinical reasoning, diagnostic and case management skills. They will consolidate and enhance your knowledge, clinical skills and professional behaviours in five clinically orientated rotations:

• aged care
• emergency medicine
• medical
• patient safety
• scholarly intensive project
• specialty
• surgical.

The course requires the completion of two stages. To progress to stage two you must have completed all of the requirements for the Bachelor of Medical Science and be in good standing with the faculty and meet all requirements of the applicant checks.

Stage one: Bachelor of Medical Science

Stage one of the course comprises 144 points, of which all are core units comprised of 96 credit points of campus based study (Years 1 and 2) and 48 credit points of clinically based study (Year 3).

The course develops through theme studies in: A. Personal and professional development, B. Population, society, health and illness, C. Scientific basis of clinical practice and D. Clinical skills.

You must complete:

Year 1

• MED1011 Medicine 1
• MED1022 Medicine 2

Year 2

• MED2031 Medicine 3
• MED2042 Medicine 4
• MED2000 Year 1 and 2 Final grade

Year 3

• MED3100 Medicine and surgery
• MED3200 Foundation clinical studies

Stage two: Doctor of Medicine

Stage two of the course comprises 96 points.

You progress to stage two of the course having successfully completed Year 3 of the Bachelor of Medical Science which is cross credited for the master's qualification.

You must complete:

Year 4

• MED4190 Specialty clinical practices
• MED4200 Integrated clinical studies

Year 5

• MED5091 Advanced clinical practice 1
• MED5092 Advanced clinical practice 2
• MED5102 Contemporary developments in clinical practice: patient safety
• MED5101 Applied studies in medical research and professional practice

Honours

You may be eligible to intermit for one year to undertake a one-year honours program leading to M3701 Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours).

Graduates would be eligible to apply for any further studies at tertiary level for which the master's program meets entry requirements.