The faculty aims to provide an undergraduate medical course consisting of integrated and interdisciplinary programs. The programs are educational in that they are directed towards the acquisition of the art of utilisation of knowledge. By graduation students will have developed the ability to reason logically and critically; acquired an appreciation of the contributions of research in the biomedical sciences to the underpinning of advances in the health care of the community and where appropriate received encouragement to pursue research interests; developed learning skills and motivation to provide the basis for self-directed continuing education; acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate for further education in any medical specialty; and demonstrated competence in the application of medical knowledge and skills with sensitivity to the needs and expectations of the individual and society.
The undergraduate course in medicine is therefore directed towards the personal development of the individual student and to the acquisition and utilisation of appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes for the benefit of individual patients and society. The medical student will:
(a) acquire a basic medical knowledge and understanding of sciences and scientific method; structure, function, normal growth and disorders focusing on those disorders which are preventable, curable, common or produce short- and long-term discomfort and disability; aetiology, history and prognosis of mental and physical ailments; pregnancy and childbirth; prevention and therapy; human relationships and interactions between doctor and patient and between people and their environment; organisation and provision of health care; health promotion; and ethical standards and legal responsibilities;
(b) develop professional skills to identify and manage illness in patients; practise simple clinical procedures; recognise common medical emergencies; communicate with patients and relatives; communicate and work effectively with co-workers as part of a health team; evaluate assumptions and arguments critically; make cost-effective use of tests available; make cost-effective use of therapeutic options; counsel patients including health promotion, prevention, formulating treatment plans and negotiating informed consent; and use time and resources efficiently;
(c) develop appropriate attitudes and behaviour in relation to a scientific and humanitarian approach to patients; self-education and continuing medical education; critical evaluation of knowledge and practice; empathy for patients; appreciation of self-limitations; relationships with co-workers; and application of ethical codes of practice.
Education in the faculty will enable students to acquire balanced relevant knowledge of the sciences upon which medicine depends and an understanding of the scientific method, and it will enable them to achieve a comprehensive understanding of people in health and in sickness and an intimate acquaintance with their physical and social environment.
The undergraduate student will be exposed to a broad range of experiences located in a variety of hospitals and in suburban and rural communities to assist in the integration of appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes.
The faculty through its departments will encourage the development of the highest standards of scholarship in staff and ensure that departments also provide a milieu in which high levels of scholarship can be achieved by students. The faculty will have a commitment and responsibility to health care standards and the competence of health care providers. Teaching responsibilities may encompass the continuum of undergraduate, vocational, postgraduate and continuing medical education and will provide an environment to facilitate emotional, social and intellectual growth.
Whereas responsibility for information gains and standard of achievement rests with the student, the faculty has a responsibility for assessing the extent to which each student is equipped academically to progress through a course leading to a degree in medicine. The student has a dual obligation to meet the educational standards required by the university which awards the medical degree and to meet the professional requirements which the medical registration authority assumes have been met if a degree has been awarded.
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