Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Senior Medicine and Surgery Block: Demonstrate increased proficiency in all knowledge and skill domains defined in the FIMS outcomes.
2. Take a focused history, conduct relevant examinations, and perform basic and advanced procedures for patients with a broad range of presentations and conditions in the acute healthcare settings.
3. Synthesise the history and physical findings to develop and prioritise your differential diagnoses, and formulate a detailed management plan.
4. Manage a broad range of acute and chronic internal medical and surgical conditions at a level comparable to an intern.
5. Provide appropriate and concise clinical details to members of the healthcare team and hospital services.
6. Communicate the benefits, limitations and risks of possible therapies to patients.
7. Address non-pharmacological and surgical interventions before a patient can leave hospital, and be aware when and to whom the patient should be referred for continuing care.
8. Acute Care Block: Explain the physiological basis of severe illness, and the need for organ system support.
9. Explain and perform the basic manoeuvres of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, and the rationale for and administration of intravenous fluid in the unwell patient.
10. Differentiate between and discuss indicators of the well and unwell patient.
11. Describe the management of the airways in acutely unwell patients and perform basic airway management skills.
12. Demonstrate knowledge of the maintenance and support of organ function in the well patient undergoing anaesthesia, and in the acutely unwell patient.
13. Identify and explain the issues of welfare and ethics as they relate to the patient, their family, and health professionals in the acute care setting.
14. Discuss the political and financial contexts in which the acutely unwell patient is managed.
15. Design and develop education for peers, patients and families acute care medicine.
16. Discuss the patient centred issues relevant to end of life care.
17. Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Block: Make an accurate assessment of a patient, by taking a thorough psychiatric and addiction medicine history and performing a mental state examination and physical examination.
18. Outline an initial management plan, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of the most common and most severe psychiatric and substance use disorders.
19. Articulate the need for advocacy in relation to the welfare of those with psychiatric and substance use disorders.
20. Illustrate how some aspects of assessment and management in psychiatry and addictive medicine may be traumatic to patients, family and healthcare provider
21. Explain that this patient population is subject to stigma, frequently marginalized, and vulnerable to exploitation and that these factors impact on access to healthcare and effectiveness of its delivery.
22. Discuss the basic principles of mental health legislation with respect to patients’ legal rights of consent and autonomy.
23. Apply ethical principles that provide safeguards for a vulnerable patient population, their families and the healthcare team.
24. Women's Health and Newborn Care Block: Recognise and discuss the potentially sensitive nature of women's health presentations and examinations and demonstrate respectful and culturally-aware professional behaviour.
25. Demonstrate a knowledge of women's health over the lifespan, including normal physiology and the pathological basis of common conditions.
26. Take a relevant gynaecological and sexual history at different stages of a woman's life and perform a competent vulval, vaginal and speculum examination.
27. Recognise and describe common gynaecological conditions, conduct appropriate examinations and investigations, and outline principles of management.
28. Demonstrate knowledge of the normal progress, monitoring and management of pregnancy, labour and birth, and the puerperium; and, take an accurate ante-natal history.
29. Recognise common abnormal conditions in pregnancy, labour and birth, and the puerperium, conduct appropriate examinations and investigations, and outline principles of management
30. Accurately assess a newborn baby's condition at birth and instigate basic resuscitation.
31. Confidently examine a normal newborn and recognise common neonatal conditions, conduct appropriate examinations and investigations and outline principles of management.

Other Information

Inherent Requirement Descriptors continued:

Insight into their own health and behaviour

• Medical students will be expected to demonstrate an ability to recognise when they experience poor health and put in place effective processes to ensure their own health or behaviours do not pose a risk to others.

Cognition, critical thinking and problem solving skills

• Medical students will be expected to have an aptitude for problem solving, based on scientific principles to understand and solve the complex medical needs of patients, whilst also considering the context of the patient’s circumstances and the health system they are working in.

Team work

• Medical students will be expected to work willingly and cohesively as part of a team, taking responsibility for their actions as well as recognising and respecting the skills of other professionals.

Physical and observational capabilities

• Medical students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to acquire information, carry out a range of procedures suitable to their level of capability, and understand and carry out their role in assisting during a medical emergency.

Sustainable performance

• Medical students will be expected to demonstrate both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period of time that provides safe and effective care without compromise.

Indicative Assessment

1. During MEDI8040 students will undertake periodic formative assessments and are required to fulfill the requirements of the year 4 clinical skills and experiential learning portfolio. An Academic Supervisor is assigned to each student to assist the student to develop their Learning Plan for the blocks and to formally review and sign off on the portfolio. (null) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]
2. Phase 2 Portfolio, including Clinical Skills Logbook (Hurdle requirement) (0) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]
3. Phase 2 Population Health Project (Hurdle requirement) (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,7,28,29,30,31]
4. Long Case Examination (Hurdle requirement) (18) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]
5. OSCE/VIVA (Hurdle requirement) (36) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]
6. Written Examination (Hurdle requirement) (36) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]

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Workload

This course must be enrolled in twice over two consecutive semesters (24 units +24 units)

The general expectation in Medicine 4 is a minimum of 6 clinical sessions (4 hour sessions) per week in addition to the structured teaching commitments eg. all day Wednesday. Please see course outline for more information.

Inherent Requirements

During the Clinical placements, students will participate in the medical care of patients including vulnerable persons. This requires students to put into practice a range of professional competencies developed in earlier courses.

These competencies are guided by the Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand Inclusive Medical Education guidance note and require students to be able to:

Communication skills – verbal, non-verbal and written

• Medical students will be expected to communicate effectively and sensitively with a range of different people to establish rapport, involve patients and carers in decision making, and practise in a culturally safe way to deliver high quality, safe care. This applies to listening, speaking, reading, writing, and the capability to use these different modes to elicit information from people, often under pressure and in difficult situations.

Professionalism

• Medical students will be expected to demonstrate capabilities consistent with those of a medical professional, including a commitment to making the care of patients their priority, and to practise safely and effectively, treat people with dignity and respect, and be aware of the limits of their own knowledge, skills and health. They will also be required to comply with the law, regulations and any other university codes or policies.

Insight into their own health and behaviour

Cognition, critical thinking and problem solving skills

Team work

Physical and observational capabilities

Sustainable performance

(See the Other Information for the full descriptors of the final five areas).

It should be recognised that there may be cases where students will not be able to meet the requirements of the program, even with reasonable adjustments. Students unable to meet the course inherent requirements will be unable to complete the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery and will be offered a transfer to the Master of Preclinical Science.

Requisite and Incompatibility

Prescribed Texts

Please refer to course outline

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links