MEDI5015
Medicine / Psychiatry / Palliative Care / PHCS
40 Units
Available in 2014
| Central Coast Clinical School | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
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| Hunter Clinical School | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
| Manning Base Hospital | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
| Tablelands Clinical School | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
| Tamworth Base Hospital | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
Previously offered in 2013, 2012
As a component of the pre-internship year, this course develops the skills that will be required for clinical practice by giving students the opportunity to review and apply previously learned topics.
Through active participation in the clinical work of the medical teams to which they are attached, the Medicine attachment will permit students to refine their basic clinical skills and knowledge, to perfect core practical skills that are necessary for internship, and to integrate their knowledge of basic science/physiology with clinical practice. Students will also learn the administrative skills required for internship including rational planning of investigations, appropriate referral to other medical and allied health services, discharge planning, and liaison with community services and general practitioners.
In relation to Psychiatry, the attachment is a type of clinical apprenticeship. Students will be expected to attend all functions of the unit to which they are attached, including participating in ward rounds, clinical clerking of patients, and other unit activities. There will be regular discussion of issues pertaining to diagnosis and treatment of patients with registrars and consultant psychiatrists. Students will learn how to identify, assess and manage common psychiatric disorders and psychosocial problems.
Palliative Medicine is the care and study of patients with active, progressive, far advanced disease, where the prognosis is limited and where Quality of Life issues are the central concern. Meticulous management of pain and other symptoms together with psychospiritual care are the main areas of focus in Palliative Medicine. The support of carers / families extends into the bereavement phase.
In relation to the Primary Health Care Selective, students will primarily undertake placements in community settings and with general practitioners focussing on the management of chronic illness and disability in the community.
This course is offered in both Semester 1 and Semester 2, on a rotating basis.
| Objectives | By the end of the course, students will demonstrate understanding, skills and professional attitudes to a level that will prepare them to function at the level of an intern in the areas of: medicine, psychiatry, palliative care and primary health care. Within each of these disciplines, students will be able to: Demonstrate understanding of: 1. The aetiology, pathophysiology, presentation and prognosis of common mental and physical conditions 2. The appropriate use of common diagnostic procedures, including their uses and limitations 3. The basic principles of management of common medical, psychiatric and psychosocial problems 4. Those common medical, psychiatric and psychosocial problems that require urgent assessment and treatment 5. The public health aspects of common clinical problems in the community, including the epidemiology of common risk factors and the use of early intervention strategies 6. The doctor’s and the primary health care teams role within the context of the primary health system 7. The effect of psychosocial, cultural, religious, educational and economic backgrounds on the impact of disease in an individual and the impact of these factors on health care 8. The principles of palliative care, including pain control, symptom assessment and management and the issues surrounding death in the community. Demonstrate skills by being able to: 1. Obtain an accurate, problem-oriented, tactful and organised medical history 2. Show the capacity to perform accurate, appropriate, problem-oriented, tactful and organised physical and mental state examinations 3. Show the capacity to interpret and integrate the history and physical examination findings to arrive at an appropriate diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and to identify the personal and social problems to which the illness may contribute. 4. Show the capacity to formulate a plan addressing the investigation and management of the patient's illness, and the personal and social problems to which the illness may contribute. 5. Show an appreciation of the importance of taking into account the values and preferences of the patient when considering the investigation and management of illness and of the need, in all cases, to plan management in concert with the patient 6. Demonstrate the capacity to communicate clearly and sensitively with patients and their families and with other health professionals, including communication regarding death and dying, counseling, and education of patients and their families 7. Show the capacity to contribute appropriately as a member of the health care team, including referral to other disciplines, interaction with other health care professionals and understanding of the role of other members of the health care team 8. Students shall demonstrate the capacity to evaluate and interpret medical evidence in a scientific manner at a level similar to that of an intern, and to use information sources to pursue independent inquiry. Demonstrate appropriate professional attitudes with respect to the following: 1. The principles of ethics related to health care and demonstrating the capacity to apply those principles to the care of patients, including understanding legal responsibilities 2. The emotional stresses in professional environments, including those related to the management of the terminally ill patient, and develop appropriate strategies for self-care. 3. The factors that affect the quality and safety of health care 4. How the cost of care may affect optimal patient care and the benefit to the community of appropriate use of resources 5. The interaction between the health of individuals and the well-being of populations 6. The responsibility to maintain standards of medical practice at the highest possible level throughout a professional career. |
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| Content | The Medicine clinical attachment focuses on General Internal Medicine. This may include elements of: • Addiction medicine • Aged care medicine • Cardiovascular medicine • Cerebrovascular medicine • Clinical pharmacology and toxicology • Endocrinology • Gastroenterology • Haematology • Immunology & infectious diseases medicine • Neurology • Renal medicine • Respiratory medicine • Rheumatology and musculo-skeletal diseases medicine • Therapeutics and quality use of medicines During the Psychiatry attachment, students will develop the skills for assessment, diagnosis and management of the psychiatric patient and be aware of general treatment modalities; biological, psychological, social / community based. Students will be aware of their responsibilities and obligations under the Mental Health Act. Students will understand dual diagnoses and the relationship between psychiatric illness and substance abuse. During Palliative Care, emphasis will be placed on equipping students with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable them to cope with dying patients in their early years as JMOs and SRMOs. The attachment will place emphasis on practical skills and will aim to familiarise students with medical tasks associated with pain and symptom management, understanding and prescribing analgesics, ethical issues, supporting families, etc. Students will be familiarised with the skills and practices of all members of a multidisciplinary Palliative Care team. This will enable them to understand the benefits not only for patients and their families, but also for themselves in their future roles as doctors. During the Primary Health Care Selective students will be expected to act as a member of the primary health care team as much as possible, and may take histories, perform physical examinations, develop management plans, participate in case conferences, undertake home visits and attend educational events within the level of their abilities, and under the general supervision of the team leader/GP. Students are expected to maintain their awareness of indigenous and migrant health issues by spending time with the indigenous / migrant liaison officers at their attachment hospitals. Students are expected to maintain, strengthen and apply their knowledge of integrated basic science, ethics and health law, population health and interactional skills. |
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| Replacing Course(s) | MEDI5011 - Medicine (20 units) MEDI5012 - Psychiatry/PHCS (20 units) |
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| Transition | Students who fail MEDI5011 or MEDI5012 must enrol in MEDI5015 in 2012. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Industrial Experience | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed Knowledge | Students must have successfully completed the first 4 years of the JMP. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Modes of Delivery | Internal Mode | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Clinical
Tutorial |
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| Assessment Items |
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| Contact Hours | Clinical: for 35 hour(s) per Week for Full Term | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compulsory Components |
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| Timetables | 2014 Course Timetables for MEDI5015 |