18 points, SCA Band 3, 0.375 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
MED5091 is focused on facilitating the transition of students into the medical workplace as beginning interns. Students will participate in a range of learning experiences which are designed to substantially enhance their clinical reasoning, diagnostic and case management skills. Students will participate in supervised clinical practice and related learning activities (learning modules). Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills in self selected areas of clinical practice which may include electing a remote community, health or medicine related field.
Upon successful completion of the unit, students are expected to be able to:
Theme I: Professional attributes and behaviour
- Comply with legal requirements and protocols in clinical practice including documentation, patient care and safety
- Respect and maintain privacy and confidentiality (peers, university & health care staff, external stakeholders, patients, clients)
- Articulate issues related to justice and act as an advocate within the health system
- Use ethical decision making and consultation in clinical practice including complex situations
- Consistently display a respectful, non-judgemental and empathic approach to others
- Maintain an appropriate standard of professional behaviour including demeanour, appearance and meeting commitments and acts as a role model for junior students
- Communicate clearly, effectively and appropriately in oral, written and electronic formats
- Identify strategies to address the potential harm created by risks and errors in health care settings and comply with the requirements of health care professionals in ensuring the quality of patient care
- Engage in research and quality improvement activities in clinical settings where possible
- Evaluate and critically reflect upon judgements and health care practice relating to patient outcomes
- Recognise peers experiencing difficulty and refer them to appropriate support.
- Arrange appropriate environments and use strategies for sensitive and effective communication and interaction with others in clinical environments (patients and carers, peers and health care professionals)
- Actively contribute to the health care team to maximize the team's effectiveness by participating as a student member
- Engage in learning and teaching opportunities, participate in peer learning, leadership and teaching activities and mentor junior students
- Evaluate strengths, acknowledge own limitations that impact upon professional performance and self-advocate and seek support for improvement
- Take responsibility for own self-care and health issues.
Theme II: Population, Society, Health and Illness
- Analyze social, environmental and occupational factors that impact on the capacity to perform work
- Use medical, behavioural and socio-environmental approaches to health promotion
- Evaluate a health intervention/screening program
- Identify and evaluate relevant programs and community resources available to patients and their families
- Justify selection of a health promotion strategy/program
- Source, interpret and evaluate biostatistical information relevant to health and disease in populations across a range of contexts (e.g. rural, indigenous, vulnerable/'at-risk' populations)
- Critique study designs used in population health and clinical research publications/reports/projects
- Describe the impact of public health policy and the essential roles of systems on the delivery of health care to the individual across a range of contexts (e.g. rural, indigenous, vulnerable/'at-risk' populations)
- Justify clinical decision making processes and strategies at both individual patient and healthcare system levels
- Participate in patient health care quality improvement activities
- Synthesize and effectively communicate observations and analysis in written and oral formats appropriate for scientific/medical audiences
- Evaluate and critique data and information relevant to the care and management of a clinical problem of a patient
- Organise and manage information from medical research literature, lay press and clinical practice guidelines according to discipline guidelines/practices
- Evaluate research data and evidence sourced in medical and health care literature
- Justify the evidence used to make clinical decisions.
Theme III: Scientific Basis of Clinical Practice
- Use knowledge of the causative factors and pathophysiology in clinical reasoning
- Identify and assimilate presenting problems in the development of appropriate therapeutic treatments and a management plan
- Describe the acute, chronic, ambulatory and psychological contexts of illness and analyse how these influence the clinical presentation and management.
Theme IV: Clinical Skills
- Conduct a structured and organised patient centred interview
- Elicit a structured, comprehensive and logical history for neonates, babies, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly
- Perform an appropriate examination (in medical units, surgical units, a specialty unit and aged care)
- Perform specified clinical procedures and tasks in clinical environments
- Justify selection of investigations for the patient's presenting problems or conditions
- Request/order relevant investigations correctly
- Interpret results of specified investigations and use to guide patient management
- Prioritises patient care in order of urgency
- Generate a ranked problem list
- Develop a differential diagnosis (list) and justify the most likely options relevant for the patient
- Develop and justify management plans for common problems and conditions an for a patient whose illness remains undifferentiated
- Selects and justifies their choice of medication, dose and mode of administration for the patient, including empirical choice of 'best guess' antibiotic
- Monitors the patient, recognises common complications and plans and justifies an immediate response under structured supervision
- Develops, implements and justifies an individualised patient management plan for fluid, electrolyte and blood product use
- Performs admissions, discharges and referrals including documentation and patient preparation
- Provides structured and effective case presentations and justifies reasoning
- Accurately records case details and clinical activities in appropriate formats.
This unit 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 Guidelines.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 immunisation status, all of which must be submitted to Faculty.
There will be multiple approaches to assessment in MED5091 as follows: Apart from the PIA 'in-training' assessment, which will be graded, all assessment tasks will be a "hurdle" requirement.
Each assessment item will need to be successfully completed to Pass the unit.
- Formative assessment;
- Moderated online discussions;
- Case presentations;
- Clinical Knowledge Test;
- Pre-Intern Appraisal (PIA);
Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 80% tutorials and clinical placements to pass this unit.
If you are unable to attend a session, you may be eligible for In Semester Special Consideration for this component of in-semester assessment. Application forms for In Semester Special Consideration are available at: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/student-forms.html