A masters level course offered by the ANU Medical School as part of the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD).
Medicine 4 is the fourth and final year of the ANU Medical program. Medicine 4 is delivered in four curriculum blocks over the course of the fourth year of the program: Women's Health and Newborn Care, Psychiatry and Addictive Medicine, Senior Medicine and Surgery and Acute care. The Year 4 blocks are designed to consolidate clinical reasoning and practical skills through immersion within a range of clinical environments.
The emphasis throughout each block is on self-directed, experiential learning and deep involvement in the day-to-day care of their patients. Students will have clear requirements for attendance, patient clerking and unit involvement. The prolonged attachments will allow them practice in the synthesis of information and the development of concise management plans for their patients. Elements of Population Health, Professionalism and Leadership, Evidence Based Practice and Clinical Skills will be integrated into all parts of each term.
Course Structure and Content
Four clinical rotations:
Senior Medicine and Surgery Block
Acute Care Block
Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine Block
Women's Health and Newborn Care Block
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Learning Outcomes
Senior Medicine and Surgery (SMS)
By the completion of the SMS Block, students will have extended and refined the knowledge, comprehension and application of principles and skills of internal medicine and surgery developed during FIMS, to enable them to function at an intern level. Specifically the graduate will be able to:
a. Demonstrate increased proficiency in all knowledge and skill domains defined in the FIMS outcomes.
b. 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.
c. Synthesise the history and physical findings to develop and prioritise your differential diagnoses, and formulate a detailed management plan.
d. Manage a broad range of acute and chronic internal medical and surgical conditions at a level comparable to an intern.
e. Provide appropriate and concise clinical details to members of the healthcare team and hospital services.
f. Communicate the benefits, limitations and risks of possible therapies to patients.
g. 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.
Acute Care (AC)
At the end of Acute Care, you will have the knowledge and skills to:
a. Explain the physiological basis of severe illness, and the need for organ system support.
b. Explain and perform the basic manoeuvres of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, and the rationale for and administration of intravenous fluid in the unwell patient.
c. Differentiate between and discuss indicators of the well and unwell patient.
d. Describe the management of the airways in acutely unwell patients and perform basic airway management skills.
e. Demonstrate knowledge of the maintenance and support of organ function in the well patient undergoing anaesthesia, and in the acutely unwell patient.
f. 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.
g. Discuss the political and financial contexts in which the acutely unwell patient is managed.
h. Design and develop education for peers, patients and families acute care medicine.
i. Discuss the patient centred issues relevant to end of life care.
Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine (PAM)
At the end of PAM, you will have the knowledge and skills to:
a. 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.
b. Outline an initial management plan, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of the most common and most severe psychiatric and substance use disorders.
c. Articulate the need for advocacy in relation to the welfare of those with psychiatric and substance use disorders.
d. Illustrate how some aspects of assessment and management in psychiatry and addictive medicine may be traumatic to patients, family and healthcare provider
e. 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.
f. Discuss the basic principles of mental health legislation with respect to patients’ legal rights of consent and autonomy.
g. Apply ethical principles that provide safeguards for a vulnerable patient population, their families and the healthcare team.
Women's Health and Newborn Care (WHNC)
At the end of WHNC, you will have the knowledge and skills to:
a. Recognise and discuss the potentially sensitive nature of women's health presentations and examinations and demonstrate respectful and culturally-aware professional behaviour.
b. Demonstrate a knowledge of women's health over the lifespan, including normal physiology and the pathological basis of common conditions.
c. Take a relevant gynaecological and sexual history at different stages of a woman's life and perform a competent vulval, vaginal and speculum examination.
d. Recognise and describe common gynaecological conditions, conduct appropriate examinations and investigations, and outline principles of management.
e. Demonstrate knowledge of the normal progress, monitoring and management of pregnancy, labour and birth, and the puerperium; and, take an accurate ante-natal history.
f. Recognise common abnormal conditions in pregnancy, labour and birth, and the puerperium, conduct appropriate examinations and investigations, and outline principles of management. 1
g. Accurately assess a newborn baby's condition at birth and instigate basic resuscitation. 1
h. Confidently examine a normal newborn and recognise common neonatal conditions, conduct appropriate examinations and investigations and outline principles of management.
Other Information
The Medicine 4 course is split into MEDI8040A and MEDI8040B for administration purposes only. The ANU Medical School views Medicine 4 as the course for year 4, particularly in regards to learning outcomes and assessment.Indicative Assessment
During Medicine 4 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.The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
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. Sometimes attendance of 7-8 sessions a week may be required, in addition to formal teaching.Prescribed Texts
Please refer to http://medicalschool.anu.edu.au/students/Assumed Knowledge
To enrol in this course you must have successfully completed Medicine 1A, Medicine 1B, Medicine 2, Medicine 3 and the Student Research Project.You will need to contact the ANU Medical School to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 3
- Unit value:
- 24 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 24.00 | 0.50000 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $28416 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $36240 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3554 | 20 Feb 2017 | 27 Feb 2017 | 31 Mar 2017 | 26 May 2017 | In Person | N/A |
