Handbook 1996 : Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (Volume 4 page 137)
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Year 4 Medicine.
Contact: Lectures, tutorials and small group clinical demonstrations; clerking in medical and surgical wards with an active role in patient assessment and care; autopsies and clinico-radiological conferences.
This subject comprises teaching in Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Dermatology, ENT, Opthalmology, Principles of Clinical Pharmacology, Microbiology and Radiology.
Timetable: Double semester.
Objectives:
Clinical Medicine and Surgery: On completion of this subject, students should have: developed skills in communicating with and relating to patients; developed the ability to take a comprehensive history and make a complete physical examination; acquired a knowledge base about the clinical features and natural history of medical and surgical diseases; learned to synthesise the information gained at the bedside in order to arrive at rational diagnoses; learned and understood the principles of management of surgical and medical patients, (including an appreciation of prognosis, when to treat and what may be achieved by treatment, treatment as a potential cause of illness, and the effect of injury and illness including ageing on social, occupational and recreational activities of individual patients); gained a critical perspective of the uses and limitations of laboratory and other investigations in diagnosis and management.
Principles of Clinical Pharmacology: On completion of this subject students should: be able to bring previous knowledge of pharmacology into the context of clinical disease so as to provide a rational basis for the use of drugs; understand the place of drug therapy in the diagnosis and management of patients; have gained a knowledge of the clinical pharmacology of important drugs and of therapeutics which will provide a basis for further experience in the use of drugs and in patient management in fifth and sixth years.
Microbiology: Students should learn to apply to the clinical practice of medicine, the general principles of microbiology, immunology and epidemiology encountered during the basic course in Third Year. On completion of this subject, students should have a working knowledge of: the role of laboratory investigations in the diagnosis and management of all diseases in which infection plays a part, including infections of the young, the old, the pregnant, the newborn, and the injured; infections of the ear, nose and throat, the eye and the genital tract; the causes, prevention and control of infections acquired or spread in hospitals, including post-operative infection, cross-infection, medical and surgical conditions predisposing to infection, and iatrogenic infection following common ward procedures; the principles and practice of antimicrobial chemotherapy, including laboratory surveillance, jointly with clinical pharmacology.
Radiology: On completion of this subject, students should have: an understanding of the uses, limitations and relative costs of imaging methods in a wide range of clinical situations. They should learn to use these methods prudently and be aware of possible complications, including radiation effects; an understanding of what is involved for patients when undergoing the various imaging investigations; an elementary level of interpretation of radiographs, particularly in the management of emergencies.
Content:
Clinical Medicine and Surgery History taking; medical and surgical physical examination. Medical and surgical diseases; principles of medical and surgical treatment. The role of laboratory tests and other investigations (complete familiarity with simple side-room tests, e. g. urine testing, will be required). Wound care; metabolic response to injury; asepsis, antisepsis and use of antibiotics; fluid and electrolyte balance; shock; resuscitation; blood transfusion; anaesthesia; pain control. Accident and emergency medicine, geriatric medicine. Principles of surgical subspecialties (e. g. vascular, orthopaedic and urological surgery). Clinical examination of the eye, nose, throat and ear. Integration with teaching of pathology, microbiology, radiology and other disciplines. Principles of Clinical Pharmacology Taking a drug history; drug-induced disease, presentation and diagnosis; principles of patient management including nutrition, when to use drug therapy, appropriate drugs for common medical conditions and principles of their use; generic names in prescribing, instructions to patients and the expectations of doctors and patients for treatment. The clinical importance of pharmacokinetics; plasma drug measurements; drug reactions and interactions; methods for appraising established and new drugs and treatment regimens; sources of drug information; special requirements of drug treatment in the young and the elderly; drug misuse, abuse of drugs of addiction and drug overdosage. Emphasis on clinical aspects such as the way in which hepatic, cardiac or renal failure may modify the response to drugs and the consequences of these effects for drug usage. Microbiology Spread of infection within the hospital environment with respect to both patients and staff. Specimen collection and laboratory methods in diagnosis of diseases in which infection plays a part. Antimicrobial chemotherapy. Joint teaching sessions where appropriate. Radiology Case presentations on specific topics, in association with pathologists. Observation of organ imaging investigations. Assessing the scope and limitations of imaging methods.
Assessment:
A 3-hour end-of-year written examination, including questions related to clinical pharmacology, microbiology and radiology. A joint long-case clinical examination and an examination comprising clinical problem-solving exercises; students must pass the long-case examination as well as overall in both components to pass fourth year. Clinical teachers reports throughout the year.
Prescribed texts:
Medicine subject : Next:510-492 | Prev:510-302 | Search | Help
Handbook 1996 : Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (Volume 4 page 137)
Status: Official 1996 Date created: Oct 9 1995 Last modified: Oct 9 1995 Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au
Maintained by: Medicine (General), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
Copyright © University of Melbourne 1995,1996.