Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences : Guide to courses 11. Outlines of the undergraduate courses

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11. Outlines of the undergraduate courses
    11.1. Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science
        11.1.1. Course objectives
    11.2. Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)
    11.3. Bachelor of Biomedical Science
    11.4. Bachelor of Dental Science
        11.4.1. Course objectives
        11.4.2. Course structure
    11.5. Bachelor of Dental Studies
    11.6. Bachelor of Nursing Science (Accelerated)
        11.6.1. Course objectives
        11.6.2. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
        11.6.3. Course structure
    11.7. Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours)
        11.7.1. Course objective
        11.7.2. Admission requirements
        11.7.3. Course structure and requirements
    11.8. Bachelor of Oral Health
        11.8.1. Course objectives
        11.8.2. Course structure
    11.9. Bachelor of Physiotherapy
        11.9.1. Course objectives
        11.9.2. Course structure

11. Outlines of the undergraduate courses

11.1. Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science

The medical course has a dual Undergraduate Entry Program and a Graduate Entry Program.

The Undergraduate Entry Program takes six years and all students graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS) and a Bachelor of Medical Science degree (BMedSc). The MBBS program is conducted over Semesters 1-5 and 8-12, and the BMedSc program over Semesters 6-7. Students who do not wish to continue in the medical program can graduate with a BMedSc degree after successful completion of Semesters 1-7.

The Graduate Entry Program (MBBS) takes four and a half years. Graduates enter the course in Semester 2 of first year, and complete a two-week introductory program immediately prior to the commencement of the course. However, graduates without a biomedical science background will be encouraged to undertake an additional introductory semester. Graduate entry students are exempt from the BMedSc program over Semesters 6-7, but may undertake it if they wish to graduate with the BMedSc degree in addition to the MBBS.

The structure and philosophy of the course is based on the following themes which aim to give students a balance of medical knowledge, a view of the social aspects of medicine, and the skills and attitudes necessary for the practice of medicine well into the 21st century:

• the scientific basis of medicine;

• population health;

• clinical skills;

• professional attitudes and development.

The course features a number of teaching methods including problem-based learning; an emphasis on self-directed learning strategies; computer-assisted learning packages to enhance learning; the early introduction of clinical skills teaching and early exposure of students to health practice settings and to patients; and appropriate time for independent study. A large component of the teaching and learning in Semesters 8-12 occurs through direct patient contact and clerking and small group bedside teaching.

Body systems subjects in Semesters 1-5 integrate teaching of the basic sciences relevant to medicine such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, physics, pharmacology, pathology and microbiology. A clinical case presented as a 'problem of the week' enables students to assimilate basic medical science knowledge in the context of patient care.

Health practice subjects in Semesters 1-5 cover the areas of the human mind and behaviour, health and society and introduction to clinical medicine. Students visit teaching hospitals and other community health settings to explore aspects of illness and health care arising from the clinical 'problem of the week'.

In Semesters 6-7 students explore in depth an area related to medicine from a wide range of topics in advanced medical science subjects. Students are introduced to the formal processes of research and develop skills in literature appraisal, data collection, analysis and presentation. This year may be spent doing research on campus, or subject to approval, at rural, interstate or overseas locations.

Clinical rotations in Semesters 8-12 prepare students to enter supervised clinical practice as an intern, while based at one of the general clinical schools associated with the University of Melbourne: Austin and Northern Health, the Royal Melbourne Hospital/Western Hospital, the St. Vincent's Hospital/Geelong Hospital, and the Rural Clinical School (Shepparton). Learning and teaching also takes place in institutions associated with the general clinical schools or in more specialised clinical centres such as the Royal Women's Hospital, the Mercy Hospital for Women, the Royal Children's Hospital, and psychiatric hospitals.

11.1.1. Course objectives

The objectives of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science are to:

• produce knowledgeable, caring and competent graduates, well prepared to practise under supervision as interns and subsequently to commence postgraduate vocational training in any area of medicine; and

• impart knowledge, attitudes and skills that will encourage and enable graduates to practise ethical and scientifically-based health care with a high level of skill and social responsibility and continue to develop their knowledge and skills throughout their career.

11.2. Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)

Students who wish to further their knowledge, understanding and experience of medical research and who have gained an average of H2B or higher in Semesters 2-5 should consider the BMedSc (Hons) course. Completion of the honours course serves both as preparation for postgraduate study and qualifies the student for entry to several postgraduate higher research degrees.

11.3. Bachelor of Biomedical Science

The BBiomedSci is a three-year degree offered jointly by the Faculties of Science and Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. The degree has a unique emphasis on multidisciplinary core subjects which will focus on frontiers in biomedical science, innovations and new technologies, bioethical considerations, and will develop skills in scientific communications, teamwork and leadership.

The degree is designed to position graduates for careers in a range of biomedical industries, particularly those being generated by major international genome programs. It is also ideally suited for entry into postgraduate research and coursework degree programs including PhD, medicine, nutrition, toxicology and law.

The degree is available for CSP and Australian and international fee-paying students, and is administered by the Faculty of Science. For further details refer to the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (BBiomedSc) entry under Faculty of Science in this Handbook.

11.4. Bachelor of Dental Science

The BDSc course is a fixed, five-year full-time program with a new integrated curriculum. Students need to pass all subjects in their current year of enrolment before being allowed to proceed to the next year of the course.

The curriculum incorporates a variety of teaching methods for the education of dentists. It focuses on principles and concepts, fosters the integration of basic and clinical sciences and crosses traditional discipline boundaries, encouraging skills in problem solving, self-directed learning and research.

Students may qualify for the degree with honours which is determined by their performance in the second, third, fourth and fifth years of the course.

The first three years of the curriculum concentrate on the basic sciences relevant to dentistry, ie. anatomy, biology, chemistry, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and neuroscience. The later years are mostly devoted to clinical practice and matters arising from practice. Practical work is undertaken in the laboratories of the health science departments of the Faculty and in those of the School of Dental Science. Students' involvement in clinical work (a component of dental practice subjects) starts in first year. Clinical work is undertaken at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne in all years of the course and at other major hospitals in Melbourne and community health centres in the final year of the course. The manual and communication skills needed for clinical dentistry are developed gradually as students progress through the course.

In addition to clinical work, dental practice subjects also include theoretical work. In particular students:

• examine the role, responsibilities and activities of a dentist in a community;

• gain a basic understanding of human behaviour and development (somatic, physiological and psychological);

• develop a thorough knowledge of oral anatomy, the causes of oral disease, oral disease prevention and treatment, and the ways oral health can be promoted and achieved;

• explore thoroughly the concepts of total patient care; and

• achieve a sound understanding of the principles of medicine and surgery and their applications in dental practice.

11.4.1. Course objectives

The objectives of the Bachelor of Dental Science are to:

• produce knowledgeable, caring and competent graduates, well prepared to enter dental practice if they choose and subsequently to commence postgraduate vocational training in any area of dentistry; and

• impart knowledge, attitudes and skills that will encourage and enable the graduates to practise ethical and scientifically-based health care with a high level of skill and social responsibility and continue to develop their knowledge and skills throughout their career.

11.4.2. Course structure

11.5. Bachelor of Dental Studies

The BDentStud degree is a one-year program of research training in any area of investigation relevant to dental science such as biological, social and clinical sciences. The aim is to facilitate the advanced development of academic and research skills necessary for the furtherance of a career in research or academia. Students should acquire a basic understanding of current advances in research methodology in the biological and health sciences and should be able to conduct a scientific investigation into a biological, clinical or community health problem. Candidates prepare and submit for examination a detailed research report and must pass a viva voce examination on the subject of the report. Applicants for this course must have completed the third year of the Bachelor of Dental Science (or equivalent).

11.6. Bachelor of Nursing Science (Accelerated)

This course leads to the award of Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) and eligibility for registration as a Division 1 Nurse with the Nurses Board of Victoria (NBV).

The course is delivered as a two-year accelerated degree course and students attend the Parkville campus. The Accelerated course recognises the broader educational backgrounds and greater maturity and life experience that its students bring to the course. In other professions, such students may gain specific disciplinary skills and knowledge by undertaking a Graduate Diploma. This option is not currently available in the discipline of nursing, as entry to practice requires preparation at degree level.

The course is designed in recognition of the nature of health care delivery in light of the impact of rapidly changing medical and information technologies, consumer demand and government and economic polices. It has been developed around four inter-related themes: approaches to teaching and learning; research-based practice; clinical skill acquisition; contextualised, integrated health care delivery.

The curriculum emphasises significant contemporary health problems identified as National Health Priority Areas: cardiovascular health, cancer control, injury prevention and control, mental health, diabetes mellitus and asthma. Students are taught a range of clinical skills in our on-site Clinical Skills Laboratory prior to clinical placement in our affiliated health agencies.

A research-oriented approach is taken to practice. This approach encourages students to systematically develop clinical skills using an evidence-based approach to learning as a means of ensuring close links between theory and practice and to support self-directed life-long learning.

Students of the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Accelerated) benefit from:

• a greater number of clinical hours than those offered in other nursing courses;

• undertaking clinical placement in a variety of settings, usually within one hospital or agency;

• integrated theory and practice, involving two days per week in classes and three in clinical practice;

• the School being centrally located to our affiliated clinical agencies;

• research internship opportunites during semester breaks;

• eligibility to register as a Division 2 Nurse after successful completion of year 2 (first year of the accelerated coruse);

• eligibility to register as a Division 1 Nurse with the Nurses Board of Victoria on successful course completion;

• becoming qualified to work in a profession where your skills are in demand.

11.6.1. Course objectives

The objectives of the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Accelerated) are to:

• produce beginning-level nursing practitioners who demonstrate the capacity for information seeking and retrieval; evaluation and critical appraisal; intercultural sensitivity and understanding; well developed communication skills, both written and oral; a contribution to the multi-disciplinary health team in the management of individuals and populations with health care needs; and

• impart knowledge, attitudes and skills that will encourage and enable graduates to identify legal and ethical responsibilities in practice; understand and articulate the contribution of the professional nurse in the multidisciplinary team; develop understanding of health from both a population and individual perspective; understand the contextual and bases of health care; take an evidence-based approach to practice; understand the complex interplay of psychological, sociocultural, legal and political factors that influence health care and health outcomes; be self-directed and recognise the importance of, and obtain the requisite skills to engage in on-going professional education; and meet the competencies identified by the Australian Nursing Council as necessary for practice as a Registered Nurse.

11.6.2. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Graduates entering the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Accelerated) may apply for credit based on prior learning completed at tertiary (university) level. Enrolled students seeking credit for prior learning may apply using the Application for Credit form on the School web site. Students may be granted credit for year 2 subjects only. No credit will be granted for the final year of study or for clinical subjects.

Australian and overseas qualified nurses and qualified doctors are eligible to apply for the Accelerated course. Successful applicants with these qualifications may apply for RPL for previous studies undertaken at tertiary (university) level for year 2 subjects only (first year of the Accelerated course).

Applications for credit are subject to approval by the School of Nursing Academic Programs Committee.

11.6.3. Course structure

11.7. Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours)

The Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours) offers an innovative program of intensive research training. It provides an advanced course of study requiring a high standard of performance. Graduates will be positioned to contribute to the development of clinical research in nursing, improving patient outcomes and further the profession. Staff supervising and teaching in the honours program have national and international recognition and bring to the course the breadth and depth of their experience. Honours graduates possess the skills and qualifications needed to progress to a higher degree (eg. Master of Nursing or Doctor of Philosophy), or to pursue a combined clinical research career in health care.

Students are advised that minimum enrolment numbers are required in order for this course to be offered.

11.7.1. Course objective

The objective of the honours program is to further students' knowledge, skills and scholarship necessary for achieving excellence in nursing research. More specifically, the honours program is designed to provide students with the opportunities to learn the intellectual background, ethical principles and content areas of the discipline of nursing, and to acquire the general skills for:

• critically analysing the existing knowledge about a research topic prior to one's own research eg. sophisticated conceptual analysis of relevant content area/literature/intervention program etc., critical appraisal of one's own and others' research, generation of productive research questions;

• constructing a research plan eg. research design, methods of observation, to address one's own research questions;

• executing one's own research plan adequately to obtain data;

• analysing the data so as to address the research questions appropriately;

• discussing the implications of the results coherently within the context of the existing knowledge relevant to the research topic.

11.7.2. Admission requirements

Entry into the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours) degree must be approved by the School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. To be admitted to candidature for the degree of Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours) a candidate must have:

• completed all of the requirements for a Bachelor of Nursing Science (or equivalent) qualification recognised by the Faculty with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 65% or more for third-year subjects; Students with a Bachelor of Nursing awarded by another institution may be considered for entry;

• fulfilled requirements for registration as a Division 1 Nurse in the state of Victoria, or be authorised to practise in another state or recognised country.

Selection into the honours course is based on academic performance. All results are converted to the University of Melbourne scale (H1=80, H2A=75-79, etc.). Students are ranked for selection and the highest ranked students falling within the agreed quota are recommended to the Faculty for selection. It should be noted that students are only considered for selection if the credit-point weighted average of third-year subjects is at least 68% when converted to the University of Melbourne scale.

11.7.3. Course structure and requirements

In 2007 the Honours course will be offered part-time at the Parkville campus only. Students will complete 25 credit points per semester. All subjects are compulsory. It is possible for candidates to undertake their graduate clinical year (Graduate Nurse Program) concurrently. Students are required to achieve an honours grade (ie. H1, H2A, H2B or H3) for each component of assessment during the honours course in order to meet the requirements of a Bachelor of Nursing Science (Honours) degree. The overall grade will be based upon a weighted average of marks for each component of honours studies.

11.8. Bachelor of Oral Health

The Bachelor of Oral Health is a fixed, three-year, full-time program. It has a combined vocational outcome of hygiene and therapy and its curriculum reflects the latest developments in oral health.

The course has four main components:

Dental science: those subjects providing a theoretical background to the procedures used in providing dental care, including the structure and function of normal and abnormal tissues of the body and principles of treatment of disease.

Social science and preventive dentistry: those subjects concerned with preventing dental disease in the community. Community studies and oral health promotion are a major feature of this component, but it also includes ethics, psychology, sociology and research methods.

Clinical dentistry: those subjects related to dental auxiliary practice which are common to dental hygienists' and dental therapists' activities. They include infection control, instrumentation, dental materials, examination procedures and record taking as well as operative procedures such as fluoride application, impressions and oral radiography.

Vocational clinical practice: in this component the student follows either the dental therapy stream or the dental hygiene stream. The therapy stream focuses on managing dental decay in children, adolescents and young adults and the delivery of restorative dentistry within the public dental programs. The hygiene stream focuses on the conservative management of periodontal conditions.

11.8.1. Course objectives

The objectives of the Bachelor of Oral Health are to:

• facilitate the education of operative dental auxiliaries who are able to work within a dental team, adapt to change and educate themselves throughout their professional careers; and

• impart knowledge, attitudes and skills in health promotion and health education, oral examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, operative and/or other clinical therapeutic skills that will enable graduates to practise those aspects of dental hygiene and dental therapy permitted by legislation governing the practice of dentistry in Australia.

11.8.2. Course structure

11.9. Bachelor of Physiotherapy

The BPhysio course is a four-year course recognised by the Physiotherapy Registration Board of Victoria and by mutual recognition in other states of Australia. It prepares graduates to work in health care settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, private practice, rehabilitation centres, patients' homes, schools, extended care facilities, sports venues, aged care centres, industrial and commercial premises, nursing homes, psychiatric centres and educational institutions. The generic skills developed in the course enable graduates to move into careers in other industries as well.

Students may qualify for the degree with honours if they achieve first- or second-class honours as determined by their performance in the second, third and fourth years of the course.

Studies include a strong basis of integrated physical, biological, medical, behavioural and physiotherapy clinical sciences. Students are required to participate in practical studies of human physiology, anatomy, kinesiology and physiotherapy techniques. This requires partial disrobing and acting as 'therapist' and 'patient' to learn by observation, touch and practice. Physiotherapy is a physically demanding profession, which requires for its practice the development of a range of precise physical skills. Clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for health education and the competent assessment, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with movement and physical disorders and disabilities from a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds are developed. During the undergraduate years, students are encouraged and provided with opportunities to develop the capacity and motivation for continuing independent learning, inquiry and research. Students undertake theoretical and practical experience in enhancing their ability to communicate with patients, colleagues and members of other health professions. Issues of professional responsibility and ethical principles in relation to individuals and the community are addressed.

Clinical studies are commenced in the first year of the undergraduate program, with students allocated to the teaching hospitals of the general clinical schools of the University of Melbourne. These general clinical schools are Austin Health and Northern Health, the Royal Melbourne Hospital/Western Hospital, and St. Vincent's Hospital/Geelong Hospital. Students must satisfactorily complete a Senior First Aid Level 2 (or equivalent) course prior to commencing second year.

In the second year, students undertake a one-week clinical placement at a hospital clinic.

In the third and fourth years, students spend much of their time in clinical studies undertaking core subjects in their clinical schools and specialist sites for paediatrics and geriatrics. All students undertake three electives with most spending at least one elective period overseas or in rural/outback Australia.

As part of the clinical education progra, students will be allocated at least one rural rotation from one to six weeks. There may be additional costs to students for these placements. Acceptance of an offer of a place in the course indicates acceptance of subsequent clinical school placements.

Students are expected to wear a clinical uniform while on placement.

Students participate in research in first year and then commence formal research methods training in the second year. Third-year students develop research project proposals and in the fourth year collect and evaluate clinical research data.

Students are facilitated with the development of lifelong learning by a two-level mentor scheme, communication skills development, problem-based tutorials, computer laboratories with interactive multimedia programs and a highly integrated clinical education program.

11.9.1. Course objectives

Objectives of the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course are:

• to provide graduates with an integrated knowledge of physical, biological, medical and behavioural sciences;

• to provide graduates with the clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the competent assessment, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with physical disorders and disabilities;

• to provide graduates with a capacity for problem solving and self-directed learning and the motivation for life-long independent learning;

• to provide graduates with a capacity to communicate effectively with patients, colleagues and members of other health professions in diverse cultural and geographical settings;

• to provide graduates with an understanding of professional responsibility and ethical principles in relation to individuals and the community, both locally and internationally;

• to provide graduates with an appreciation of the dynamics of their profession by fostering a willingness to adapt practice to reflect advances in medical and physiotherapy science as well as changes to current health care and social policies; and

• to produce graduates whose qualification is registerable by the Physiotherapists' Registration Boards of Australia and recognised internationally.

11.9.2. Course structure

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