510-620 Women's and Children's Health

Successful completion of Semesters 8 and 9 (Integrated Clinical Studies).

This subject consists of two units: Women's Health and Child and Adolescent Health.

Women's Health: At the end of the Women's Health course, students should have knowledge of the 'normal' situation and the common abnormal conditions in obstetrics, gynaecology and neonatal paediatrics. They must be able to perform skills such as taking a competent history and taking a cervical smear. They must have experience of intrapartum obstetrics and operative gynaecology. Most importantly, they must appreciate the many ethical challenges that must be confronted in the effective delivery of women's health.

Child and Adolescent Health: The aims of the course are for students to acquire knowledge, skills, personal qualities and attitudes necessary to provide medical care for children and adolescents as a junior medical officer. Students are provided opportunities to:

• acquire knowledge of normal and impaired growth and development, recognition of serious illness in children, the implications of disease in childhood and adolescence for adult health and the importance of prevention;

• develop an appreciation of the importance of family, children's rights, the role of the doctor in appropriately promoting health and disease prevention;

• learn to take a history, perform physical examinations, initiate appropriate investigations, make provisional diagnoses and propose treatment plans for children and adolescents.

The objectives are achieved through weekly problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials, theme-based symposia, small group clinical skill sessions, electives, self-directed learning (clinical and computer aided) and completion of formative assessment tasks. Generic skills that will be learned include communication skills and working in teams.

Written papers up to six hours in total (50%); objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) up to three hours (30%); continuing assessment mark (20%). Hurdle requirement: 75% attendance at lectures, tutorials and practical classes and 100% attendance at clinical placements and field visits.

Hurdle requirements: Students must pass each of the Women's Health and Children's Health units. Students must pass both the written and OSCE examination of each unit to pass the subject. In addition, students are required to complete a number of tasks to a satisfactory standard during each unit, including presentations at clinical meetings and seminars, case commentaries, delivery suite participation and elective tasks. Students who fail to reach a satisfactory standard on these tasks may be given extra tests and/or a viva prior to the publication of results.