HME301 - Medicine 3A

Unit details

Content

HME301 represents the first half (Semester 1) of Year 3 of the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS) course. Year 3 consists of two semester-long Units, which are combined into an integrated year-long program of study of 8 credit points.

In Year 3, the majority of students begin a two-year clinical attachment to one of four clinical schools and continue their study of the four themes of the BMBS. During Year 3, students will typically undertake the equivalent of three days of clinical activity, one day of formal teaching activities and one day of private study each week.

The four themes of the BMBS continue in Year 3.  Teaching in the Knowledge of Health and Illness (KHI) and Doctor and Patient (DP) themes is fully integrated, comprising 75% of the Year 3 curriculum and assessment.  During Year 3, students undertake six 7-week rotations at hospitals and other sites attached to the clinical schools: Medicine, Surgery, Musculoskeletal/Medicine, Children’s Health, Women’s Health and Mental Health.  The Disciplines of Pathology, Pharmacology and Imaging are integrated across all six rotations. Three rotations are completed in Semester 1 (HME301) and three in Semester 2 (HME302). As the order of clinical rotations varies for individual cohorts of students, the grading of HME301 is combined with HME302 (Semester 2) so that a year grade is awarded only after assessments in all rotations and themes have occurred.

The Ethics, Law and Professional Development (ELPD) and Doctors, Peoples, Cultures, and Institutions (DPCI) themes each comprise 12.5% of the year 3 curriculum and its assessment.  Teaching in these themes is integrated into the clinical rotations with additional study modules addressing a range of thematic topics.

Each year a group of students will undertake the Integrated Model of Medical Education in Rural Setting (IMMERSe) in which the material contained in the six clinical rotations (including Pathology, Pharmacology and Imaging) is studied concurrently during a year-long attachment to a regional general practice. IMMERSe students study the same curriculum and undertake the same assessment as hospital-based students.

Assessment

Student performance is assessed in a numerical scale of marks from 0-100% and graded as High Distinction (80% and over), Distinction (70%-79%), Credit (60-69%), Pass (50%-59%) or Fail (below 50%). There are a number of formative assessment tasks (including a mid-year Progress Test) which do not contribute to the final mark. More details of summative assessment in Year 3 are provided in the handbook description for HME302 Medicine 3B.

Students are required to meet the attendance requirements of each of the three clinical rotations during HME301 (or within the IMMERSe program) and to demonstrate competence in clinical assessments and assessment tasks associated with the ELPD and DPCI themes during each rotation (see below). Students who have satisfied these requirements will receive an initial mark of RP (result not applicable), which upon successful completion of HME302 will be converted to a single mark and grade for the two integrated units.

Students who do not meet these requirements or whose performance is borderline will be reviewed by their Director of Clinical Studies or by the ELPD or DPCI Coordinator, who will arrange support and / or reassessment as appropriate.  

Doctor and Patient

The Doctor and Patient (DP) theme constitutes 37.5% of the marks for HME301. DP is assessed both within each individual clinical rotation (10% per rotation = 60% of the total DP mark) and by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) of material covered in HME301 and HME302 at the end of Year 3 (40% of the total DP mark). Intra-rotation assessment has three components, the weighting of which varies slightly between rotations:*

a.    ‘case synthesis’ The precise format and weighting will vary between rotations and may take the form of long case presentations, oral or written case commentaries or analyses, presentations of pre-operative assessments, completion of hospital admission notes, mental state examination presentations, or completion of written or oral referrals of patients with multiple problems.

b.    ‘clinical skills assessment’ The precise format and weighting will vary between rotations and may take the form of a brief clinical examination during a ward round (in the mini-clinical evaluation exercise, (mini-CEX) format), a focused presentation on a ward round, a written or oral referral of a less complicated patient or observed performance of one or more specified procedures.

c.    log book Each student will be required to complete and record 6-10 clinical activities in a log book during each rotation (e.g. admitting a patient, completing a drug chart or ordering investigations, inserting an intravenous line, attending operating or procedural sessions or participating in a multidisciplinary team meeting).

*Students enrolled in the IMMERSe program will undertake comparable assessment within the Doctor and Patient theme to that outlined above for hospital-based students, namely  case synthesis components, clinical skills assessment components and logbook components for each of the 6 rotation Disciplines. Due to the integrated delivery of Disciplines in the IMMERSe program the precise format of some assessments within the IMMERSe program may vary from hospital-based rotations.

Knowledge of Health and Illness

The Knowledge of Health and Illness theme constitutes 37.5% of the marks for HME301 but there will be no summative assessment of KHI during HME301. A combined mark for HME301 and HME302 will be awarded based on performance in a 3 hour MCQ summative Progress Test at the end of Year 3.

Students will sit a 3 hour MCQ formative Progress Test during the School of Medicine Semester 1 examination period. The Progress Test will assess material covered in the six Year 3 clinical rotations and the four Year 4, Semester 1 rotations. Standard setting will be used to determine a pass score on the Progress Test for students completing HME301. Pass scores will also be determined for each clinical rotation completed during HME301 and for Pathology, Pharmacology and Imaging by addition of marks for all questions relevant to that rotation or discipline. Pass scores will also be determined for students undertaking the IMMERSe.

Students who do not achieve an overall pass score, a pass score for the clinical rotations they have completed or a pass score for Pathology, Pharmacology or Imaging will be reviewed by their Director of Clinical Studies, who will arrange additional support during HME302 as appropriate.  

Ethics Law and Professional Development

The Ethics, Law and Professional Development theme constitutes 12.5% of the marks for HME301. Assessment for ELPD is integrated across HME301 and HME302, and includes a 1500 word risk management (patient journey) assignment (30%), tutorial attendance and participation (35%), entries into a logbook and journal with reflections on ELPD issues in clinical practice (35%).

Doctors, Peoples, Cultures and Institutions

The Doctors, Peoples, Cultures and Institutions theme constitutes 12.5% of the marks for HME301. Assessment for DPCI is integrated across HME301 and HME302 based on entries into a personal and professional portfolio (approximately 1000 words per rotation).

Prescribed texts

Students who are accepted into H311 Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery will be provided with a booklist detailing prescribed and recommended textbooks. Students will also be directed to supplemental electronic resources within the Deakin University Library. Self-directed learning through investigations of the literature is an important learning strategy for all themes of the Deakin medical course.

Unit Fee Information

* Rate for all CSP students, except for those who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
** Rate for CSP students who commenced Education and Nursing units pre 2010
Please note: Unit fees listed do not apply to Deakin Prime students.