Program
Overview

From Year 1 students are introduced to issues of ethics and justice in healthcare. Students explore the ethical and legal foundations of medical practice and are provided with opportunities to reflect on their development as medical professionals. Throughout the following years, the ELP curriculum focuses on some of the more complex types of decision-making in clinical practice including issues in end-of-life care and those related to professional conduct. Ethical, legal and professional obligations relating to the quality and safety of prescribing medicine and the management of mistakes are considered. Students are also introduced to the concept of health justice and ethical theories and principles that may be used to guide resource allocation. Students will also develop their knowledge and skills in investigation, analysis and management of issues in health ethics, law and professionalism, in preparation for clinical rotations and the Research Scholar Program in third year.

In the clinical years of Year 3 and Year 4, students learn to apply foundational knowledge of ELP in the clinical setting and develop their practical skills in these domains. There is a specific focus on issues relevant to their clinical rotations.

Learning about Indigenous Health begins early in Year 1 with the Cultural Immersion program.  Teaching and learning activities throughout Years 1 and 2 then continue to build on the foundational knowledge in Indigenous Health and cultural safety. Students learn about advocacy and human rights in Indigenous Health, considering how they, as future health practitioners, can best advocate for change and develop strategies to address inequities for individual patients, families and the wider community.

In the clinical years of Year 3 and Year 4, students have further opportunities to apply their cumulative knowledge of Indigenous Health and cultural safety from the pre-clinical years to the clinical and community environments in which they are working. They continue to develop skills to become culturally safe practitioners, and to work effectively in partnership with relevant communities, organisations and individuals to advocate for health systems free of racism.

 In the clinical years of Years 3 and 4, students build on their foundational knowledge in IH by engaging with a series of online modules and facilitated discussions, to support interactions with Indigenous people and patients in the clinical environment.

Students are introduced to basic principles of epidemiology and public health, and explore determinants of health, including the impact of psychological, relational, environmental and cultural factors on the health of individuals, with a particular focus on Indigenous Health. Skills in advocacy are covered, aiming to provide students with an understanding of how these skills can be applied across settings: from a conversation with a patient or colleague, to encouraging change at community and national levels. They explore solutions to population health problems, such as non-communicable diseases, infectious disease and environmental health risks, using public health and preventive medicine interventions focused on behaviours and environments, including the use of social media. Equity in public health is considered and how best to deliver health care to diverse populations. The curriculum aims for students to develop insight into racism, living with disability, sexuality and gender and explore some of the lived experiences of individuals, the health impacts, implications for the practice of public health medicine and wider societal implications and solutions.  

In the clinical years of Year 3 and Year 4, students apply their PHM knowledge from the preclinical years to the clinical and community environments in which they are immersed, to best equip them to meet the needs of these communities beyond graduation.

The Research Scholar Program (RSP) is a self-guided program where students develop advanced knowledge and understanding of research principles and methods applicable to health research and health professional practice by designing and planning a research project. Students gain familiarity with recent and emerging developments in public health, health ethics, law or professionalism and Indigenous health as the scope of RSP is defined by these themes. The RSP is supported by learning activities and time with a dedicated RSP advisor for each student. The RSP builds on the foundational research training provided in Years 1 and 2, culminating in a scholarly output and student conference in Year 4.

This block introduces the fundamentals of Human Biology, which encompasses genetics, pharmacology and cell biology. Medical Science lectures and workshops integrate anatomy, physiology and pathology, and lead into the Practical Experiences (Clinical Skills) which build on both the clinical context and the relevant practical skills. In Practical Experiences (Clinical Skills), students will begin to develop procedural competency and explore concepts of clinical communication, including clinical interviewing (“history- taking”).

In the second block of HME911 students are provided with an integrated foundation for understanding the medical sciences of haematology, oncology, pathology, immunology and microbiology. Course content includes general pathological mechanisms in inflammation and tissue injury, bone marrow structure and function, haemostasis, the role of microbes in health and disease and host defences including innate and adaptive immune responses. Carcinogenesis and aspects of neoplasia are also considered. These concepts are reinforced in integrated workshops and applied further in Practical Experiences (Clinical Skills). In this block, the fundamentals of physical examination skills are explored, and students expand further on their procedural competence.

Undertaken in Semester 2 and focusing on the Cardiovascular and Respiratory systems students study the development and anatomy. Learning the measurement and key clinical procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of these systems. Including how to gather social and physical information to support patients.

Developing sound clinical skills to continue their studies in these systems identifying anatomy, diagnoses and treatments. In a supported team-based environment to enable further growth in knowledge and practice from their Semester 1 studies.

This block provides an understanding of the basic structure and function of the endocrine and reproductive systems and patho-physiological mechanisms of disease. The nature of hormones, their glands of origin and biochemical modes of action, and the control mechanisms limiting hormonal secretion are studied. The structure and function of the reproductive systems and the control mechanisms affecting fertility and pregnancy are considered in normal and pathological conditions. The block further addresses key concepts in developmental biology (embryology) relevant to common and rare congenital abnormalities that are encountered in the clinic. It is also a vehicle for learning about key developmental processes and changes from birth to old age and the process of ageing. The clinical manifestations, complications and treatment of some common endocrine and reproductive disorders are explored. Clinical skills, including clinical communication, physical examination, and select procedural skills, particularly those relating to development, aging, reproductive health, endocrine, metabolic and musculoskeletal medicine, are consolidated and developed further.

This block provides an understanding of the major metabolic pathways in the body and how metabolism is integrated and regulated at the cellular, tissue and whole-body levels. This knowledge underpins the study of the factors that contribute to metabolic disease states. The structure and function of the musculoskeletal system is considered from both a microscopic and macroscopic perspective and this knowledge is applied to explain the causes and consequences of common injuries to the musculoskeletal system. The pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of common diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system are studied.

This Brain and Behaviour block deals with the workings of the nervous system as a whole and aims to provide a sound scientific basis for the understanding of disorders of the nervous system. Cases are used to illustrate the fundamental workings of the nervous system. The block covers a broad spectrum of approaches to nervous system function beginning with a revision of basic cellular neurobiology and progressing to neurobiological and behavioural views of the whole person. This will be accompanied by workshops and Practical Experiences (Clinical Skills) which provide clinical contextualisation and practical clinical skills. Brain and Behaviour concludes with a Mental Health block which provides a basic introduction to the concepts of mental health, spectrums of normal function and mental health disorders. Students will be introduced to the concept of Social and Emotional Wellbeing as part of the Mental Health block, exploring the social and cultural factors influencing a patient’s health needs and considering their healthcare experience holistically.

This is the final learning block for the year for Year 2 students and has been specifically designed as preparation for Year 3, ensuring a seamless transition for student to learning in a clinical setting. Clinical practice teaching continues to develop a broad range of important skills relevant for the clinical setting, including critical thinking and reasoning skills, communication skills, physical examination skills and specified procedural and technical skills. Part of the focus in TCP is on students learning how to be more self-directive and autonomous in learning, so as to prepare for learning in the clinical environment as a senior medical student and eventually, as a clinician.

Students also participate in two Pre-internship (PRINT) rotations during Year 4 in order to prepare for the transition to independent practice upon graduation as a junior doctor. Students are fully immersed in the clinical environment, as a member of a clinical team delivering patient care. Students are expected to shadow the interns in their assigned unit and undertake the work of an intern under supervision. The PRINT rotations are about being an intern, rather than merely observing their work. Students remain supported by their Clinical School with a series of tutorials to further prepare students for their role as an intern after graduation.