Medicine in Practice 1

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify the key health promotion recommendations for infants and describe how these may be delivered, interpreted, and acted upon
• Recognise the importance of effective communication with patients, (both verbal and non-verbal), identify some of the features of good communication, and demonstrate effective communication with patients
• Describe the common patterns of growth and development of a child over the first year
• Begin to take a medical history, including asking about symptoms of locomotor, respiratory, and cardiovascular disease (at the same time as you are learning about these systems)
• Recognise the importance of being able to, and demonstrate that you can, give and receive feedback in a constructive way
• Perform a basic examination of the locomotor, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems
• Demonstrate an understanding of how patients’ behaviours and social context may influence their health
• Learn and work effectively within a multi-professional team. Understand and respect the roles and expertise of health and social care professionals in the context of working and learning as a multi-professional team
• Recognise and demonstrate in a clinical setting, behaviour which reflects the professional codes of confidentiality, consent, courtesy and respect for other students, staff and patients
• By integrating your experiences with patients and families with your basic science teaching, describe some of the effects on a family of the birth of a new baby

The Medicine in Practice 1 (MiP1) module gives you an opportunity to meet patients and to learn important clinical skills from your first weeks at medical school. This is an experience that we find students both value and enjoy.

MiP1 provides an introduction to clinical medicine and a context for your theoretical learning so that you can see how your learning about body systems and the social sciences applies to the care of patients. Time spent with GPs within surgeries will also help you to understand a holistic approach to health care as well as building your communication skills and teaching you about medical history taking and examination. Two plenary sessions and will enable you to further develop your skills.

During the year you will spend one Thursday afternoon approximately every two weeks in a general practice in a small group with a GP teacher who will give you feedback on your progress. There are three components:

Clinical Skills: you will learn how to take a history of a patient’s presenting problem, using appropriate communication skills, and how to give and receive feedback constructively. Both real patients and role play are used. Later in the year there will be systems-based learning of history taking and examination skills.

Birth Experience: you will have the opportunity to meet a patient during labour, witness the process of childbirth at Princess Anne Hospital and visit the parents with their new baby at their home. This aims to help you understand how maternity services are provided and facilitates communication skills between health professionals in both the community and the hospital.

Family Study: you will meet families with young babies either at the surgery or in their homes, to learn about the impact of a new baby on the family, child development and health promotion.

Two plenary sessions in the first semester will teach you some of the communication skills that you will be putting in to practice throughout the year, and we hope for the rest of your careers. You will learn about the locomotor, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems with your GP teacher. This systems-based learning is timed to fit in with your theoretical learning of these systems.

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught through a range of learning and teaching strategies which will include:

• Patient based learning
• Two interactive lectures
• Tutor led tutorials
• Guided self-study
• Role play
• Group work
• Portfolios

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Interactive CD Child Development: the first year 3.2 (Cognetic Creations: www.cognetic.com). This is available on all University workstations with win7. Please select – Start – All Programs – Your School Software – Medicine - Child Development. Helpful at any stage of the course but essential preparatory work for GP session 5.

Internet Resources

Calgary Cambridge: teaching and learning communication skills in medicine.

Faculty of Medicine Blackboard.

Under the FoM Blackboard: The standard textbooks on the Recommended Reading List. In particular, the following are essential reading : Ford et al, Introduction to Clinical Examination, The Red Personal Child Health Record book..

Textbooks

Sheridan M, Sharma A, Cockerill H (2007). From Birth to Five Years. London: Routledge.

Feeding the under 5s..

Douglas G, Nicol F, Robertson C (eds). (2009). Macleod’s Clinical Examination. Churchill-Livingstone.

Assessment strategy

For assessments with no percentage contribution recorded, students will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.

Two assessments (whole placement evaluation and history taking) will be used to assess performance. Both assessments need to be passed to complete the course.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.