Course profile

Developing Skills in Medicine (MEDI7200)

Study period
Sem 1 2025
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 1, 2025 (30/01/2025 - 22/11/2025)
Study level
Postgraduate Coursework
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
16
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
UQ Medical School

MEDI7200 Developing Skills in Medicine is a comprehensive 16-unit course in the second year of the UQMD program. Building on the foundations of the first year, this course takes a learner-centered approach aligned with Australian Medical Council requirements and program Graduate Outcomes. The curriculum integrates the UQMD program's six vertical themes and develops clinical reasoning through nine focus areas that integrate clinical practice and medicine, biomedical sciences, and public health and social sciences. Students gain hands-on experience through immersion in diverse clinical care settings in the Collaborative Care and Outpatients immersion, and General Practice immersion, allowing them to apply their knowledge and clinical skills in real-world contexts. Two key developmental streams enhance the learning experience further: a. a longitudinal leadership and professional development stream that builds foundational skills in leadership and quality management sciences; and a personalised learning stream offering opportunities for students to either explore areas of special interest or focus on skills that will benefit from additional development 

MEDI7200, Developing Skills in Medicine, is the second 16-unit year-long course in the MD Program. Each year adopts a learner-centred approach enabling you to progress towards achieving the graduate outcomes of the program and the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Graduate Attributes. The MD graduate outcomes are defined with respect to the six themes of the MD Program:ﾠ

The MEDI7200 Learning Outcomes aligns with the six themes of the UQMD program:

  • Advocate for Health Improvement
  • Critical Thinker, Scientist and Scholar
  • Dynamic Learner and Educator
  • Kind and Compassionate Professional
  • Partner and Team Player
  • Safe and Effective Clinician

Through an integrated, body-systems approach spanning the human life stages, you will dive deeper into the fascinating world of clinical medicine, discovering how pathology and pathophysiology manifest in real patient presentations. You will sharpen your clinical reasoning skills, learning to recognise abnormalities in patient histories and physical examinations, and develop confident approaches to patient management. Your learning journey will be rich and varied, combining:

  • clinical setting immersions, clinical coaching and simulations
  • interactive small group learning
  • scenario based learning that integrates medical science with public health perspectives
  • cultural and ethical healthcare dynamics
  • practical diagnostic skills development

The 35-weeks course structure includes:

  • Learning Development Week
  • Clinical Immersions: 4 weeks in Collaborative Care/Outpatient settings and 16 weeks in General Practice settings
  • Personalised learning Stream
  • Leadership and Professional Development Stream
  • Clinical Coaching, typically ‘at the bedside’
  • Independent study periods

The weekly schedule is designed to balance scheduled teaching with clinical learning and team- and self-directed learning. Typically, you will engage in about 26 hours of scheduled learning experiences and 14 hours of guided self-directed study per week, comprising the full-time study load approximately 40 hours weekly. [Note, as a guide UQ recommends that you spend approximately 10 hours studying per week for a 2-unit course, including contact time, during semester].

Important note about learning Anatomy from human donor bodies

In this course, you will have the opportunity to learn about human anatomy from donor bodies at the Gross Anatomy Facility (GAF) at St Lucia or from plastinated human specimens, anatomical models and digital resources at Central Queensland University Anatomy Facilities in Bundaberg, Rockhampton and online.

The study of real human anatomy depends on the altruistic gifts of donors and demands a respectful behaviour and professional attitude of students and staff at all times (see 3.1 Required Learning Resources for compulsory training and relevant acts and policy documents). Students should note that it is a requirement under Queensland law to appropriately conduct themselves when examining any material derived from donated human cadavers. The Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1979 (Qld), s34 (2) states that: "A person who performs an anatomical examination upon a body shall do so in a quiet, orderly and decent manner”. Failure to comply with this rule of the Anatomy Act may be regarded as a criminal offence under part s236 (b) of the Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld) which states "A person improperly or indecently interferes with, or offers any indignity to, any dead human body or human remains, whether buried or not...is liable to imprisonment...". Any such breaches may be referred to or prosecuted by the police.

You must adhere to the relevant Codes of Conduct for your respective site/s. If you are based at St Lucia. as per the SBMS Code of Conduct for Use of Human Tissues (see 3.1 Required Learning Resources), personal electronic devices including mobile phones, cameras, tablets, and other recording devices, must not be used anywhere in the anatomy teaching facilities, and they cannot be carried on your person (even in the off position) beyond the bag rack areas. Exemptions may be provided by the GAF manager for certain medical conditions. Use of the cadavers for entertainment, profit, and/or other personal purposes is strictly prohibited. Unauthorised photography, electronic imaging, and/or postings on social media that compromise donor confidentiality or discuss dissecting room protocol are banned. Severe penalties apply for breach of these rules, including expulsion from the University.

If you are based in Rockhampton and Bundaberg, the Code of Conduct and policies and procedures governing the Central Queensland University facilities must be adhered to.

Course requirements

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

MEDI7100 - Foundations of Medicine

Restrictions

Restricted to MD and MD(Ochsner) enrolled students

Course contact

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Some learning experiences (Clinical Scenario Based Learning, Clinical Plenaries, Integrated Symposia) are generally held at the same time each week; however, the timetable for other learning experiences might vary from one week to another. A considerable amount of learning will occur in clinical environments. Some of these learning experiences will be scheduled and coordinated by individual Learning Communities. Although most of these activities will be timetabled between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, some sessions and clinical immersion activities may be scheduled outside this timeframe.

Some public holidays will have an impact on scheduling learning experiences.

In the event of an unexpected disruption that prevents in-person learning experiences from taking place as scheduled, activities may be moved online.

Aims and outcomes