General Practice (MEDI7313)

Course overview

The General Practice course offers you the opportunity to explore the community context of health and illness, through observing and participating in the delivery of health care to patients with a large range of biopsychosocial problems. You will learn about people's experiences and the everyday management of health and health problems. You will also become familiar with the Australian primary health system and some of the ways in which different community groups and organisations contribute to maintaining and promoting health in the community.

The General Practice course includes a community-based placement component, in which you are placed in a general practice. You also participate in weekly small group, case based, tutorials. You are expected to work up illustrative cases to contribute to these tutorials. The broad knowledge content of general practice has been divided into 6 weekly disease system and theme groupings, each with online lectures and reading resources provided to support you in your learning.

You are encouraged to be enthusiastic and inquisitive, to become familiar with the everyday procedures involved in the workings of general practice, and to function as a member of the health care team. Additionally, you are expected to use evidence-based medicine skills to answer clinical questions as they arise. In these ways you will provide a benefit to your general practice preceptors, patients and your own learning.

The General Practice course involves a 6 week General Practice community based placement, in localities spread out across each Clinical School.

The course affords you the opportunity to see and participate in the delivery of primary health care to patients with a wide range of biopsychosocial problems. Through exploring the community context of health and illness you will learn about people's experiences of health and health problems, the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, and some of the ways in which different community groups and organisations contribute to maintaining and promoting health in the community. The clinical placement encourages you to become active learners in their assigned practices and, under the supervision of their general practitioner (GP) clinical teachers, to conduct components of the consultation with the consent of patients. This includes history-taking, physical examination, management plans, surgery tests and minor procedures.

You are encouraged to be enthusiastic and inquisitive, to become familiar with the everyday processes and procedures of general practice, and to function as a member of the primary health care team. Additionally, you are expected to use evidence based medicine skills to address clinical questions as they arise and to work up illustrative cases to contribute at weekly small group, case based tutorials.

The clinical placement in General Practice will help you achieve a solid foundation to critically evaluate common and important clinical conditions seen in General Practice. The General Practice clinical placement incorporates:

• Learning about the discipline of general practice;
• Learning about primary health care and its integration with community, secondary and tertiary contexts, and the roles of primary care practitioners;
• Access to a broad spectrum of clinical presentations encountered in general practice;
• Learning about the assessment, diagnosis and management of common and important problems presenting in General Practice;
• Learning about how personal and community contexts influence people’s health and well-being, and the importance of relationship-based whole person care; and
• Learning about the use of evidence to guide clinical decisions.

The course is structured to allow you exposure to several different avenues of learning. The core components of the course are as follows:

• General Practice placement
• Weekly case-based tutorials
• Electronic learning materials and resources
• Please do not hesitate to contact the course coordinator or course administrator (med.gpstudents@uq.edu.au) if you have any queries or concerns about any aspect of your learning, including your GP placement experience.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This course builds on learnings from previous courses, particularly Clinical Science and Clinical Practice courses from Years 1 and 2 of the MDﾠProgram. The knowledge we expect you to have gained from these courses includes but is not limited to human structure and function, disease processes and pathophysiology, and approaches to clinical assessment. You are urged to review notes and learning materials from earlier courses in the program as appropriate during this course.

Prerequisites

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

MEDI7212, MEDI7222 and MEDI7232

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

MEDI7303 and MEDI7319

Restrictions

MD & MD (Ochsner) students only

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

Additional timetable information

Participation and Attendance

You should be aware of the Medical Program Attendance and Participation Requirements. Non-compliance may result in failure in this course. 

You should refer to the case-based tutorial timetables which will be provided at the commencement of the course. In summary, you are expected to attend:

1. Thirty sessions (half-days) under the supervision of your clinical GP teacher over the 6 week clinical placement. You are welcome to attend for a greater number of sessions if negotiated with the practice.

• Attendance for fewer than 30 clinical sessions, for reasons such as illness, COVID lockdowns and other practice contingencies, will need approval by the course coordinator.
• If you are absent from specific learning experiences, you may be asked to complete catch-up sessions in the break between blocks or semesters, and complete an individualised learning plan to be negotiated with the course coordinator. Days and times of sessions are negotiated between you and your clinical teachers, but must involve week 1 and week 6 and all weeks in between. It is the expectation of the Discipline of General Practice that sessions will be spread evenly over the placement. The only exception is if this is not convenient for the teaching practice. In New Orleans, some of these sessions will be in various ambulatory care clinics.

1. Six Case-Based Tutorials: The tutorials are of 2.5 to 3 hours duration. Your performance in tutorials is assessed (see section 5 'assessment').
2. Introductory week teaching sessions.
3. All summative assessment for this course.

Additional information and teaching sessions may also be available at some sites, and you will be advised when attendance at these additional sessions is required.

Aims and outcomes

You will have the ability to:

1. Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to identify and manage common and serious patient presentations in a General Practice context;
2. Apply key principles of illness prevention and health promotion in a General Practice context;
3. Demonstrate understanding and application of ethical and professional behaviour with patients, their carers/families, and with healthcare professionals, in a General Practice context;
4. Demonstrate competency in clinical skills and practice relevant to General Practice.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

MCQ Exam

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

Equal weighting as Clinical case exam

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

In-Tutorial Assessment - Clinical Cases

• Hurdle
• In-person
• Online

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Written

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Role play/ Simulation, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Due date

Each week of GP Placement

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L05, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Clinical case exam

• Hurdle
• Online

Mode

Oral

Category

Examination, Role play/ Simulation

Weight

Equal weighting as MCQ

Due date

Week 6, Fri

In the last week of placement

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Clinical Participation Assessment - GP

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Placement

Due date

CPA 1 Week 3, Fri 5:00 pm

CPA 2 Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm

Two (2) CPAs to be completed and submitted.  

Other conditions

Work integrated learning.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L05, L09

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

A function of the CPA discussion and form completion is to consider information from the whole placement. Therefore, you are expected to complete your CPA discussion and submit your CPA form during mid-placement and the final week of placement. Given clinician availability, there may be times when this is not always possible. If you complete your CPA discussion and submit your CPA form before the specified due dates, additional information obtained by your supervisor or Course Coordinator maybe considered to add to that discussed and submitted. Therefore, you are discouraged from completing the CPA discussion and form submission early.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any Clinical Participation Assessment without an approved extension, it will not be accepted and may result in course failure regardless of whether the supervisor has rated your participation at a satisfactory or proficient level in the related course components. 

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

To be considered for a grade of Pass (P) you are required to: 

• Complete and submit all assessment tasks listed in section 5.1

AND

• Meet the criteria for the CPA detailed in Assessment detail

AND

• Meet the passing standard in the In-tutorial assessment

AND

• Meet the passing standard in both the MCQ AND Clinical case exam

If you do not meet the passing standard in one of the two equally weighted assessments (MCQ or Clinical case exam), you will pass the Course provided that you:

• Meet the criteria for the CPA detailed in Assessment detail

AND

• Meet the passing standard in the In-tutorial assessment

AND

• Obtain an overall percentage in the course (average of MCQ and Clinical case examination percentage scores) greater than or equal to 60%

AND

• Obtain a MCQ score that is not lower than two Standard Errors of Measurement (SEMs) below the MCQ pass mark.*

To be considered for Commendation: You need to achieve CPA ratings in the course components collated across all CPAs for this semester that are all 'satisfactory' or 'proficient'.

Marginal fail: You will receive a Marginal Fail if:

• You meet the passing standard in two of the three course assessments (In-tutorial assessment, MCQ, Clinical case exam)

AND

• Your MCQ score is not lower than three Standard Errors of Measurement (SEMs) below the MCQ pass mark.*

AND

• You have no unsatisfactory ratings on the clinical skills components of your final CPA, and a maximum of one Borderline rating in the clinical skills components of your final CPA.

Please refer to 5.4 Other Supplementary Assessment Information.

Non-graded fail: Insufficient evidence of competency in meeting course learning objectives:

You will fail the course overall when you:

Do not meet the passing standard in two or more of the three course assessments (In-tutorial assessment, MCQ, Clinical case exam).

OR

Do not meet the criteria for the CPA detailed in Section 5.5 Assessment detail.

*MCQ pass mark is the MCQ cut score as determined by standard setting PLUS one Standard Error of Measurement (SEM)

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

If you fail the Clinical Participation Assessment (CPA), you will not be eligible for a supplementary assessment/examination. These assessments are based on the successful development and demonstration of professional competencies over the entire clinical placement and a record of attendance at all clinical placement days throughout the entire clinical placement, as required in the Medical Program Participation Guidelines.

If you meet the passing standard in all three course assessments, but fail the course components of the CPA. You may be eligible for supplementary assessment. The supplementary assessment will normally consist of two Clinical Case examinations and a MCQ examination. A student must pass all three of these supplementary examinations in order to pass the course.

Supplementary assessment will only be awarded where, in the judgement of the Associate Dean (Academic), you have marginally failed to attain the level of competence required for a passing grade in this course as per PPL 3.10.02 Assessment Procedures.

If you are eligible for a supplementary assessment, you will generally be required to complete the assessment task or tasks where you did not meet the expected standard.

Additional assessment information

Remark of assessment

The Clinical Participation Assessment (CPA) is not eligible for requests for re-mark. This assessment comprises expert evaluation over an extended period within an authentic clinical learning environment which cannot be duplicated. This assessment therefore cannot be re-marked, and it cannot be cross-marked by another examiner. 

The In-tutorial assessments (assignment 1) are participation based and are not eligible for requests for remark. Clinical case exams are also not able to be re-marked, as these assessments comprise expert evaluation by experienced and trained specialist clinician examiners and cannot be replicated or duplicated.

Previous academic difficulties 

If you have experienced academic difficulties in previous years of the Program or during clinical placement, you are encouraged to reflect on the nature of these difficulties and discuss any need for extra assistance with your Course Coordinator/s and clinical unit / Learning Community at the beginning of the course. 

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Assessments 

Assessment evaluates your abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). You are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. 

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

The Mayne Academy of General Practice will provide the following electronic resources:

• Introduction to the GP Course and to Case-based Tutorials

. A Key Learning Issues document

• Learning materials to support student study, curated and/or developed by the Mayne Academy of General Practice

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• MD General Assessment Guidelines
• Medical Program Participation Guidelines