Course coordinator
Dr Nick Sowden
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (06/01/2025 - 07/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Herston
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 3
- Administrative campus
- Herston
- Coordinating unit
- UQ Medical School
The year 3 Medicine course provides an introduction to clinical medicine and therapeutics. The placement component takes place in (mainly) general medicine units located in each Clinical Unit as a framework for clinical learning in medicine, coupled with clinical discussion sessions for each week of the placement. The clinical discussion sessions will be coordinated by a consultant physician. In some cases, a sub-specialist with a clinical interest in the topic of the week will be involved. In this course you will continue to use your self-directed learning techniques and knowledge acquired during Years 1 and 2 of the MD to focus your learning within a hospital ward environment.
The Medicine course will be conducted inﾠteaching hospitals located in each Clinical Unit. Hospital Practice typically includes a clinical placement to a single hospital but may involve attachments to varying medical units within that hospital.ﾠ
The course will cover formal teaching,ﾠcase learning sessions, facilitated clinical teaching and unscheduled clinical work.ﾠStudents will be exposed to a variety of medical specialties.ﾠThe course consists of hospital-based teaching in which practical skills and attributes are acquired.ﾠThe main focus is on patient contact.ﾠStudents should refer to the individual timetable as per their allocated hospital.
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course builds on learnings from courses in Years 1 and 2 of the MD Program, and in particular from courses in Clinical Science and Clinical Practice. The knowledge we expect you to have gained from these courses includes but is not limited to teaching and learning in 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:
MEDI7304
Restrictions
MD & MD (Ochsner) students only
Course contact
School enquiries
Medical School Student and Academic Administration Team
Timetable
Additional timetable information
Clinical unit specific timetables are available on Learn.UQ (Blackboard).
Participation
Students should be aware of theﾠMedicalﾠProgramﾠParticipation Guidelines. Non-compliance may result in failure in this course.ﾠ
Formal teaching. Formal supervised teaching time amounts to at least 8 hours per week, includingﾠcase tutorials, grand rounds or equivalent, ward rounds and outpatient clinics, and long and short case presentation tutorials. Mandatory Clinical Reasoning Tutorials are available on Blackboard to be followed weekly, for different subspecialty areas.ﾠOther tutorials vary from site to site.ﾠAt some sites, subspecialty experience is part of the clinical placement, but generally this is scheduled during MEDI7414 Medical Specialties.
Structured/Unstructured Learning. Year 3 students are expected to spend at least 32 hours per week learning from patients in the Medical Wards immersing in the clinical environment.ﾠStudentsﾠwill be attached to medical units throughout theirﾠplacementﾠand will be given timetables with structured activities. The content of the timetable is variable between hospitals. In general, eight hours of “facilitated activity” is defined as protected time during which the students MUST be on the wards, seeing patients, with a clinical preceptor available to give them advice or help. In practical terms, this role is most commonly filled by the junior ward staff. The Discipline believes that during unscheduled/unstructured time, students should spend as much time as possible in the wards – attending ward rounds, clerking patients and participating in the general activities of the unit. Spending evenings in the hospital “on take” with the admitting team is very worthwhile.
Aims and outcomes
The overall aim of the Year 3 Medicine course is to provide students with an introduction to clinical aspects of internal medicine as well as an introduction to therapeutics. It will also provideﾠan opportunity for students to gain exposure to a variety of medical specialties, and to refine their clinical skills through repeated patient interactions in inpatient and outpatient settings.ﾠ
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate high standards of ethical conduct, rapport and empathy in all interactions with peers, patients and their families
LO2.
Develop necessary critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills for the clinical environment.
LO3.
Explain the epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinicopathological correlates of conditions that are important and/or common in the context of hospital-based medicine
LO4.
Effectively assess a patient and their medical condition through appropriate history taking and physical examination
LO5.
Select investigations appropriate to the diagnosis or management of medical conditions, and correctly interpret results in the context of the individual patient
LO6.
Describe appropriate management plans for conditions seen commonly in hospital-based medical practice (as outlined in the syllabus)
LO7.
Select pharmacological and other therapies relevant to the management of common medical conditions, and demonstrate an awareness of important side-effects and contraindications.
LO8.
Recognise the varying roles of medical, nursing and allied health staff within an acute care ward, and demonstrate skills and attributes which allow for effective interactions with those staff as part of a health care team
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination |
Written Component
|
2/06/2025 - 7/06/2025
Scheduled by Medical School |
|
| Examination, Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation |
Oral Component
|
Week 9 Mon - Week 9 Fri |
|
| Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation |
Practice Long Case Examination
|
Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm |
|
| Notebook/ Logbook |
Long Case Logs
|
Week 9, Fri 5:00 pm |
|
| Participation/ Student contribution, Placement |
Clinical Participation Assessment - Medicine
|
CPA 1: Week 4, Fri 5:00 pm CPA 2: Week 9, Fri 5:00 pm
Two (2) CPAs to be completed and submitted. |
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
Written Component
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Due date
2/06/2025 - 7/06/2025
Scheduled by Medical School
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
The Written Component consists of one (1) Multiple Choice Examination. The examination will consist of questions designed to assess the knowledge base in medicine that include pathophysiology, symptoms and signs and the management of common medical conditions.
Criteria & Marking:
The pass mark for this assessment is 60%. This pass mark may be modified in accordance with standard setting methods.
Hurdle requirements
Performance Hurdle: You must complete and meet the passing standard to pass the course.Exam details
| Planning time | no planning time minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | ExamSoft |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Oral Component
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Examination, Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation
- Due date
Week 9 Mon - Week 9 Fri
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Long Case Examination
Duration: 95 minutes - 60 minutes with patient, 10 minutes to collect thoughts / prepare presentation, 25 minutes with examiners
In the Long Case Examination you will take a history and examine a patient and then present and discuss their findings with the examiners.
Components:
- Accuracy of history - exploration of diagnostic problems
- Accuracy of history - exploration of active medical problems and complications
- Impact of Illness on patient and family
- Accuracy of Physical Examination
- Synthesis and prioritisation of Clinical Problems
- Discussion
You should be aware that you may not get the full 60 minutes with the patient. In that case, you should notify your facilitating professional staff member and the examiners. Examiners will decide whether to proceed. If the decision is to proceed with the exam, the examiners will take this into consideration. A decision may be for you to see another patient; this could be on the same or a different day.
You must be aware that you are not to be in the hospital (excluding for personal medical treatment) from the Saturday before your Long Case until the end of Week 9 unless specifically directed by your clinical site or course staff.
Standardised Clinical Scenario
Duration: 15 minutes + 5 minutes reading time
The Standardised Clinical Scenario is a form of standardised clinical examination. You will be presented with a scenario where you will make determinations regarding investigations and management. The key objective is to assess the basic principles of investigation of common medical conditions in a standardised approach.
Components:
- Approach to differential diagnosis
- Investigation choice
- Investigation interpretation
- Management
The clinical scenario presented will relate to one of the key learning areas within the Internal Medicine Year 3 and 4 Syllabus (available on the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site).
The Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Medicine has waived the requirement for the Long Case Examination and Standardised Clinical Scenario assessment items to be recorded. The MEDI7314 Oral Component Mark Sheets 2025 (available on the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site) will be used to document student performance through the provision of comments.
Criteria & Marking:
To pass the Oral Component, you must achieve 58% over both assessments combined AND achieve at least a ‘satisfactory’ in 7 out of the 10 domains. These ten domains are;
- Accuracy of history – exploration of diagnostic problems (Long Case)
- Accuracy of history - exploration of active medical problems and complications (Long Case)
- Impact of illness on patient and family (Long Case)
- Accuracy of physical examination (Long Case)
- Synthesis and prioritisation of clinical problems (Long Case)
- Discussion (Long Case)
- Approach to differential diagnosis (Standardised Clinical Scenario)
- Investigation choice (Standardised Clinical Scenario)
- Investigation interpretation (Standardised Clinical Scenario)
- Management (Standardised Clinical Scenario)
Further information regarding marking of these assessments, including the marking rubric can be found on the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site.
For information on how to approach the clinical examinations, please refer to the file "2025 MEDI7314 Medicine Examination Guide" available on the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site.
The pass mark may be modified in accordance with standard setting methods.
Ochsner Clinical School may begin examinations in Week 8 if needed.
Hurdle requirements
Performance hurdle: You must complete and meet the passing standard to pass the courseExam details
| Planning time | no planning time minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 115 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Other |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Practice Long Case Examination
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation
- Due date
Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04
Task description
In the Practice Long Case Examination, the student will take a history and examine a patient and then present and discuss their findings with the examiner/s.
Duration: 95 minutes - 60 minutes with patient, 10 minutes to collect thoughts / prepare presentation, 25 minutes with examiners
Components:
- Accuracy of history - exploration of diagnostic problem
- Accuracy of history - exploration of active medical problems and complications
- Impact of Illness on patient and family
- Accuracy of Physical Examination
- Synthesis and prioritisation of Clinical Problems
- Discussion
This assessment should be arranged by the student with their supervisors in consultation with their site Student Coordinator.
For information on how to approach the clinical examinations, please refer to the files "2024 MEDI7314 Medicine Examination Guide" and "MEDI7314 PRACTICE Long Case Mark Sheet 2024" available on the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site.
The Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Medicine has waived the requirement for the Practice Long Case Examination assessment item to be recorded. The MEDI7314 PRACTICE Long Case Mark Sheet 2024 will be used to document student performance through the provision of comments.
Hurdle requirements
Compliance HurdleSubmission guidelines
Practice Long Case will be marked by hard copy mark sheet. Your Student Coordinator will advise you whether you will complete this exercise with your clinical supervisor or in a tutorial setting. Students must submit a scanned copy of their hard copy mark sheets via the Blackboard submission link by the due date.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
If you fail to meet the submission deadline for the Practice Long Case without an approved extension, it will be considered as a lapse in professional conduct. Late submission longer than 7 calendar days will be considered as not meeting the passing standard for this assessment, in addition to being considered a lapse in professional conduct.
Long Case Logs
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook
- Due date
Week 9, Fri 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
Students must complete eight (8) Long Case Logs throughout the Block using the hard copy template available on Blackboard or the online forms. The hard copy template (and online forms) lists a number of specialty cases that you can use as suggestions for suitable cases. These are important conditions commonly seen in Internal Medicine; however, this list is not exhaustive or exclusive. Any condition / diagnosis may form the basis of your clinical case.
Case logs must NOT include patient names (initials are acceptable). All scanned / photographed images must be legible.
Hurdle requirements
Compliance HurdleSubmission guidelines
Eight (8) Long case logs must be submitted via the online form or Blackboard submission of the Long Case Logbook (as a PDF) by the due date for review and approval.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
If you fail to meet the submission deadline for the Long Case Logs without an approved extension, it will be considered as a lapse in professional conduct. Late submission longer than 7 calendar days will be considered as not meeting the passing standard for this assessment, in addition to being considered a lapse in professional conduct.
Clinical Participation Assessment - Medicine
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution, Placement
- Due date
CPA 1: Week 4, Fri 5:00 pm
CPA 2: Week 9, Fri 5:00 pm
Two (2) CPAs to be completed and submitted.
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08
Task description
The Medical School considers that participation and attendance at clinical placements are fundamental aspects of the MD program, consistent with the framework of self-directed and life-long learning and indicative of the need for clinical competence and professional conduct in addition to theoretical knowledge.
In all clinical courses during Years 3 and 4 of the MD Program, students are assessed on their professional and clinical skills and the extent to which they have contributed and engaged in their clinical placement and clinical learning activities. The nature of these activities will vary according to the placement, but may include admitting/clerking patients, assessing patients at outpatient clinics, presenting at ward rounds and demonstrating initiative in attending other activities such as grand rounds.
Scoring in the Clinical Participation Assessment (CPA) is based on conduct and contribution during ward rounds and case discussions, initiative in seeking learning opportunities, patient assessment, ability to succinctly present a patient case including differential diagnosis, behaviour towards peers and medical (and all other) colleagues and awareness of social and ethical issues including risk assessment.
The CPA has components which assess Clinical Communication, History Taking, Examination Skills, Clinical Reasoning, Professional Practice, Reflective Practice, Social/Cultural Competence and Safety. There is also a Student Flag component which allows a supervisor to report a student with concerning unprofessional or unsafe behaviour. The Student Flag component also provides a mechanism for notifying exemplary performance to the School.
To maximise your learning students are encouraged to actively seek feedback from their clinical teacher/s during their clinical placement. This will assist in identifying any areas requiring further improvement before your final Clinical Participation Assessment is completed. Passive attendance without active engagement in the clinical setting may contribute to a FAIL for this assessment task.
The CPA rubric can be found in the Blackboard Course Site for guidance so that you are familiar with marking criteria for each component.
Criteria & Marking:
The CPA is a global assessment of professional and clinical practice and contribute to your overall performance in the following ways:
- If you are enrolled concurrently in the WLP course, four components contribute to this MEDI7314 course (Clinical Communication, History Taking, Examination Skills, Clinical Reasoning) and the remaining components (Engagement in Practice, Professional Practice, Reflective Practice, Social/Cultural Competence and Safety and Student Flag) contribute to the WLP course.
- If you are not enrolled concurrently in the WLP course all components contribute to this MEDI7314 course.
Additional information may be received by staff from clinical placement site/s where you completed this course. This will be reviewed by the Course Coordinator and ratings completed by your supervisor in the CPA may be revised. For example, if your supervisor rated you as satisfactory related to professional conduct but the Medical School has other information available, the supervisor’s ratings may be moderated based on this additional information.
Your performance will also be reviewed at the End of Semester Examiner’s meeting and following discussion you may receive a non-graded fail for the course, if:
- There are any unsatisfactory results recorded in any of the CPA components contributing to this course (including moderations made by the Course Coordinator)
- There are four or more borderline results recorded in any of the CPA components contributing to this course (including moderations made by the Course Coordinator)
- The required number of CPAs have not been submitted to your supervisor for completion by the due date.
Factors that will be taken into account during the review undertaken at the End of Semester Examiner’s meeting include:
- Evidence of temporal improvement in performance across the course (if applicable)
- Completion and content of the WLP Task Review in response to unsatisfactory or borderline ratings
- Relative opportunity available across the semester
- Other factors relevant to your performance
Hurdle requirements
Performance Hurdle: You must complete and meet the passing standard to pass the course.Submission guidelines
A function of the CPA discussion and form completion is to consider information from the whole placement.
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 may be considered to add to that discussed and submitted. Therefore, you are discouraged from completing the CPA discussion and form submission early.
You are expected to engage in discussions about your performance with your supervisor or their delegate throughout the course, preferably face-to-face. To ensure you receive synchronous feedback from your supervisor or their delegate, you are encouraged to request your supervisor to complete the assessment in real-time before the end of your placement. However, if your supervisor is unable to assess in real-time, you have the option to submit your CPA to your supervisor or their delegate, on or before the due date specified in the Assessment Section of this Course Profile, using the Email for later option in MyProgress. CPAs submitted after the due date without an approved extension will not be accepted and may result in a course failure.
If your supervisor has not assessed your CPA within 7 days after submission, you are encouraged to send a gentle reminder email to your supervisor via MyProgress. If there are problems contacting your supervisor or if your CPA remains unassessed, please contact your local Student Coordinator.
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.
| Pass/Fails | Description |
|---|---|
| Pass |
Course grade description: Demonstrated evidence of competency in meeting course learning objectives. |
| Fail |
Course grade description: Insufficient evidence of competency in meeting course learning objectives. |
Additional course grading information
PASS: Awarded where you achieve ALL of the following:
- Complete all assessment items,
- Meet the criteria for the Clinical Participation Assessment/s (CPA) detailed in the Assessment detail section,
- Meet the passing standard for the Oral Component,
- Meet the passing standard for the Written Component.
Marginal Fail: You will receive a Marginal Fail if you:
- Meet the criteria for the Clinical Participation Assessment/s (CPA) detailed in the Assessment detail section
AND
- fail any ONE of the following marked assessment tasks:
- Oral Component
- Written Component
OR
- have a late penalty applied for the Long Case Logs or the Practice Long Case
Non-Marginal Fail: You will receive a Non-Marginal Fail grade if you:
- Fail BOTH of the following marked assessment components:
- Oral Component
- Written Component
OR
- Do not meet the criteria for the Clinical Participation Assessment/s (CPA)
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.
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 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
Long Case Examinations and case based scenarios are clinical examinations which are not eligible for requests for remark. Such assessments comprise expert evaluation by experienced, trained specialist clinician examiners which cannot be replicated or duplicated.
The Clinical Participation Assessment 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.
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
At UQ, the use of AI outputs without attribution, and contrary to any direction by teaching staff, is a form of plagiarism and constitutes academic misconduct.
If you use AI in your assessment without permission or appropriate acknowledgment it may be considered misconduct. If you have questions, you should ask your course coordinator.
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
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Workshop |
Introductory Week: 6 - 10 January 2025 Introductory week for the Hospital Practice (and Hospital Practice +) Semester Learning outcomes: L01, L08 |
|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 9 |
Clinical coaching |
Clinical Bedside Coaching The Year 3 Clinical Bedside Coaching sessions are designed to train students in clinical history taking and examination skills. This is essential preparation for their clinical examinations at the end of the relevant clinical block. The examination format is roughly parallel to that of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP) clinical examination but the standard to be reached is that expected of a Year 3 medical student. CLINICAL EXAMINATIONS In the long case examination, the student has up to one hour to take a history from a patient and perform physical examination. Ten minutes should be allowed to formulate the history and examination findings for presentation and prepare for discussion of the case with two examiners. As in the FRACP, the discussion is focused on the particular case the student has interviewed and examined. AIMS OF CLINICAL BEDSIDE COACHING The Year 3 students have limited experience of clinical examinations. Without specific practice directed towards developing skills in history taking and clinical examination they find this examination difficult. Clinical bedside coaching sessions are the main preparation they receive for the clinical examination. These sessions should provide instruction in:
Tutors should also provide students with the opportunity to practice performing history taking, physical examinations and presentations within the required time frame and have the opportunity to practise dealing with questioning related to the case. Examination of the following major systems should be included:
Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Placement |
Long Case log book Students to document 8 clinical cases seen during their Medicine placement/s in their Clinical case logbook or using the online forms. Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
|
Tutorial |
Tutorial and Clinical Placement Program 1. Formal teaching. Formal supervised teaching time amounts to at least 8 hours per week, including case tutorials / clinical reasoning tutorials, grand rounds or equivalent, ward rounds and outpatient clinics, and long and short case presentation tutorials. Other tutorials vary from site to site. At some sites, subspecialty experience is part of the placement but generally this is left to Year 4. 2. Clinical Placement. Year 3 students will be attached to medical units throughout their placement and will be given timetables with structured activities. The content of the timetable is variable between hospitals. In general, 8 hours of facilitated activity is defined as protected time that the students MUST be on the wards, seeing patients, with someone available to give them advice or help. In practical terms, this is most commonly the junior ward staff. The Discipline requires that during unscheduled/unstructured time, students should spend as much time as possible in the wards attending ward rounds, clerking patients and participating in the general activities of the unit. Spending evenings in the hospital on take with the admitting team is very worthwhile. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08 |
|
Tutorial |
Clinical Reasoning Tutorials Face-to-Face, weekly interactive tutorials. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
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: