Medicine in Society (MEDI7321)

Course overview

This course provides a unique opportunity for medical students to understand and contribute to multi-dimensional, transdisciplinary care in medicine and understand and experience the rewards and challenges of practice in clinical settings and/or in communities that experience challenges associated with care. Such challenges can be attributed to a range of contextual factors including disability, chronic and life-limiting illness, stage-of-life, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and/or difficult life circumstances. Clinical practice within such a contextual framework requires distinctively generalist knowledge, skills and attitudes. The core values underpinning care in these contexts include: the dignity and empowerment of the patient, their caregiver/s and family; compassionate care fostering equity to health care, access and allocation of resources; providing advocacy on behalf of patients, families and communities and striving for excellence in the provision of care. Whilst the contexts differ, clinical practice is governed by common parameters including whole person care, challenging patient interactions, multimorbidity and team-based case management. An important focus of this course is the patient's health journey, the doctor-patient relationship, understanding social determinants of health and encouraging you to be a reflective and compassionate practitioner. You will engage in contemplative, reflective and narrative learning to deepen your understanding of the core values of medical practice. They will also explore how feelings and thoughts can impact on the therapeutic relationship and expand your capacity and repertoire for handling difficult situations. At the centre of your learning experience will be a structured clinical placement where you will work closely with a clinical preceptor who will guide and support you as they provide health care in context and continue to develop your general medical skills.

The Medicine in Society (MiS) course is available to international students and domestic students who are not able to study Rural and Remote Medicine and includes a 6 week clinical placement in which you will focus their learning within a specific community of patients with particular needs. Students undertaking MiS will have the opportunity to learn and contribute to multi-dimensional, transdisciplinary whole person care of patients. Students studying in Australia will be attached to medical practitioners within the Brisbane, Ipswich and Redcliffe regions in South East Queensland. Students studying in the US will be offered a selection of placements through Ochsner Clinical School. Learning in the clinical environment is central to this course and you are expected to actively participate in the learning opportunities provided on clinical placement, be involved in patient care and become valuable members of the health care team. You will have the opportunity to learn from a range of health professionals in one or more of the following clinical areas: Geriatric Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Palliative Care, Refugee Health, Disadvantaged Youth and Disadvantaged Communities. 

Despite the variety of clinical contexts in MiS, a focus on patient journeys, the doctor-patient relationship and professional challenges are common to all placements. You will be encouraged to understand the impact of illness, barriers to health care experienced by patients, disparities that exist within health-care systems and the role of doctors in addressing these. As well as the enhancement of generalist medical skills and exposure to specialist medical skills within the context of the placement, a focus of this course is understanding the person who is the patient and exploring the patient's health journey in depth. Although sharing many common values and challenges, each clinical placement will be unique. The focus is on producing safe, effective, skilled, person-centred doctors, able to care for patients within the context of their culture and environment. We encourage you to move from a disease-focused to a person-centred approach, and to enhance their generalist medical knowledge, skills and attitudes in the process. Team-based case management and inter-professional collaboration are key components of the MiS placements. We also aim to support you in developing the confidence, emotional resilience and self-reliance needed to manage the professional challenges of clinical practice in these contexts.

This course is one of three courses that make up the Comprehensive Clinical Practice Semester. While each of the courses in CCP has a discipline focus and a related clinical immersion, it is important to recognise that learning opportunities will arise for all courses in each one of the clinical placements. You are strongly encouraged to take every opportunity during the whole CCP semester to acquire discipline-specific knowledge when the opportunity presents, to reflect on the ways that different disciplines view the same clinical problem, and to recognise how each discipline can contribute in different ways to the management of that problem.

As this course is embedded in the clinical domain, you are strongly encouraged to review the university's Fitness to Practise policy. 

Course requirements

Assumed background

This course builds on learningﾠfrom Years 1 and 2 of the MD Program,ﾠin particular from courses in Clinical Science,ﾠClinical Practice and Ethics and Professional 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, approaches to clinical assessment, and ethicsﾠand professional practice withinﾠclinical settings. This course will encourage you to consider the patient as a whole personﾠand draw on your biomedical,ﾠpsychosocial and ethics learning from Years 1 and 2 of the program. You are urged to review notes and learning materials from earlier courses in the program as appropriate during this course.

Incompatible

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

MEDI7305 and MEDI7322

Restrictions

MD or MD Ochsner students only

Course contact

Timetable

Additional timetable information

Participation

You should be aware of theﾠMedicalﾠProgram Participation Guidelines. Non-compliance may result in failure in this course.ﾠ

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to allow students to:

• experience the benefits and challenges of clinical practice among population groups or communities that face access and equity challenges
• recognise the contextual factors that can create these challenges, such as ethnicity, disability, life-limiting illness, stage of life, socioeconomic status and/or life circumstances or experiences
• focus on patient narratives,ﾠwhole person care and the doctor-patient relationship,
• participate in transdisciplinary, multidimensional care in medicine

As a result of completing this course, students should have further enhanced theirﾠgeneralist medical knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to the specialist clinical placement context they are placed, and be better able to:

• recognise the dignity of the patient, their caregiver/s and family;
• demonstrate compassion towards the patient, caregiver/s and family;
• advocate for equity of access to services and allocation of resources, onﾠbehalf of patients, families and communities;
• engage in reflective practice and understand the importance of self-care
• understandﾠethical challenges of the doctor-patient relationshipﾠ
• provide appropriateﾠhigh quality medical care and support.ﾠ
• learn about the significant contribution that other health professionals make to the care of patients and improving patient health outcomes

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

Peer-led Teaching & Learning

• Hurdle
• Online

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Due date

Week 4 Thu - Week 6 Thu

Participation and completion of tasks according to schedule outlined on the course UQ.Learn Blackboard.

Learning outcomes

L06, L07, L13, L14, L18, L19

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

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

Late submission

All submission dates for Assessment are Brisbane time - Australian Eastern Standard time (AEST).

You are required to submit assessable items on time.

If you fail to complete the Peer Teaching and Learning task  when required or rostered (other than for illness or exceptional circumstances discussed with your tutor), it will be considered a breach in professional conduct. The penalty will be a borderline rating in the 'Professionalism' criteria. If an extension has been approved and you do not meet the renegotiated schedule (other than for illness or exceptional circumstances discussed with your tutor) you will be considered as not meeting the passing standard for this assessment, in addition to being considered a lapse in professional conduct.

Extensions 

There may be exceptional circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from submitting an assessment item by the due date. Information on how to apply for an extension can be found on myUQ. You should refer to the General Assessment Guidelines - MD Program for further information on matters related to assessment. 

Clinical Case Presentation and Discussion

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Presentation

Due date

Week 6, Fri

Usually completed in Week 5 or 6 (must be completed by last day of clinical placement).

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

CCPD

Deferral or extension

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

Late submission

All submission dates for Assessment are Brisbane time - Australian Eastern Standard time (AEST). You are required to submit assessable items on time.

If you fail to submit or complete any assessment, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a non-graded fail.

Extensions 

There may be exceptional circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from submitting an assessment item by the due date. Information on how to apply for an extension can be found on myUQ. You should refer to the General Assessment Guidelines - MD Program for further information on matters related to assessment. 

Medicine in Society Tutorials (ViM or CiM)

• Hurdle

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Due date

Week 1 Wed - Week 6 Wed

Participation and completion of tasks according to schedule outlined on the course UQ.Learn Blackboard.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L09, L14, L15, L16, L17, L18, L19

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

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

Late submission

All submission dates for Assessment are Brisbane time - Australian Eastern Standard time (AEST). You are required to submit assessable items on time.

If you fail to complete the Understanding the Person Discussion  when required or rostered (other than for illness or exceptional circumstances discussed with your tutor), it will be considered a breach in professional conduct. The penalty will be a borderline rating in the 'Discussion, engagement and participation' criteria. If an extension has been approved and you do not meet the renegotiated schedule (other than for illness or exceptional circumstances discussed with your tutor) you will be considered as not meeting the passing standard for this assessment, in addition to being considered a lapse in professional conduct.

If you fail to submit or complete any assessment, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a non-graded fail.

Extensions 

There may be exceptional circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from submitting an assessment item by the due date. Information on how to apply for an extension can be found on myUQ. You should refer to the General Assessment Guidelines - MD Program for further information on matters related to assessment. 

Clinical Participation Assessment (CPA)

• Hurdle
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Placement

Due date

Week 6, Fri

Last day of Clinical Placement.

Other conditions

Work integrated learning.

See the conditions definitions

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

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. It is important to understand that submitting your CPA too early may not yield the most accurate feedback. 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.

Additional course grading information

You will achieve a Grade of PASS for the course if you:

- complete and submit all assessment tasks AND

- pass all three assessment tasks AND 

- meet the criteria of the CPA

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

You will receive a Grade of FAIL for the course if you :

- fail two or more of the three assessment tasks OR

- do not meet the criteria for the CPA. 

You will receive a MARGINAL FAIL and be eligible for supplementary assessment if you have:

- pass two of the three assessment tasks AND

- meet the criteria of the 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

You are expected to be aware of and understand the Medical Program Participation Guidelines. Non-compliance with these requirements may result in failure in this course.  

Assessment 

Please refer to the MD Program General Assessment Guidelines for further information on matters related to assessment. 

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. 

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

Please refer to the course Blackboard site

Learning activities

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

Policies and guidelines

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