Course coordinator
Dr Vidya Navaratnam
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (17/06/2024 - 16/11/2024)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- Herston
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- Herston
- Coordinating unit
- UQ Medical School
The Medical Specialties course is part of the Advanced Hospital Practice Semester. It includes a six-week clinical placement that offers you the opportunity to work and learn as part of a hospital-based specialist medical team within a UQ clinical unit. The primary aims of this course are to build upon the knowledge and experience gained during Year 3 Internal Medicine and to prepare students to practise as interns. You are expected to act in a pre-intern role, and engage with the common and important clinical problems encountered within an assigned Medical Specialist area, as well as more common medical issues arising within the hospital practice context. You will learn how to apply knowledge and appropriate resources in the diagnosis, management and prevention of a variety of problems. The use of evidence-based medicine in accomplishing these goals is essential. You should use the clinical placement block as an opportunity to enhance skills in history taking, clinical examination and clinical reasoning. The education program enables you to develop and demonstrate safe prescribing skills as well as the skills necessary to approach common ward-call based scenarios. You are also exposed to the excitement and challenges of working after-hours in a hospital setting by completing four on-call shifts during your rotation with the supervision of junior medical staff.
The Medical Specialties course is organised by the Mayne Academy of Medicine and provides students with the opportunity for direct clinical exposure in a 6 week placement in a Medical Specialty Area (MSA). Students are expected to improve their skills in history taking, clinical examination and synthesis, rational use of investigations and resources and the management of common medical conditions. Attachment to an MSAﾠalso allows students to observe how a subspecialty unit runs (e.g. multi-disciplinary meetings, policy decisions, handling patient concerns, quality assurance and research initiatives). The courseﾠprovides vertical integration (i.e. building on learning from previous years), and horizontal integration within the Advanced Hospital Practice semesterﾠwith overlapping learning opportunities with other Mayne Academies such as critical care (anaesthetics, ICU), emergency medicine and surgical specialties, illustrating the importance of aﾠmulti-disciplinary approach in managing complex medical problems.ﾠInterdisciplinary learning in conjunction withﾠother healthﾠdisciplines (e.g. nursing / midwifery / allied health / pharmacy) may form part of the MEDI7414 course.
This course is "semesterised", forming one of three courses that make up the Advanced Hospital Practice Semester. While each AHP courseﾠhas a discipline focus and a related six-week clinical placement, it is important to recognise thatﾠlearning opportunities will ariseﾠin each clinical placement. For example,ﾠseeingﾠa dislocation reduced during an emergency medicineﾠterm is an opportunity for studentsﾠto learn about dislocations and orthopaedic principles of reductionﾠwhile clerking anﾠelderly person with typical OA of the hands during a medical specialties placement providesﾠan opportunity to revise the topic ofﾠosteoarthritis. Students are strongly encouraged toﾠtake every opportunity during the AHP semester to acquire discipline-specific knowledge and reflect on the unique way that eachﾠdiscipline contributesﾠto the management of a problem. Educational sessions provide students with vital skills in safe prescribing as well as assessment and management of acutely unwell patients in theﾠ"on-call"ﾠsetting.
Medical Specialty Areaﾠdefinition and scope:
Medical Specialty Areas (MSA) are defined as recognised sub-specialties ofﾠinternal medicineﾠ(e.g. nephrology, respiratory medicine, endocrinology etc.). This doesﾠnot include disciplinesﾠwithout a specificﾠinternal medicine focus (e.g. radiology, anatomical pathology), or disciplines with no clinical component. For example, clinical haematology or infectious diseases are acceptable placements,ﾠhowever, laboratory-based haematology andﾠmicrobiology are inappropriateﾠplacements. Each clinical site offers a unique range of MSA placements that reflect site-specific clinical resources and staffing profiles. A list of MSAs is made available via the placements preferencing system prior to the start of the course. Each placementﾠisﾠdesigned to ensure that studentsﾠachieve clinical “immersion” within that specialty unit, have continuity in learning, and have teaching and learning opportunities that allow them to meet the learning objectives of the course.
MSAs available for 2024:
There are differences between clinical sites in departmentalﾠstructureﾠand service delivery. Furthermore, there are unique differences between specialties asﾠto: whether theyﾠare interventional (e.g. cardiology) or non-interventional services (e.g. rheumatology);ﾠdifferences in the acuity of patients; and differences in the proportion of inpatient vs. outpatient care.ﾠSubsequently, students have unique experiences from site to site and between different medicalﾠspecialty placements.ﾠThere is no need for a single Clinical siteﾠto provide all aspects that a MSA might involve.ﾠContinuity is more important than breadth.ﾠ At certain sites, attachments covering more than one MSA may be offered, depending on patient load and timetabling issues.ﾠ
Medical Specialty Areas
Details
Cardiology
This specialty area can include clinical cardiology (CC), coronary care (CCU), cardiac diagnostic services (CDS), interventional cardiology (IC), transplantation cardiology (TC) and nuclear medicine (NM).
Obstetric Medicine
This specialty area is only available at hospitals with a dedicated obstetric medicine service and does not include routine Obstetrics & Gynaecology placements. Students may participate in inpatient ward rounds and consultative services as well as antenatal medical clinics. Students will be exposed to a broad range of obstetric medicine problems that affect pregnancy, including diabetes in pregnancy and a variety of cardiac, haematological, endocrine, neurologic, renal, liver, rheumatologic and respiratory disorders.ﾠ
Endocrinology
This specialty area can include endocrinology (E), diabetes services (DS) and some exposure to the management of obesity (O).
Gastroenterology
This specialty area can offer clinical gastroenterology (CG), hepatology (H) and gastroenterological diagnostic and therapeutic services (GDTS).
Geriatric Medicine and Rehabilitation
This specialty area can include geriatrics (G), rehabilitation (R), orthogeriatics (OG), aged care assessment teams (ACAT), extended care unit (ECU), stroke service (SS) and dementia assessment (DA).
Neurology
This specialty area can include neurology (N), stroke service (SS), multiple sclerosis clinic (MSC), epilepsy clinic (EPC), neuromuscular clinic (NMC), movement disorders clinic (MDC), electrophysiological testing (ET) such as EEG, video EEG, visual evoked responses and EMG, and neuropsychological testing (NP).
Oncology, Haematology and Palliative Care
This specialty area can include medical oncology (MO), palliative care (PC), haematology (H), transplantation haematology (TH), laboratory haematology (LH).ﾠIn some institutions this MSA can be split to provide exposure to various cancer services (e.g. medical oncology, haematology, palliative care) or a single service.
Renal Medicine
This specialty area offers experience in general nephrology, including the subspecialty areas of chronic kidney disease management, a range of dialysis modalities from home to acute therapies in an intensive care setting, management of renal transplantation and procedural nephrology.
Rheumatology, Immunology, Rheumatology & Clinical Pharmacology
These specialty areas can offer 6 weeks of rheumatology, immunology or a combined program of rheumatology and clinical pharmacology.
Thoracic Medicine
This specialty area can include clinical thoracic medicine (CTM), respiratory diagnostic services (RDS) and sleep medicine (SM).
Young Adult Medicine
This specialty area deals with the health problems commonly encountered in adolescents and young adults.ﾠ These include both acute presentations and chronic conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, haemochromatosis, mental health and neurologic conditions.ﾠ The specialty also covers transition of care arrangements from paediatric to adult health care.ﾠ There is a strong emphasis on multi-disciplinary care for young people with complex health problems.
ﾠ
Learning in the context of Private Practice
This course provides the opportunity for attachments with private specialists in their consulting rooms and the private hospitals that they normally attend.
Many private specialists work predominantly in the outpatient setting with only a few inpatients. In this situation, the student will experience one-on-one mentoring with a consultant. The student will play an apprenticeship role. These consultants are very experienced and keen to teach but they are also unpaid volunteers who have busy practices to run. These constraints should be kept in mind. Prompt attendance at the start of the scheduled ward rounds, private specialists' clinics and otherﾠsessions is essential.ﾠ
While it is vital that the Dress Code set out by the Medical School is adhered to at all times in all institutions, it is particularly important in private practice. Identification badges should be worn at all times and if locally appropriate (e.g. offshore placements including USA), white coats should be worn. Interactions with both mentors/supervisors and all patients should be as professional as possible.ﾠ
Course requirements
Assumed background
Medical Specialties builds upon the clinical knowledge and experience gained in Year 3 Medicine and more broadly from the Hospital Practice semester.ﾠ It also draws on content from courses offered during Years 1 and 2 of the MD Program, particularly courses in Clinical Science and Clinical Practice. Expected knowledgeﾠincludes but is not limited to: basic anatomy and physiology;ﾠpathophysiology and natural history of common medical conditions; pharmacology of commonly used medications;ﾠclinical assessment including history taking andﾠphysical examination; use of and interpretation of basic investigations; and management principles of common medical conditions.You are encouraged 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, MEDI7314, MEDI7232 and MEDI7242 or MEDI7202
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
MEDI7404
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).
Participationﾠ
Students should be aware of theﾠMedicalﾠProgramﾠParticipation Guidelines. Non-compliance may result in failure in this course.ﾠ
At the commencement of the placement, subspecialty units will either provide students with a unit timetable or adviseﾠstudents of the daily/weekly activities.ﾠSpecific arrangements will vary according to the clinical governance of individual sites.ﾠ
Students should expect a timetableﾠthat allocatesﾠat least 25 hours each week toﾠdirect clinical supervision. At least 8 hours of this time should be direct consultant supervision. The other 25 hours in a notional 50 hour week should be unsupervised ward or outpatient work as well as self-directed learning. It is expected that during the unsupervised ward time the student would follow individual patients from their first contact to the particular medical specialty until discharge from the service.ﾠThe courseﾠalso provides an opportunity for “intern readiness” training and students will be expected to complete at least four 6 – 8 hours shifts of “ward call” or similar evening / overnight work in the company of an intern / resident / JHO / registrar to familiarise themselves with the type of problems likely to be encountered after hours during the early course of their employment after graduation.
Aims and outcomes
AimsﾠThe Medical Specialties course builds on knowledge and experience gained during the Medicine course in Year 3, and more generally from learnings in the Hospital Practice semester of that year. It is designed to prepare students for work in a hospital context at the level of intern, and more broadly to understand the role of the specialist medical team in patient care.
The specific aims of this course are to provide you with:ﾠ
- Experience and learning opportunities in tertiary medical practice
- Continuous and intensive team attachmentﾠin a hospital-based medical context.
- An overview of the common and important problems that a medical specialist team typically manages
- An opportunity to utilise the appropriate resources in the diagnosis, management and prevention of common medical issues in a hospital context.
- An awareness of the strengths and limitations of various service delivery models and specialty services.
- Practical experience in the application ofﾠevidence-based medicine.
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.
Appropriately manage conditions seen commonly in hospital-based medical practice (as outlined in the syllabus), including selection of pharmacological and other treatments, and awareness of their side-effects and contraindications.
LO5.
Effectively assess a patient and their medical condition, including appropriate history and examination, as well as rational selection and interpretation of investigations
LO6.
Demonstrate a practical approach to common ward-based clinical tasks and situations which are typically managed by junior medical officers in a hospital setting
LO7.
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 |
Multiple Choice Examination
|
End of Semester Exam Period 2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024 |
|
| Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation |
Marked Admission
|
Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm
Can be completed in Week 5 or 6 of Clinical Placement Block. |
|
| Examination, Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation |
Standardised Clinical Scenario
|
Week 6 Mon - Week 6 Fri |
|
| Participation/ Student contribution, Placement |
Clinical Participation Assessment - Med Spec
|
Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm
Students with a split placement will be required to submit a CPA at the end of each section of your placement. Please consult your Student Coordinator for details. |
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
Multiple Choice Examination
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
2/11/2024 - 16/11/2024
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
This examination will consist of multiple choice questions blueprinted to the Medical Specialties Curriculum (available on Blackboard). This examination assesses a broad range of clinical knowledge. You are not expected to have in-depth knowledge of all facets of each medical specialty. In contrast to Year 3 Medicine, there is a greater emphasis on: acute and on-call scenarios, safe prescribing, as well as recongition, assessment and management principles of common and/or life-threatening medical conditions.
To assist in preparation, the Year 4 Curriculum Snapshot is designed to draw your attention to areas of medicine most likely to be examined on the MCQ paper. The Safe Prescribing and On-Call tutorial programs and other recommended resources will assist in your preparation.
You will sit the MCQ exam during the end of semester examination week.
Criteria & Marking:
Marks will be given for correct answers.
The 55% passing score 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 or UQ approved , labelled calculator only |
| 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.
Marked Admission
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation
- Due date
Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm
Can be completed in Week 5 or 6 of Clinical Placement Block.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
You will be required to prepare a viva voce presentation of a clinical case seen during your six-week clinical placement. The primary medical issue/s should predominantly concern the medical specialty to which you are attached.
There are two primary aims of this task:
- Demonstration of acquired knowledge and a deeper understanding of a common medical problem or problems relating to the medical specialty to which you are attached.
- Demonstration of a range of skills necessary to complete a medical admission (or outpatient encounter), including: prescribing medications on a medication chart, requesting relevant pathology or imaging, and completion of a discharge summary (or outpatient clinic letter).
Components:
Part A: Case-based discussion
- Focused and accurate clinical history.
- Focused and accurate clinical examination.
- Synthesis & prioritisation of clinical issues - demonstrating satisfactory clinical reasoning; understanding of the pathophysiology and clinicopathological correlates of the condition; and recognising the social impact of the disease upon the patient.
- Management - development and discussion of an appropriate and tailored management plan.
Part B: Admission documentation
- Appropriate selection and ordering of investigations (i.e. use of radiology and pathology forms);
- Appropriate use of medication charts;
- Appropriate and well-constructed discharge summary OR outpatient clinic letter
The marked admission must be undertaken in week 5 or 6 of the clinical placement.
The marked admission is to be presented for examination to your primary supervisor. Where the primary supervisor is unable to act as an examiner, they may assign a delegate. The examiner must be a clinician within the assigned clinical placement who has specialist status or is on a specialist training pathway, (i.e. Consultant, “Attending”, Fellow or Advanced Trainee Registrar) for formal marking. Marked admissions completed with a resident medical officer, Basic Physician Trainee or Principal House Officer will not be accepted. The examiner's name, position must be accurately recorded, and signed and dated.
For a detailed task description on how to approach the marked admission, please refer to the 'Marked Admission Student Guide' found below and in the Assessment section of the Blackboard site for this course.
Note: Students may collaborate in their literature readings and are encouraged to share resources and undertake group learning activities, but each case must have been seen on an individual basis.
Criteria & Marking:
This is a graded assessment item. To satisfy this assessment item, you must achieve a total score of at least 60%.
Late submission without an approved extension will impact the overall course grade.
The Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Medicine has waived the requirement for this assessment item to be recorded. To ensure the integrity of assessment and to enhance feedback on assessment, clear records will be kept of performance against the criteria and standards. The Marked Admission Mark Sheet (available on the course Blackboard site) is used to document student performance and provide feedback comments.
Hurdle requirements
Performance Hurdle: You must complete and meet the passing standard to pass the courseSubmission guidelines
Original hard copy mark sheet must be provided to your Student Coordinator by 1700 Friday Week 6.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
If you fail to meet the submission deadline for the Marked Admission without an approved extension, it will be considered as a lapse in professional conduct. The penalty will be a deduction of 10% relative percentage per day. 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.
Standardised Clinical Scenario
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Examination, Practical/ Demonstration, Presentation
- Due date
Week 6 Mon - Week 6 Fri
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07
Task description
The Standardised Clinical Scenario (SCS) is a form of standardised clinical examination. You will be familiar with the format of an SCS exam as conducted during their placements in Year 3 Medicine. The format for the Year 4 Medical Specialties SCS is generally similar with a greater focus on acute and on-call medical scenarios. You will be presented with a common acute medical scenario that might be faced during a ward-call shift as a junior doctor, in which you make determinations regarding targeted clinical assessment, diagnosis and clinical reasoning, rational use of investigations and formulation of a management plan.
Scenarios are derived from a finite list of potential topics / presenting complaints. The list of potential topics is available on Blackboard. The On-Call education program provides a framework for you to develop and practise the requisite skills to complete this assessment item.
Examiners may be local clinicians and/or UQ academic staff. Examinations will ordinarily take place face-to-face at the student's usual clinical site, however, examinations may be conducted via Zoom where necessary.
Timing: Week 6 of clinical placements.
Duration: 15 minutes duration, plus 5 minutes reading time.
Components:
- Approach to differential diagnosis
- Assessment and clinical prioritisation
- Examination interpretation
- Investigation interpretation
- Management
The Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Medicine has waived the requirement for this assessment item to be recorded. To ensure the integrity of assessment and to enhance feedback on assessment, two examiners are used, and clear records will be kept of performance against the criteria and standards. The Standardised Clinical Scenario Mark Sheet (available on the course Blackboard site) is used to document student performance and provide feedback comments.
Criteria & Marking:
To pass this assessment item, you need to achieve a total grade of at least 55%. The passing score may be modified in accordance with standard setting methods.
Further information regarding marking of this assessment, including the marking rubric can be found on the Blackboard course page.
Hurdle requirements
Performance Hurdle: You must complete and meet the passing standard to pass the courseExam details
| Planning time | 5 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 15 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series or UQ approved , labelled calculator only |
| 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.
Clinical Participation Assessment - Med Spec
- Hurdle
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Participation/ Student contribution, Placement
- Due date
Week 6, Fri 5:00 pm
Students with a split placement will be required to submit a CPA at the end of each section of your placement. Please consult your Student Coordinator for details.
- Other conditions
- Work integrated learning.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L05, L06, L07
Task description
The Medical School considers that participation and engagement at clinical placements fundamental 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 courses during Years 3 and 4 of the MD program, you are assessed on your professional conduct and clinical skills and the extent to which you have contributed and engaged in your 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, behaviour towards peers and medical (and all other) colleagues, patient assessment, ability to succinctly present a patient case including differential diagnosis, and awareness of social and ethical issues including risk assessment.
The CPA components are:
- Clinical Communication
- History Taking
- Examination Skills
- Clinical Reasoning
- Engagement in Practice
- 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, you are encouraged to actively seek feedback from your clinical teacher/s during your clinical placement. This will assist in identifying any areas requiring further improvement before your final Clinical Participation Assessment is completed. Active engagement in the clinical setting is a requirement to pass 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 MEDI7414 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 MEDI7414 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 courseSubmission 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 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 final week of placement for placements of 3 weeks or less, or before the penultimate week of placement for placements longer than 3 weeks, 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.
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 when you have:
- Passed ALL marked assessment items, including: SCS Examination, Marked Admission and MCQ Examination
AND
- Met the criteria for the Clinical Participation Assessment/s
AND
- Met the participation and submission requirements for On-Call Shift Participation
Marginal Fail: Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes:
You will receive a Marginal Fail if you:
- Do not meet the passing standard any one of the Marked Assessment components (SCS Examination, Marked Admission and/or MCQ Examination) AND have met the criteria for the Clinical Participation Assessment/s.
Non-marginal fail:
You will receive a Fail grade, if you:
- Do not meet the criteria for the Clinical Participation Assessment/s, irrespective of the overall course percentage mark.
AND/OR
- Do not meet the passing standard in two or more of the Marked Assessment components (SCS Examination, Marked Admission and MCQ Examination)
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Additional assessment information
ExamSoft Examinations
Examinations in this course may be administered on the ExamSoft and Examplify electronic assessment platforms. The use of this system enables the provision of more detailed feedback to students and better tracking and ongoing refinement of examination items by staff.
Remark of assessment
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.
The Standardised Clinical Scenario and Marked Admissionﾠare clinical assessments which are not eligible for requests for re-mark. Such assesssmentsﾠcomprise expert evaluation by experienced, trained specialist clinician examiners which 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.
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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.
Additional learning resources information
Yearﾠ4 Medical Specialties Curriculum & Suggested Study Timetable - please refer to the Blackboard site.
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 |
|---|---|---|
Not scheduled |
Workshop |
Introductory week activities Introductory week activities for the Advanced Hospital Practice Semester. You will undertake a combination of centralised activities and unique site-specific learning activities throughout the week. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L06, L07 |
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 6 |
Tutorial |
On-Call The On-Call tutorial program focuses on common and serious acute medical scenarios that may be encountered as an on-call junior doctor with a focus on targeted & rapid clinical assessment, rational use of resources, formulation of a working diagnosis and sensible differential list and formulation of an initial management plan. On-call sessions are designed to be interactive with a focus on clinical reasoning. Some topics are presented in a live format while other topics are available as interactive online modules. You are expected to attend all available live sessions and view other online modules by the completion of the course. Liaise with your local student coordinators for timetables. Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
Tutorial |
Safe Prescribing The safe prescribing tutorial program offers a vital opportunity for you to undertake facilitated written practice safely prescribing common and high-risk medications, before they soon become interns prescribing medications for real patients. An introductory session is held centrally in the AHP introductory week followed by a program of five clinician-led tutorials. Pre-reading is available on Blackboard and you are expected to come prepared for each live session. Students will receive practical experience in a variety of prescribing scenarios, (for example, anticoagulation insulin prescribing; opioid prescribing; discharge & PBS prescribing). The end-of-semester MCQ Exam will include questions that examine knowledge in safe prescribing. Liaise with your local student coordinators for timetables. Learning outcomes: L05, L06, L07 |
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Placement |
Clinical placement activities Daily attendance and engagement in clinical activities associated with your clinical placement including but not limited to: ward rounds, outpatient clinics, procedural lists (where relevant) as well as departmental educational meetings. Consult with your supervisor at the commencement of your clinical term to ensure you understand the expectations of the placement. Some hospitals also provide additional educational sessions (e.g. Student Grand Rounds). Consult with your local student coordinator for your timetable. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
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Placement |
On-Call Shift Participation The purpose of participating in On-Call shifts is to give you valuable experience in the range of medical conditions encountered after hours in hospital settings. In many hospitals this is referred to as ward call, which may be undertaken by doctors with varying levels of experience, from intern to registrar level. You are to complete a minimum of 24 hours which is typically divided as four (4) x 6-8 hour on call shifts under the supervision of a junior medical officer (intern / resident / registrar) during the 6-week block. Each session must be signed off by a supervising doctor. Ordinary day hours during which you would typically be placed with their usual supervising team are not to be claimed as "On-Call". You should ascertain how ward call is organised at the clinical unit to which you are attached and work within the parameters of that system. Most institutions typically roster ward call staff during weekday evenings and weekend afternoons/evenings. You are not expected to undertake over-night shifts. It is your responsibility to liaise with your local student coordinator (and/or junior medical workforce) to ensure that on-call shifts are scheduled and completed within the placement period. You must communicate with your supervising placement team to ensure they are aware of you rostered On-Call shifts. To minimise fatigue, students completing weekday evening On-Call shifts are encouraged to negotiate a revised starting and/or finishing time with their supervising team so that a total of no more than 12 hours are completed in a single day (e.g. 6 hours with placement team, 6 hours participating in "On-Call"). You must ensure a minimum of 10 hours break between the end of shift and the commencement of the next day shift. You must submit evidence of completion by submission of the appropriate online forms. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04, L05, L06, L07 |
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: