Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Undergraduate - Unit


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24 points, SCA Band 3, 0.500 EFTSL


FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Monash Passport categoryResearch Challenge (Investigate Program)
OfferedClayton Second semester 2014 (Day)
Malaysia Second semester 2014 (Day)
Coordinator(s)Dr Richard Loiacono / Professor Shah Yasin


Through 'Community Based' placement, the student develops an awareness of the sector's relevance to the practice of medicine and the socio-economic context of health and illness. In 'Information Management and Health Promotion' the student develops skills in data management and critical appraisal of evidence and knowledge to assist in clinical decision-making. 'Hormones and sex growth' enables the student to examine, 'Sex, reproduction and development'. Head and neck will be a focus of learning. Students will further develop studies in neurological sciences. 'Clinical Skills' assists the student to develop clinical reasoning and focused history taking based on these areas. PBL: weekly case studies are used to integrate material presented in all themes. Rural/urban placement: a fortnight focusing on either the experience of practicing medicine in the urban or rural environments will be undertaken as in Semester 1.


On completion students will be able to:

Theme 1

  9. Recognise the importance of research and quality improvement
  11. Recognise peers experiencing difficulty and identify available support services

Theme II

  1. articulate the relationship between data, information, evidence, knowledge and informed care;
  2. demonstrate in applied situations, enhanced information technology skills, application of critical skills to clinical and research questions and application of a range of knowledge based systems in clinical practice;
  3. appreciate the different perspectives in health promotion
  4. define, compare and contrast medical, behavioural and socio-environmental approaches to health promotion;
  5. understand the application of a range of health promotion theories of change, ranging through individual to social;
  6. understand and participate in the basic health promotion process of program development, planning, implementation and evaluation;
  7. systematically apply critical appraisal and knowledge management skills to the evaluation of health promotion intervention strategies;
  8. identify appropriate strategies for health promotion interventions including targeting high risk and population-based strategies;

Theme III:

  3. outline therapeutic agents relevant for neurological, reproductive, and psychological conditions.
  4. Describe the anatomy of the head and neck including the intracranial region
  5. Describe the physiology of central nervous system function
  6. demonstrate an introductory level of understanding of human psychology and the neurobiological basis of human behaviour

Theme IV

  1. Conduct a structured patient centred interview in simulated environments
  2. Elicit a structured, comprehensive and logical history in simulated environments
  3. Perform an appropriate examination for specified systems in simulated environments.
  4. Perform specified clinical procedures and tasks in simulated environments
  5. For specified conditions, identify relevant investigations for the patient's presenting problems or conditions
  6. Describe the requirements for requests/ordering relevant investigations.
  7. Interpret results of specified investigations in simulated settings/scenarios
  8. Outlines the reasons for prioritising patient care
  9. Generate a problem list
  10. Formulate and discuss their reasoning for a differential diagnosis (list)
  11. Outline a basic management plan for specified common problems and conditions
  12. For specified conditions identify clinically appropriate medications
  13. Explains the importance of monitoring patients

Rural placement:

On the completion of this placement students will be able to:

  1. describe and discuss how rural contexts impact on the assessment of health conditions.;
  2. recognise the importance of context and clinical reasoning in relation to focused history taking;
  3. describe and discuss how a rural context impacts on the clinical and non-clinical management of patients;
  4. analyse the ways in which rural diversity can impact on rural health, illness and clinical practice;
  5. reflect on the nature of a rural clinical practice from a clinician's perspective.

Student Project Cases:

On the completion of this activity students will be able to:

  1. integrate information from the four curriculum themes based on the range of learning activities, including self-directed research;
  2. integrate and synthesise information from different body systems and human perspectives in the appreciation of clinical issues;
  3. identify relevant resources and critically analyse information from a variety of sources;
  4. develop skills in problem solving and apply in a medical context;
  5. develop interpretative skills related to the evaluation of endocrine, metabolic, gastrointestinal, nutritional, reproductive and developmental information and issues, interfacing biomedical science with clinical medicine;
  6. work effectively and communicate constructively within small groups in the planning, development and implementation of teamwork tasks, with individual and group responsibilities and adherence to project timelines;
  7. discuss issues and problems in a structured manner and act as spokesperson for a group in a wider forum;
  8. apply skills in audiovisual presentations on particular topics in medicine;
  9. develop skills in preparation of written summaries in the form of notes suitable for effective communication and education;
  10. apply constructive critiques to verbal and written presentations.

Rural placement and Urban placement- refer to MED2031.


Examinations and written assignments account for 70% of the end of Year 2 result.
Assessment of materials presented in the result for MED2042 will be a pass grade only (PGO).

Hurdle: Students must attend a minimum of 80% at designated small group teaching activities to pass this unit.

The following in semester assignments are carried out across the full year:
Rural Assessment
Urban Assessment

Chief examiner(s)

A/Prof Peter Barton (Clayton), Prof Parasakthi Navaratnam (Malaysia)



Must be enrolled in the MBBS and MED2000