Overview
Our seven-week module is a compulsory part of medical students' training in year 5.
It comprises of two-week medical specialties, cardiology, and respiratory medicine, plus concurrent attachments in ophthalmology and ambulatory medicine.
Medical specialties attachment
This attachment consists of two weeks of inpatient and outpatient teaching of medical specialties:
- Oncology
- Haematology
- Neurology
- Renal medicine
- Endocrinology
Students are attached to one of the specialty teams at Dunedin Hospital. They also gain exposure to other subspecialties by attending outpatient clinics and other teaching sessions.
Cardiology attachment
The cardiology attachment consists of two weeks of hospital-based teaching.
Specific objectives
- Demonstrate the ability to complete a history and physical examination with emphasis on the cardiovascular system. Students will learn to develop a problem list, differential diagnosis and plan of management based upon this clinical assessment;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the processes of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation in patients with disease of the cardiovascular system
- Improve the knowledge based in cardiology medicine
- Learn about investigative procedures
- Have a good understanding of management principles in cardiology medicine, including knowledge of the core drugs used in these specialties.
Respiratory attachment
The Respiratory attachment consists of two weeks of hospital-based teaching.
Specific objectives
- Demonstrate the ability to complete a history and physical examination with emphasis on the respiratory systems. The student will learn to develop a problem list, differential diagnosis and plan of management based upon this clinical assessment;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the processes of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation in patients with disease of the respiratory systems
- Improve the knowledge based in respiratory medicine
- Learn about investigative procedures
- Have a good understanding of management principles in respiratory medicine, including knowledge of the core drugs used in these specialties
Ambulatory medicine
The Ambulatory Medicine programme spans both ALM4 and ALM5, and consists of either a half-day or full-day of teaching most weeks during the medicine module. This programme recognises that, with the increasing prevalence of chronic illness, at least half of all medical care is provided in the community on an outpatient basis.
The main objective is to enhance clinical skills in medicine by providing focused teaching and interaction with patients who have common, chronic medical conditions that may not be encountered in the hospital setting. The programme is based in a simulated outpatient clinic in the Otago Clinical Skills Laboratory.
Teaching includes a combination of tutorials, simulation and procedural skills and interaction with patients from the community (ambulatory) who are chosen to allow demonstration of relevant clinical signs, with supervision and feedback from senior clinicians. Students also have the opportunity to do a home visit to learn about discharge planning and the interface between hospital and community services.
Overarching objectives
- Provide focused teaching on particular organ systems with an emphasis on clinical presentations and physical examination
- Develop clinical skills in medicine (i.e. history, examination, clinical and diagnostic reasoning) by providing interaction with patients who have relevant, chronic medical conditions, with supervision and feedback from senior clinicians
- Gain an understanding of chronic illness and its impact on the patient
Specific objectives
By the end of the ambulatory medicine attachment the student will:
- Demonstrate the ability to competently and systematically complete a medical history and physical examination relevant to each specialty
- Be familiar with the pathophysiology, presentation, and management of conditions related to each medical specialty
- Develop skills in interpreting and understanding the results of common investigative procedures
- Demonstrate an appreciation for the workings of the multi-professional team including relevant community services