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Overview

Cardiology and Respiratory Medicine presentations are common in rural hospitals and rural GPs. Many of them can be definitively managed in the rural setting. GENA 728 is therefore a busy 30 point paper.

Learning objectives

On successful completion of this course, participants will be:

  • Familiar with the issues involved in management of common cardiology and respiratory medicine conditions (as expressed in the course themes) in a rural hospital setting, to a level that will ensure safe and effective practice for their context of practice.
  • Able to perform the appropriate procedural skills to a level that will ensure safe and effective practice for their context of practice.
  • Able to discuss the role of rural hospitals and rural hospital doctors in managing cardiology and respiratory medicine conditions, the resources appropriate for rural cardiology and respiratory medicine, and the range of procedures required for rural cardiology and respiratory medicine practice.
  • Aware of their learning needs for rural hospital cardiology and respiratory medicine practice, and able to plan their continuing professional development, including knowledge, skills, teamwork, local resources, and networks with base hospital.

Teaching methods

The class size is limited to 20 students in order to allow for small group case based work.

Set readings are provided at the start of the paper.  The majority of these are recent review articles or current guidelines. These are divided into compulsory, recommended or mainly for reference.

Much of the work over the semester is done on Moodle, an interactive web based learning platform. Students draw on their day to day clinical work using the discussion board to discuss patient management and other issues with the whole class and the convenors.

There is one 6 day residential later in the semester. This includes a lot of case based small group work and practical sessions on ECG, ABG, NIV, ETT and CXR interpretation.

Assessment

  • 3 written case based assignments
  • Mutlichoice examination
  • Mark for quality of participation in the course

Important dates

  • 3-8 July 2023, Residential workshop – Dunedin
    Location – Department of General Practice & Rural Health, 55 Hanover Street, Dunedin

Course themes

  • Ischaemic Heart Disease
  • Cardiogenic Shock
  • Heart Failure
  • Atrial Fibrillation
  • Other Tachyarrhythmias
  • Bradyarrhythmias / Syncope
  • Pericarditis / Myocarditis / Cardiomyopathy
  • Valvular Heart Disease
  • Malignant Hypertension
  • Oxygen Therapy
  • COPD / Non-invasive Ventilation
  • Pneumonia
  • Asthma
  • PE and DVT
  • Pleural Disease
  • Cor Pulmonale and Domiciliary Oxygen
  • Sarcoidosis / Fibrotic Lung Disease
  • Bronchiectasis / Lung Cancer

Investigations

  • ECG
  • CXR
  • ABG
  • Spirometry
  • Troponins / BNP / d Dimers

Reports of specialist investigations

  • ECHO Reports
  • Exercise Stress Test Reports
  • Angiography Reports

Procedural skills

  • Fibrinolysis
  • Emergency Electrical Cardioversion
  • Chemical Cardioversion
  • External Pacing
  • Emergency ICD Management
  • Exercise Stress Testing (Optional)
  • Draining Pleural Effusions
  • Non-invasive Ventilation

Contacts

Paper convenors

  • Mark Smith Rural GP and rural hospital generalist, Central Otag
  • Katherine Orme Rural Hospital generalist, Central Otago
  • Jonathan Penno, Rural hospital generalist, Central Otago

Rural Postgraduate Programme administrator

Leigh-Ann Moir
Tel +64 21 279 0038
Email rural.postgrad@otago.ac.nz

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