Undergraduate: Course rule and topic information

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery

(BM BS)

Program of study
Honours degree
Honours degree of Bachelor of Medical Science
Combined degrees program BM BS: PhD

INTRODUCTION

The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery is a graduate-entry program requiring not less than four years of full-time study. The course is offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences.

COURSE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is designed to provide a high standard of academic, clinical and professional medical training to provide graduates with the skills necessary to take up positions as hospital interns and thereby qualify for medical registration in Australia.

At the same time, the course will foster autonomous learning and provide a foundation of knowledge and skills in preparation for diverse career choices after graduation.

The course aims to:

• integrate basic science and clinical disciplines and recognise the importance of exposure to the principles, practice and findings of medical research;
• provide a structured approach to the acquisition of clinical skills and competencies through laboratory and simulated learning and early patient contact made possible by the physical location of the School within the Flinders Medical Centre and the integration of patient care teaching and research in that environment;
• give students the opportunity to undertake clinical learning in diverse hospital and community environments in Adelaide, country South Australia, western Victoria and the Northern Territory;
• recognise the importance of basing medical practice on a social and community view of health and illness;
• support the advocacy of patient care and service as a central focus in medical practice; and
• ensure students gain an understanding of the professional roles and responsibilities of doctors and experience in group learning and developing collegial relationships.

Learning outcomes

Graduates of the course will be able to:

• demonstrate proficiency in basic clinical and communication skills which will enable them to practise competently, with empathy for patients and with recognition of their own limitations;
• understand an integrated body of knowledge derived from the physical, biological, behavioural and social sciences which forms the basis of modern medical practice;
• apply skills and abilities in clinical reasoning and critical appraisal to data gathering and interpretation and in clinical problem formulation;
• understand population health patterns and distribution in Australia and internationally and the methods and process by which population health information is accumulated;
• be sensitive to the diverse cultures and contexts of the Australian and international health systems and the impact of different cultures and contexts on health outcomes and patient care;
• integrate health promotion and disease prevention with the management of illness and injury;
• recognise that medical practice should be undertaken with due regard to available resources and in a manner which encourages patients to assume increasing responsibility for their own health and to participate in decisions about their health care;
• demonstrate personal and professional behaviour which indicate development towards high standards of medical practice and patient care;
• work within the legal and ethical frameworks which determine clinical practice;
• demonstrate skills and abilities in self-evaluation, audit and quality review;
• work in teams with medical and health professional colleagues;
• perform the duties of an intern and be ready to proceed to the next stage of medical training; and
• undertake training for any branch of medicine, including medical research and show commitment to life-long learning and self-enhancement.

COURSE RULE

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must hold an approved degree from an Australian university or tertiary institution deemed to be of equivalent standard, or be due to complete such a degree before starting the course. All applicants who are Australian citizens or permanent residents must sit for the Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT). International applicants may choose to sit either the GAMSAT or the North American Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Selection for interview is based largely on performance in the admissions test. Final ranking is determined by combining scores for the test, performance in the first degree and personal qualities, as assessed at interview.

PROGRAM OF STUDY [November, 2008]

To qualify for the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery a student must complete the following program of study with a grade of NGP or P or better in each topic.

First Year

MMED8100	First Year Medicine Aggregate
	comprising:
MMED8110A	Doctor and Patient 1A
MMED8110B	Doctor and Patient 1B
MMED8120A	Knowledge of Health and Illness 1A
MMED8120B	Knowledge of Health and Illness 1B
MMED8130A	Doctor, the Profession and Society 1A
MMED8130B	Doctor, the Profession and Society 1B

Second Year

MMED8200	Second Year Medicine Aggregate
	comprising:
MMED8210A	Doctor and Patient 2A
MMED8210B	Doctor and Patient 2B
MMED8220A	Knowledge of Health and Illness 2A
MMED8220B	Knowledge of Health and Illness 2B
MMED8230A	Doctor, the Profession and Society 2A
MMED8230B	Doctor, the Profession and Society 2B

Third Year

MMED8300	Third Year Medicine Aggregate
	comprising:
MMED8310A	Doctor and Patient 3A
MMED8310B	Doctor and Patient 3B
MMED8320A	Knowledge of Health and Illness 3A
MMED8320B	Knowledge of Health and Illness 3B
MMED8330A	Doctor, the Profession and Society 3A
MMED8330B	Doctor, the Profession and Society 3B

Fourth Year

MMED8400	Fourth Year Medicine Aggregate
	comprising:
MMED8401A	Clinical Performance A
MMED8401B	Clinical Performance B
MMED8460	Elective 1
MMED8470	Elective 2

Progression through the course is determined on the basis of a student's performance in each whole year aggregate. A student must obtain:

• a non-graded pass in the whole year aggregate for First Year and Second Year and a grade of pass or higher in the whole year aggregate for Third Year in order to be permitted to proceed to the subsequent year;

• a non-graded pass in each of the topics in First Year and each of the topics in Second Year in order to pass in the whole year aggregate for each year;

• a grade of non-graded pass, pass or higher in each of the topics in Third Year in order to pass the whole year aggregate;

• a grade of non-graded pass, pass or higher in each of the topics in Fourth Year in order to pass the whole year aggregate.

First and Second year topics and the Fourth Year elective topics are graded on a NGP:Fail basis only.

Except with the permission of the Faculty Board, the course must be completed within seven consecutive years. Failure to do so may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University's policy on Student Progress.

Students who have interrupted their studies in the course may be required to resume at such point in the program and/or undertake such additional or special program of study as the Faculty Board deems appropriate.

A student who receives a failing grade in any individual topic may be offered a supplementary examination or assessment and/or, under certain circumstances, be permitted to proceed to the next year of the course provided he/she completes satisfactorily any prescribed remedial work.

A student who fails in the work of any year of the course may be required to show cause why he/she should not be precluded from further studies in the course.

A student who at any time withdraws from, is precluded from, or fails to re-enrol in the BM BS shall be permitted to re-enrol in the course only with the prior approval of the Faculty Board.

Registration with the Medical Board of South Australia

Students are required to register with the Medical Board of South Australia as a condition of their enrolment in the course. A student whose registration is suspended will not be permitted to continue in the course until such time as their suspension is lifted. The student's re-enrolment may be subject to conditions imposed by either the Medical Board of South Australia or the Faculty Board.

HONOURS DEGREES

The Faculty Board may approve the award of degrees with honours to students who have demonstrated distinguished performance in the course.

HONOURS DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF MEDICAL SCIENCE

The Faculty of Health Sciences offers an honours program in Medical Science to students who:

• are enrolled in a graduate entry BM BS course and have successfully completed two years of that course. Applications from students who have completed less than two years will be considered on their merits by the Honours Committee of the School of Medicine; or
• have completed three years of an undergraduate BM BS degree and have reached a sufficiently high standard in that degree.

The honours program consists of 36 units of study normally taken full-time in one year and comprising the following topic:

MMED7001

Honours Medical Science

COMBINED DEGREES PROGRAM BM BS:PhD

BM BS students who have a particular interest in research and who meet the entry requirements for enrolment in a PhD, may apply to undertake the two degrees concurrently.

Eligible students may opt to take the combined degrees program at any time up to the end of the Third Year of the BM BS and the combined degrees program will normally be completed in six years. Preliminary work on the research project may begin in Years 1 and 2 of the BM BS, when students may define a research project, undertake a literature review and learn relevant research techniques during the time normally allocated for BM BS electives.

Students will take leave from the BM BS after the successful completion of the Third Year of that course in order to work full-time on their research, normally for a period of two years. The students will then complete the writing-up phase during the final year of the BM BS, during the time allocated for vacation and elective terms.

Students undertaking the combined degrees program will complete the program of study for the BM BS as outlined above, except that they may be required to complete other topics in place of any or all of those listed below and they will enrol in the PhD for the equivalent of at least two years full-time: MMED8460 and MMED8470.