MED1022: Medicine 2

For the semester - 18.75% Mid-Semester Test, 6.35% Rural Assignment, 12.5% Evaluating Popular Information Assignment, 37.5% End of Semester Exam (hurdle), 25% OSCE (hurdle), 0% Human Life-Span and Development Assignment (hurdle only) (formative assignments include practical write-ups, weekly quizzes, and the Injecting Competence Test). In terms of the year - 15% Mid-Semester Test, 5% Rural Assignment, 10% Evaluating Popular Information Assignment, 30% End of Semester Exam, 20% OSCE.

The major difference between this unit and the previous one is the amount of content covered (despite there being less contact hours!). The Faculty really steps it up and personally, I found the semester alone more difficult than my whole VCE.

As with the rest of the course, the unit is divided into four parts (or themes of study):
Theme I: Personal and Professional Development
Theme II: Population, Society, Health and Illness
Theme III: Foundations of Medicine
Theme IV: Clinical Skills

Similarly with Semester 1's MED1011, of the four themes, I (and the vast majority of the cohort) found themes III and IV to be the most enjoyable because they focus on knowledge and skills that have a direct and practical use in future life as a clinician. Themes I and II, again, contain a lot of theory, a lot of which is very logical and dry. Unfortunately, a fair portion of the exam tests these Themes I and II.

Having said that, the semester is much more interesting. There is a large focus on gross anatomy, clinical anatomy and relevant physiology, this is not only reflected in the tutorials but also in our new lab sessions: cadaver dissections and radiology sessions. This new aspect of the course made all the work worthwhile. Despite initially being a somewhat daunting and queasy moment, dissections were definitely the highlight of my academic week. These sessions are complemented by anatomy tutorials, lecture series, and radiology tutorials.

Furthermore, OSCE preparation becomes more intense in clinical skills tutes, with the clinical systems covered being: upper-limb musculoskeletal (shoulder, elbow and wrist), lower-limb musculoskeletal (hip, knee, ankle), upper-limb neurological, lower-limb neurological, and cardio. Group and team work becomes vital in these tutes and participation is the key to preparation for the eventual OSCE.

However, not all is well. Epidemiology is introduced, a subject which I can safely say was the bane of my semester. The tutes were dull and far from engaging (I honestly fell asleep thrice) and seemed to largely be repetitions of the lecture content. The exact content of the tutes was, however, useful and will become important as you learn to read academic journals or when/if you conduct your own research.

In terms of the lectures throughout the semester, again, they are at a high standard, still captivating and interactive. As last semester, questions are allowed to be asked before, during and after the lectures, and all lecturers are more than happy to respond to emails afterwards. The lecture notes/slides given are also of a decent standard and it is possible to pass the unit solely using these. There is no attendance requirement for this unit, however it is expected that students attend all lectures (most lectures are nearly full, so that shows the quality of what is given).

External site visits also take a step-up in this unit, further giving this unit extra depth and enjoyment. During the unit, each student is able to have two hospital site visits, and will get the opportunity to test their musculoskeletal and neurological exams on real patients, as well as practice their clinical deduction skills for the first time in a clinical environment. A good taste for the clinical years of the MBBS.

In terms of the hurdle requirements, there are three (compared to none from the previous semester): the HLSD assignment, the OSCE and the End of Year Exam. The HLSD is fairly easily marked, so no worries there, however the other two are of concern as they are tough assessments. Passing these are compulsory to passing the unit (and hence the year) and failure to do so will result in your repeating of the year. However there are a few students who are on the borderline who are given the opportunity to sit Supplementary Exams (~20 students in total) to redeem themselves to the Faculty and progress to Year II.
On the whole though, a very intense unit in terms of workload, but again,a unit that is extremely enjoyable and rewarding

Many, depending on the series of lecture (cancer, pharmacology, pathology, upper limb, lower limb, cardiology, neurology, etc.)

Yes, although the official ones are quite old, however past questions can be found in exam format through student compilations

5/5

Yes, with screen capture that includes lectures notes being written on

• Basic Epidemiology 2nd - Beaglehole, Bonita and Kjellstrom*
• Clinical Examination A Systematic Guide 6th - O'Connor and Talley*
• Clinically Oriented Anatomy 6th - Agur, Dalley and Moore*
• Langman's Medical Embryology 11th - Sadler
• Grant's Atlas of Anatomy 13th - Agur and Dalley^
• Gray's Anatomy for Students 2nd - Drake, Mitchell and Vogl^
• Mim's Medical Microbiology 4th - Dockrell, Goering, Mims, Roitt, Wakelin and Zuckerman
• Netter's Clinical Anatomy 2nd - Hansen^
• Neuroscience Exploring the Brain 3rd - Bear, Connors and Pradiso
• Rang and Dale's Pharmacology 7th - Dale, Flower, Henderson, Rang and Ritter*
• Textbook of Medical Physiology 12th - Guyton and Hall*
• Thieme Atlas and Textbook of Anatomy General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System 1st - Schuenke, Schulte and Schumaker^

* means essential
^ means choose one of these based on personal preference (personally I used "Thieme Atlas and Textbook of Anatomy General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System 1st - Schuenke, et al.")

per week: 9 x 1hr lectures + 3 x 2 hr prac + 2 x 2 hr tutorials + 3.5 hr CBL (Cased Based Learning tutorial) + occasional site visit

Semester 2, 2012