MED2042: Medicine 4

For the year - 10% Mid-Semester Test, 6.8% Social Determinants of Health Group Assignment, 2.55% CBP Reflective Essay and Learning Journal, 0.85% CBP Academic Advisor Assessment, 10% End of Year Written Examination, 20% OSCE Examination (formative assignments include practical write-ups, anatomy "flag races" and system quizzes). Important to note that there is also another examination, the dreaded VIA, but this will be covered in my review of MED2000.

The workload is similar to last year (30+ contact hours and so forth), but this is by far the most interesting unit and the last unit at the Clayton Campus.

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 first year and last semester, of the four themes, I (and the vast majority of the cohort) found themes III and IV to be the most enjoyable. However not only were they enjoyable, they were conceptually the hardest too. The physiology is far more advanced and there is much more to remember and the exams become more serious and more weighted. Again, fantastic relation to clinical practice as we refine our basic physical examinations and develop an understanding of examining all the major systems. Again, there is the burden of Themes I and II (including the surprisingly enjoyable Law and Ethics!), however to a much lesser degree, making this unit even more enjoyable.

This unit essentially focuses on a few bodily systems, namely: reproductive, haematology, psychiatry and neurology. Each system provides it's own challenges as you delve into the physiology, gross anatomy, pharmacology and clinical manifestations, however it was well agreed upon that neurology was by far the most content heavy and the End of Year examination is nearly entirely neurology.

As with previous units, the bulk of the physiology is taught in the lectures and it is expected that students take the initiative to fill in the blanks in your own time. The anatomy is taught much the same as previous semesters, through dissections, prossections, radiology and tutes with surgical registrars. A new inclusion this semester was "flag races" during prossections which are formative and test your understanding of the anatomy, great to try and see where you stand in the cohort. Arguably the last chance to learn some gross anatomy without getting grilled by consultants, these are more valuable than ever.

We finalise our basic set of clinical skills in this unit learning: haematology (history and examination), reproductive (history), cranial nerves (examination), mental state examination, eye examination, ear and throat examination, interpretation of ECGs. There is also a large amount of revision of previous examinations in preparation for the final OSCE. As previously mentioned, group and team work becomes vital in these tutes and participation is the key to learning and preparation for the eventual OSCE.

This semester marks the end of the Community Based Placements (CBP), and I personally count this as one of the major pluses of my degree so far: enjoyed it to bits! As mentioned in my MED2031 review, I was at a special school and coming back from the full 14 weeks of the placement, I was really glad I was there. So much practical learning and some amazing and touching memories that I will hold close forever. Definitely recommend taking full advantage of these placements and enjoy them.

An academic downside for me was a series of lectures on "Knowledge Management". Although I didn't actually attend any of them or watch/listen to them online or read the slides, I hear they were largely useless. Any questions from here can be winged on the exam with no troubles.

Otherwise lectures are still at a high standard, and as captivating and interactive (except for Knowledge Management). I particularly enjoyed the neurophysiology lectures, defnitely recommended to attend those. As with before, 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).

In terms of the hurdle requirements, there are two: the End of Year Exam and the final OSCE. The MED2000 component is also a hurdle. 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 (although there are some supplementary exams as with MED1022!).

As mentioned in my previous review, study groups are amazing. Continuing my Year I/II study group was excellent revision and good to see yourself making a difference. The Year II/III study groups were again invaluable resources, and I can't thank my Third Years anough for their support and resources.

Social side took a back-seat for much of the semester with the heavy work-load and large exams coming. Having said that, there is time to party and post-exams there are AXPs and so forth to indulge in. One noteable exception is the MUMUS Medball, which was simply amazing.
This unit sees the end of pre-clinical medicine and peaks in intensity towards the end. Very enjoyable and worth every moment Come at us hospitals

Many, depending on the series of lecture (reproductive, haematology, neurology, psychiatry, pharmacology, pathology, etc.)

No, the Faculty has now published a document with threats to expel students from the course if they are caught compiling past questions or distributing or using past compilations. All past compilations have been removed from the MUMUS site.

5/5

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

• Clinical Examination A Systematic Guide 7th - O'Connor and Talley*
• Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple 1st - Goldberg^
• Clinically Oriented Anatomy 7th - Agur, Dalley and Moore
• Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology 12th - Guyton and Hall*
• Langman's Medical Embryology 12th - Sadler
• Mim's Medical Microbiology 4th - Dockrell, Goering, Mims, Roitt, Wakelin and Zuckerman
• Netter's Clinical Anatomy 2nd - Hansen*
• Neuroscience Exploring the Brain 4th - Bear, Connors and Pradiso*
• Physiology 5th - Costanzo
• Rang and Dale's Pharmacology 7th - Dale, Flower, Henderson, Rang and Ritter*
• The ECG Made Easy 7th - Hampton
• Thieme Atlas of Anatomy Head and Neuroanatomy 1st - Schuenke, Schulte and Schumaker

* means essential; ^ means a text not recommended by the Faculty but one I thought was amazing

per week: 10 x 1hr lectures + 3 x 2 hr prac + 2 x 2 hr tutorials + 3.5 hr PBL (Problem Based Learning tutoria) + 6 hr CBP (Community Based Placement - ends at around Week 10)

Semester 2, 2013