Outline

Overview

This unit of study provides Stage 2 psychiatry trainees and other select clinicians with an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes in biopsychosociocultural approaches, Consultation Liaison (CL) Psychiatry and integrative medicine by exploring psychiatry at the interface with medicine and society. The unit's approach will emphasise the interconnectedness of body, brain and mind in individuals and surrounding systems. What's different about CL will be explored in this unit grounded in an understanding of the normal and dysregulated responses to stress, trauma and medical illness including pain, expanding Stage 1 concepts of formulation, multimodal and tailormade management. Principles of containment, stigma and models of care in medical settings will be studied, as will disorders of basic regulation, sleep, eating and sexual disorders. We will examine psychiatry in particular settings, the Perinatal period, Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Pain, Oncology, Spinal, Burns, Neuropsychiatry. This unit will also deepen knowledge of ECT and introduce the newer biological treatments such as TMS. This unit aims to enrich the trainee psychiatrist's approaches to working collaboratively with consumers, families, treatment teams and care systems in multidisciplinary hospital and community settings. Seminars will emphasise an enquiring approach based on evidence and engagement with the background of medical and general communities.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	BMRI5053
Academic unit	Brain and Mind Science
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	BMRI5003 and BMRI5050 Knowledge and skills at the level of completion of Stage 1 Psychiatry training
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Loyola McLean, loyola.mclean@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Essay Essay final submission	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 12 Nov 2023 at 23:59	3000 Words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly Discussion Boards Students complete a minimum of 5 our of 13 discussion boards	10%	Multiple weeks	Weekly posts
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Discussion Board Post and Response - Delirium Discussion board post and response	20%	Week 05	Part 1: 1500 Words Part 2: 50 Words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Draft Essay 3000 words draft essay	10%	Week 08 Due date: 24 Sep 2023 at 23:59	3000 Words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Professional Presentation Pre-recorded video presentation	20%	Week 11 Due date: 22 Oct 2023 at 23:59	10 Minutes
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Discussion Board Post and Response - Delirium

Part 1: This assessment comprises initially a 1500-word post offering a formulation, management plan and brief discussion of a case of delirium seen at work.

Part 2:

The second part of the submission to complete the task is a response to at least 1 of your colleague’s posts, within one week of your initial post.

Essay – Draft Submission

This assessment focuses on psychiatry in a particular medical or liaison setting. The format is a 3000-word draft essay.

Professional Presentation

Students are required to prepare a recorded audio-visual presentation that provides psychoeducation on a chosen aspect of adjustment to illness.

Students should tailor their presentation to a particular audience that they clearly identify, e.g. consumers and carers; consumers with a particular diagnosis; general medical colleagues; the multidisciplinary team; general practitioners.

Essay – Final Submission

This assessment focuses on psychiatry in a particular medical or liaison setting. The format is a 3000-word essay.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	How is Consultation-Liaison different? The HIV Case Study	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Stress and its satellites – grief, loss, trauma, pain / Adjustment to illness and illness behaviour	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Chicken and egg: Psychiatric sequelae of medical conditions and vice versa / C-L in action: A C-L case study of delirium and a framework	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	The body talks: Somatic symptoms and related disorders: Theory, research and where it all begins	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	C-L in the ED: The evidence and the experience	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Renal / Oncology	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	FND / Sleep Disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Antenatal and Perinatal	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Got to Eat!	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	Sexual Disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Pain / TBI	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Epilepsy and Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Intellectual and developmental disabilities	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 14 (STUVAC)	ECT and novel treatments	Workshop (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand the similarities and differences of working in Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry and illustrate this through a closer knowledge of one or more C-L contexts
LO2. Demonstrate a developing knowledge of systems in healthcare settings
LO3. Demonstrate an understanding of the particular medication needs of the medically ill or frail
LO4. Understand and apply concepts of stress, coping and stress dysregulation in individuals and systems, including grief, loss, trauma and pain
LO5. Develop biopsychosociocultural formulations for C-L problems and develop relevant integrated multimodal management plans
LO6. Demonstrate and apply an understanding of stigma, cultural competence and the role of containment and conflict resolution in C-L contexts
LO7. Understand and evaluate adjustment to illness and the sick role and the potential impact on normal development, comorbidity and health care presentations
LO8. Understand the impact of psychiatric illness on medical health and well-being
LO9. Critically appraise the use of ECT and novel neuropsychiatric treatments

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BMRI5053: Bodies, Brains and Minds in Connection

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Mallett Street, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect