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Unit of study_
MDMP6511: Clinical and Research Practice 1
2026 unit information
In the Medicine Surgery and Community Block 1, the aims are to further consolidate clinical skills developed in Year 1, such as core history taking, examination, clinical reasoning, teamwork and procedural skills in hospital and community settings through guided experiential learning. It is aligned with year 1 Blocks revisiting core symptoms from musculoskeletal and immunology, respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and urology with emphasis on clinical presentations, differential diagnosis, basic investigations and therapy. The students will spend 3 days per week at their clinical school, 1 day per week in the community and 1 day per week will be reserved for flexible learning. The Transition to Clinical and Research Practice Block is based at Camperdown campus and students will learn about the lifespan including paediatrics, adolescent medicine, acute medicine, drug and alcohol, aged care, global health and Indigenous health. Students also begin preparation for the MD project and learn about research ethics and methodology.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Central Clinical School |
| Credit points | 24 |
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Prerequisites:
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MDMP5511 and MDMP5512 |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Outline the etiology, epidemiology and pathogenesis of the common medical and surgical conditions encountered in both hospital and community settings and taught in Blocks 1 and 2** in order to explain symptoms and signs in terms of the underlying mechanisms
- LO2. Apply knowledge regarding normal and abnormal human structure and function across the life course in the context of acute and chronic disease
- LO3. Apply knowledge of sociobehavioural sciences to understand the effect of acute or chronic disease in individuals or groups
- LO4. Apply knowledge of relevant clinical anatomy, pharmacology, cell/molecular biology and microbiology in simulated or real clinical settings across the life course in both hospital and community settings
- LO5. Outline the clinical features and natural history of the common medical and surgical conditions encountered in both hospital and community setting and taught in Blocks 1 and 2** in order to synthesise lists of likely differential diagnoses
- LO6. Identify deficiencies in clinical knowledge and plans for remediation
- LO7. Obtain an accurate medical, medication and surgical history from a patient, family member or carer in both hospital and community settings, to recognise the different patterns of symptoms that constitute the range of illnesses taught in blocks 1 and 2
- LO8. Interpret the medical and surgical history in the context of age, gender, occupation and socio-cultural background in hospital and community settings to form a list of relevant differential diagnoses
- LO9. Perform an accurate and systematic physical examination of a patient in both hospital and community settings, to differentiate between normal and abnormal clinical signs
- LO10. Integrate findings from history and examination to refine and justify differential diagnoses
- LO11. Report the findings of history and examination and a clear summary of issues to colleagues and clinicians in hospital and community settings, to accurately transfer knowledge or information in a simulated or clinical environment
- LO12. Choose and interpret relevant investigations in order to further narrow differential diagnoses both in an acute hospital setting and in a variety of community settings
- LO13. Perform basic life support to competently act as first responder in an emergency in both the hospital and community settings
- LO14. Practice basic procedural skills relevant to patient care in both hospital and community settings
- LO15. Recognise the advantages and limitations of different investigation modalities in different clinical environments, including potential risks, for investigating acute and chronic medical problems
- LO16. Discuss both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options for core clinical conditions in hospital and community settings and recognise the importance of ongoing review of treatments in the community for patients discharged from hospital services
- LO17. Demonstrates understanding of the basics of safe and effective prescribing in hospital and community settings and list common drug interactions and side effects of commonly used medications in inpatient and outpatient environments
- LO18. Obtain a culturally sensitive medical history that demonstrates respect for the autonomy and dignity of patients and their carers and displays an understanding of the social context of the person’s health and potential barriers to effective healthcare for specific populations.
- LO19. Explain environmental and lifestyle health risks and advocate for healthy lifestyle choices, both in the hospital setting and the community setting, recognising the ongoing long-term role of primary healthcare in the community
- LO20. Recognise the importance of social awareness, equity and open mindedness in interactions with Indigenous patients to build rapport in both hospital and community settings
- LO21. Describe the health inequities in the Indigenous population
- LO22. Describe the theoretical principles of bioethical concepts and their practical implications, and apply them within the context of the healthcare environment and their clinical practice, consistent with the standard reasonably expected of a student with an equivalent level of training or experience
- LO23. Define the theoretical principles of medicolegal and practical ethics and their practical implications, and apply them within the context of the healthcare environment and their clinical practice, consistent with the standard reasonably expected of a student with an equivalent level of training or experience
- LO24. Outline the theoretical principles of professionalism and medical practice and their practical implications, and apply them within the context of the healthcare environment and their clinical practice, consistent with the standard reasonably expected of a student with an equivalent level of training or experience
- LO25. Discuss the theoretical principles of human society and culture, and their practical implications, and apply them within the context of hospital and community healthcare environments and their clinical practice, consistent with the standard reasonably expected of a student with an equivalent level of training or experience
- LO26. Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the theoretical principles of core personal attitudes, and their practical implications, and begins to apply them within the context of the healthcare environment and their clinical practice, consistent with the standard reasonably expected of a student with an equivalent level of training or experience
- LO27. Demonstrates ability to work effectively with multi-disciplinary team members through respectful inclusion, and acknowledgement of different skill sets in an educational setting
- LO28. Demonstrates effective and respectful feedback to team members, acknowledging the strengths and limitations of self as well as members of other health disciplines.
- LO29. Access and extract relevant quantitative or qualitative data from appropriate sources in either electronic, paper or other formats for research purposes
- LO30. Critically analyse and interpret evidence from different sources in order to reach logical conclusions based on the evidence
- LO31. Apply relevant evidence at either individual or population levels, to design a research question and use appropriate research methodology
- LO32. Describes knowledge of common methods applied in biomedical and clinical research method to answer research questions
- LO33. Demonstrate understanding of common information systems in healthcare (e.g. clinical information systems, primary care information systems)
- LO34. Outline the roles and relationships between health agencies and services and explain the principles of efficient and equitable allocation of finite resources, to meet individual, community and national health needs.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Dubbo | |
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2026
|
Normal day | Dubbo |
Outline unavailable
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Semester 1 2026
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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