Course Catalogue

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This intercalated course is aimed at students from appropriate clinical degrees who are interested in learning more about an acute medical or surgical speciality with specific emphasis on Emergency Medicine. The course will provide an in-depth understanding of specific common Emergency Department presentations together with insight into the research informing clinical practice in this area.

Approximately 6 x 1.5 hour sessions per week in Semester One, and 2 x 1.5 hour session per week in Semester 2.

Mandatory Entry Requirements

Actively enrolled in an MBChB or BDS and normally have successfully completed at least the first 3 years. Exceptionally, some external students from specific partner institutions may join the course after completion of two years of MBChB or BDS (or equivalent) as part of the Designated Degree programme

Recommended Entry Requirements

Will normally be placed within the top 50% of the year and have demonstrated good academic progress.

None

65% written examination in April/May

35% review essay completed during 2nd semester

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of this specialist course are to:

■ Provide students with an in-depth knowledge of specific emergency department presentations and their management

■ Provide insight into the clinical and scientific research informing practice relating to specific emergency department presentations

■ Facilitate development of students' critical evaluation of the evidence base within the practice of emergency medicine.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate the ethical issues associated with emergency care.

1. Analyse common presenting complaints and signs in the emergency care setting to formulate a differential diagnosis

1. Design an appropriate management plan for common Emergency Department presentations

1. Critically evaluate risk stratification in Emergency Medicine and the use of scoring systems

1. Define the metabolic and homeostatic derangement within the Emergency Department

1. Critically discuss the principles of anatomy and physiology in the emergency care setting

1. Describe the demographic of patients attending emergency departments

1. Integrate the patient's clinicopathological presentations with the context of their socio-economic situation when forming a management plan

1. Describe how simulations are used within Emergency Medicine for training for clinical practice, resuscitation room care and preparing a response to a major incident

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.