Admissions, objectives, CASE curriculum, and overview of the program.
|
Please see Applicant Information in www.usask.ca/medicine/admissions/application-form
The physician graduating from the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan will possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes basic to all physicians such that he/she may satisfactorily proceed to further training in any area of the profession.
The primary objective is that the physician be able to identify, analyze and manage clinical problems in a way that provides effective, efficient and humane patient care.
The physician graduating from the Faculty will have had an opportunity to pursue an area of interest during the undergraduate training period.
The student who has achieved the general objectives will demonstrate competence in the following areas at the level of expertise of a new graduate:
Knowledge of normal human development, structure and function from a biological, psychological and social perspective.
Develop knowledge of medical vocabulary, facts, concepts, principles, laws, methods and procedures as demonstrated by the ability to:
Describe the natural history of a discrete number of common and important diseases.
Explain the basic facts and concepts necessary to practice effective preventive medicine including:
Detect and interpret significant physical signs by inspection, percussion, palpation and auscultation and use them in creating a diagnosis.
Demonstrate skill in using various clinical and laboratory instruments (e.g. ophthalmoscope, stethoscope).
Demonstrate skill in performing common technical procedures (e.g. measurement of blood pressure, venepuncture).
Acquire information required to solve problems.
Adjust the history and physical examination to the requirements of the situation.
Obtain required information by using appropriate sources (e.g. selection of appropriate clinical and laboratory procedures, library and other sources.
Define the patient’s problem within the context of their life situations (e.g. person, family, community).
Evaluate the urgency or seriousness of a situation and act appropriately.
Form a set of tentative hypotheses or diagnoses.
Initiate appropriate procedures for checking the hypotheses.
Revise and re-evaluate the tentative hypotheses and/or treatment plan based on new information and/or response to treatment.
Conscientiously maintain accurate patient records and files.
Conduct patient-centered interviews that explore the patient’s feelings, ideas, impact on function and expectation and provide the rationale.
Develop relationships with patients characterized by compassion, empathy, respect and genuineness.
Demonstrate a willingness to collaborate with the patient about management.
Perform a comprehensive physical examination without causing the patient embarrassment.
Adapt treatment plans with consideration for the patient’s age, general health, special needs, expectations, cultural background, progress or changes in condition.
Communicate information with explanations that are clear, concise and understandable to patients.
Counsel patients on risk reduction.
Balance the patient’s welfare against a need for precision when faced with a clinically ambigious situation.
Abide by the principles in the Code of Ethics as published by the Canadian Medical Association and keep informed of changes in the code.
Use specialized knowledge and skills to contribute to the well-being of both the community and individual patients.
Identify the rights and legal responsibilities of physicians to patients and the community.
Describe the determinants of health and apply them appropriately to enhance individual and community well being.
Apply “cost-effectiveness” to public health interventions.
Demonstrate skill in self-directed learning by:
Evaluate the validity and applicability of published data through critical appraisal in consultation with others.
Develop the self-knowledge necessary for personal growth and continuous learning.
Critique the scientific method and its application to individual and population problems.
Support and value the work of scientists as vital to the health of the population.
Assess the effectiveness of current practices and engage in continuous quality improvement.
Work effectively as a member of a team.
Collaborate effectively with patients and families without always taking charge.
Find common ground when differences of opinion exist.
Communicate effectively and cooperatively with peers and colleagues engaged in education, research and health care.
Establish effective relationships with colleagues and other members of the health care team by:
Recognize personal subjective perspectives and ensure that they do not interfere with the patient’s best interests.
Explain the structure and function of the Canadian Health Care System and its major components.
Assist patients in accessing the health care system for physical, psychological, social and economic rehabilitation or long-term care.
Identify potential conflict between individual and population health interests and seek advice from others, including ethicists when necessary, to help resolve issues.
Explain personal assets, perspectives and limitations.
Be willing to seek help, advice or consultation when needed.
Accept that physicians cannot be “all things to all people”.
Respond to personal and family needs and develop effective personal support systems.
.
The College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan administers a four-year undergraduate medical education program. For information regarding admission to the program, please see www.usask.ca/medicine/admissions/.
NOTE: The College of Medicine is currently reviewing the curriculum with a view to moving to a model of 2 years pre-clerkship and two years of clerkship. It is anticipated that this curriculum will be implemented in the fall of 2014.
The MD program is designed to ensure that participants graduate with a common foundation of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. This general professional education prepares undifferentiated graduates for subsequent education in primary or specialty care areas. Those with a research interest may consider application to the MD/MSc-MD/PhD program. http://www.medicine.usask.ca/education/medical/undergrad/ugme-programs/index.html.
The curriculum is under the direction of the Curriculum Committee, which reports directly to the Faculty Council of the College of Medicine. The Curriculum Comittee is supported in its work by several sub-committees: Biomedical & Social Sciences, Clinical Skills & Professionalism, Curriculum Delivery (including Information Technology), MD Program Evaluation and Student Competencies and Assessment.
The educational philosophy underlying our curricular planning is learner centered, making use of increasingly complex and relevant cases within the following broad approaches: Cooperative, Active, Self-Directed and/or Experiential learning (i.e., CASE-based). Students benefit from early and frequent patient contact, solid grounding in basic biomedical sciences and the frequent use of integrated case studies to link basic and clinical science learning.
Years One and Two of the program run from late August to May. Year Three runs from late August to the end of June, followed immediately by Year Four from July through April. The curriculum is divided into four phases:
Basic biomedical sciences help students integrate structure with function using physiological, embryological, anatomical and histological perspectives. Nutrition, neurosciences, genetics and basic pathological concepts are included. Clinical medicine is introduced by way of some classroom work discussing life cycles, humanities and professional issues. The Professional Skills course provides medical students with the opportunity to develop a wide array of fundamental clinical skills upon which they build throughout their professional lives: interviewing and communication skills, initial clinical reasoning skills, physical examination skills, the ability to apply ethical principles, the ability to search out reliable sources of clinical information, the ability to understand epidemiological principals, to critically appraise medical literature, the ability to recognize and willingness to address community health needs. All of these are core skills which will enable students to establish effective patient-physician relationships.
The end of Phase A is the first major promotion point in the curriculum.
Phase B begins the transition from basic biomedical and pathologic concepts to the systemic study of disease. This is supplemented with microbiology and pharmacology/therapeutics. The determinants of health for individuals and specific groups within the population, and their interface with the healthcare system are discussed. Basic clinical skills learned in Phase A are honed through Professional Skills sessions in Internal Medicine, Surgery and Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Emergency and Clinical Scenarios.
The end of Phase B is the second major promotion point in the curriculum.
Programs have been developed that allow a portion of the students to complete Phase C in Regina, and beginning in January 2012, Phase B.
The systematic study of disease and associated microbiological and pathological topics continue into Phase C. Topics in occupational/environmental health, Canada’s healthcare system, clinical epidemiology and preventive medicine are discussed. Further clinical skills are honed through Professional Skills sessions in Anaesthesia, Geriatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Informatics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and a Pre-Clerkship Module.
The end of Phase C is the third major promotion point in the curriculum.
Throughout the pre-clerkship phases, attention is given to a variety themes, such as Social Accountability, Integrative Medicine, etc. There are ample opportunities for pre-clerkship clinical electives, summer externships and research projects. There are also opportunities for community engagement, such as participation in service to marginalized populations through the interprofessional SWITCH clinic (Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health) or involvement in Northern Saskatchewan and international communities through the Making the Links project.
This is the Clinical Clerkship, during which students are assigned to a series of core, selective and elective clinical rotations. (Selectives are chosen from a defined set of options. Electives can be done in any discipline.) These provide the opportunity to apply what they have been learning in the day-to-day provision of patient care. As they demonstrate increasing clinical competence, they are given more responsibility for direct, supervised patient management. Clinical clerks at the University of Saskatchewan are known by the unique acronym of JURSI – Junior Undergraduate Rotating Student Intern.
To ensure that all students receive a robust clerkship experience with ample patient interaction, approximately 1/3 of the students are based at the Regina site for their Clinical Clerkship.
The core rotations include Anesthesiology (2 weeks.); Family Medicine (6 weeks); Emergency Medicine (2 weeks); Internal Medicine, including Neurosciences (12 weeks); Surgery (8 weeks), Obstetrics & Gynecology (6 weeks); Pediatrics (6 weeks); and Psychiatry (6 weeks). There are 12 weeks of elective time, usually done in 4-week blocks. Three weeks are set aside to allow the students time to travel for interviews related to the matching process for postgraduate positions. There are 6 weeks of vacation, including two weeks over the Christmas/New Year break.
Students completing their final year of undergraduate studies are eligible to sit Part I of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination – the MCCQE. (Canadian licensure also requires that they pass MCCQE Part II, which occurs in the fall of the second postgraduate year.)
Successful completion of Phase D leads to graduation with the Doctor of Medicine degree. Students are then eligible to move on to postgraduate clinical education in programs of the College of Family Physicians of Canada or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Login