Undergraduate Teaching in the Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia
Surgical and Clinical Skills Module: fourth year
The Surgical and Clinical Skills Module is undertaken during the fourth year. It is a ten week introduction to the skills necessary to investigate and diagnose patients presenting with undifferentiated clinical problems. The module is based around six clinically relevant areas.
- Clinical history and examination skills
- Surgical team attachment
- Emergency Department / Ambulance / Pain and ICU attachments
- ENT and Ophthalmology Attachment
- Anaesthesia Attachment
- Radiology
During the surgical team attachment students will be integrated members of the team and will have the opportunity to understand the processes whereby a patient is admitted, diagnosed and managed in hospital, especially through surgical channels.
There are a number specialised attachments which will enhance the students understanding of diagnosis and management of common surgically treated conditions, as well as life threatening conditions presenting in the emergency department and those occurring in post operative patients.
The module places a large emphasis on the clinical examination skills, further details of these are available under the Advanced Clinical Skills module.
Musculoskeletal Module : fifth year
The Musculoskeletal module is a five week run which encompasses the specialties of orthopaedics, rheumatology, dermatology and plastic surgery. The specific objectives for these are as follows:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the relevant anatomy, physiology and pathology of the musculoskeletal system.
- Take an accurate and relevant history of the complaint, and make a provisional diagnosis.
- Perform a physical examination of all the joints, muscles, bones, tendons and relevant neurovascular structures.
- Select the appropriate investigations to make a definitive diagnosis.
- Decide the appropriate treatment.
- Judge when it is appropriate to refer a patient to a specialist
- Perform all of the above to the standard of a competent general practitioner
The course objectives will be met with the students’ attendance at tutorials, ward attachments, associated clinics, and the reading of the recommended core material and addition texts.
Emergency Medicine : Trainee intern (sixth year)
In addition to the 6 week Surgical team attachment during the Trainee Intern year, two-week will be spent in the Emergency Department.
The main focus is for the student to be seeing patients in the following categories:
- acute surgical conditions
- acute medical conditions
- major trauma
- physiological instability requiring resuscitation
The expectation is for students to obtain histories and perform examinations on patients, develop a differential diagnosis and with guidance from supervising registrar or consultant to formulate a management plan incorporating investigations and treatment.