MB ChB Graduate Profile
On completion of the Otago University MB ChB programme, the graduate should be competent to practise safely and effectively as a first year doctor (intern) and have an appropriate foundation for further training in any branch of medicine. Specifically, the graduate should have the following skills and attributes:
1. Personal Attributes
| 1.1 | The capacity to be a critical thinker, capable of weighing, evaluating and integrating new information into his or her understanding of issues |
| 1.2 | The ability to evaluate his or her own professional functioning and to act to remedy limitations of knowledge, skills and attitudes throughout his or her career |
| 1.3 | The ability to extrapolate from knowledge and principles to solve new problems |
| 1.4 | An awareness of his or her professional limitations, and a willingness to seek help when these limitations are met |
| 1.5 | The ability and willingness to learn and to appreciate that learning continues throughout life |
| 1.6 | The ability and willingness to facilitate the learning experience of individuals, groups and communities, both within and beyond the health sector |
| 1.7 | Information literacy, including the ability to locate, evaluate and use information in a range of contexts |
| 1.8 | The ability to be organised and the skills for time management, so that time and resources are used effectively and efficiently |
| 1.9 | A dedication to appropriate ethical behaviour, based on a well developed awareness of his or her own moral values, and knowledge and application of principles of medical ethics |
| 1.10 | An awareness of his or her own needs as a person, how health needs might impact on competence to practice and an ability to access appropriate support or healthcare for him or her self |
| 1.11 | A commitment to the fundamental importance of the interdependence between research, medical knowledge and professional practice |
| 1.12 | A commitment to advocate for the health needs of individuals and communities |
2. Interactive Attributes
| 2.1 | A caring and empathetic attitude to others |
| 2.2 | Respect for, and an ability to co-operate with colleagues, competence in teamwork and an understanding of the roles of other health professionals and healthcare teams |
| 2.3 | A respect for patients and a dedication to work with patients to optimise their health and wellbeing |
| 2.4 | Respect for, and an ability to respond to the cultural context and aspirations of patients, colleagues, other health care workers and communities |
| 2.5 | An understanding of and an ability to respond to the obligations of the Treaty of Waitangi |
| 2.6 | Oral and written communication skills, including an ability to communicate effectively with individuals, groups and communities, both within and beyond the health sector |
3. Disciplinary Attributes
| 3.1 | A sound knowledge of the philosophical, scientific and ethical principles underlying the practice of medicine and an ability to apply this knowledge as part of competent medical practice |
| 3.2 | A sound understanding of the legal framework surrounding medical practice in New Zealand |
| 3.3 | A sense of social responsibility and an understanding of the contribution of doctor, health services, society and political influences to the health outcomes of patients |
| 3.4 | A commitment to the principles of patient-centred medicine |
| 3.5 | Knowledge of factors impacting on inequalities in health outcomes |
| 3.6 | Knowledge of factors impacting on the health status of Maori and other cultures |
| 3.7 | Skills in eliciting, documenting and presenting the history of a patient's problems and the relevant physical examination findings |
| 3.8 | Skills in problem solving and formulation of differential diagnoses |
| 3.9 | Skills in the management of common medical conditions, including; informing and negotiating, the performance of relevant clinical procedures, assessment of prognosis, prescribing skills, knowledge of drug therapy and care of the dying patient |
| 3.10 | Skills in the management of emergencies and other serious medical conditions |
| 3.11 | An awareness of, and the skills to manage, uncertainty in medical interpretation and decision making |
| 3.12 | An ability to maintain proper boundaries between personal and professional roles |
| 3.13 | An understanding of the role played by individuals and society in the development of disease and the maintenance of well being |
| 3.14 | A sense of social responsibility and an understanding of the roles and functions of healthcare institutions in the social and political environment |
| 3.15 | An appreciation of the global perspective of medicine, and an informed sense of the impact of the international community on New Zealand and New Zealand's contribution to the international community |
