Medical students gain solid grounding
Through an integrated curriculum and an emphasis on early clinical contact, the University of Hong Kong's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine adopts a holistic approach to cultivating students' ability to meet the challenges ahead.
The bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery programme (MBBS) features a clinical course comprising nine system-based blocks dealing with the structures and functions of the body's organ systems, says Professor Chan Ying-shing, associate dean of academic networking and student affairs at the faculty.
The programme progresses to an integrated approach to biological, behavioural and population sciences. Students learn clinical and clinical interpersonal skills that are linked to the systems under study. During the integrated block, students can integrate the information and skills acquired at the systems-based units and prepare for the clinical clerkships that extend towards the end of the five-year MBBS. 'Through rotational exposure to diverse disciplines, students build clinical knowledge and skills of all major specialised fields at the junior, senior and speciality clerkships,' Chan says.
The MBBS programme encourages students in years one and two to establish early contact with patients, including those with chronic illnesses, he says. One of the projects designed for this purpose is a field link project which partners MBBS students with those doing a bachelor of nursing (BNurs).
'The project partners regularly visit patients to acquire an understanding of how psycho-social factors affect their conditions,' Chan says. 'The main objective is to increase the [early] exposure of students to patients suffering from different diseases.'
The project benefits BNurs students as it helps cultivate the awareness of the partnership between doctors and nurses in a clinical setting at an early stage, he adds. In problem-based learning tutorials, MBBS students are encouraged to learn out of curiosity and through teamwork.
'We expect students to prepare for tutorials by examining the cases in advance and posting the problems,' Chan says. 'They need to identify what they want to know from the cases under the guidance of tutors. Through in-depth discussions, the students identify the learning objectives. The students are expected to use resources at the university to study the problems and to apply the knowledge gained to solve them. They will share their experience in subsequent tutorials.'
This student-centred approach is similar to the real-life medical consultations conducted by doctors.
MBBS students are expected to broaden their horizons beyond medicine and surgery through the Special Study Modules (SSM) before they graduate and select fields in which to develop their specialisation.
SSM encompass medical and non-medical courses from which students can select programmes that match their interests and talents. 'We expect that while the medical students study science-related courses, they will also gain exposure to the study of cultural and social issues,' Chan says. The annual intake of MBBS students is about 160.
The cross-disciplinary learning experience gained through SSM is expected to enhance students' engagement in the community, he adds.
The BNurs programme focuses on exposing its students to life science, behavioural science and clinical pharmacology, before their clinical learning.
'Because of our medical faculty, we are able to mobilise professors in different disciplines to contribute to the holistic learning of BNurs students,' Chan says. 'We also equip students with management and leadership skills to integrate a community spirit into the management of various medical workplaces.'
The bachelor of pharmacy programme also emphasises community teaching as graduates will work in dispensaries of hospitals and pharmacies in local neighbourhoods.
'This approach focuses on nurturing the skills in patient counselling and communications,' Chan says. 'Because we have the school of Chinese medicine, BPharm students will also acquire basic understanding in this area.'
