This six year program leads to the award of the degrees Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery - MB BS. This double degree, which is in effect a single degree, may be awarded with Honours Class 1; Honours Class 2, Division 1; Honours Class 2, Division 2; or at Pass level. The award of Honours is determined on the basis of a student's performance throughout the six year program, obtained by using the weighted mark for specified assessments in the three phases of the program.

Students who have achieved a high standard in their studies may undertake a one year program of supervised research leading to the award of the BSc(Med) Honours. For details see the Online Handbook entry for program 3831. A direct link is given below:

BSc(Med) Honours

The objectives of the Medicine program are:

-To establish an integrated, interconnected and organised medical knowledge base as a platform for a professional and personal life of learning through experience.

-To develop effective interactions with oneself through reflection; interaction with others through communication; and interaction with information and learning resources through information literacy and critical analysis.

-To develop a set of personal attributes and skills appropriate to the professional practice of Medicine.

These objectives have been translated into a set of educational outcomes; these being eight desired capabilities in graduates of the Medicine program, grouped as follows:

Applied Knowledge and Skills
1. Using basic and clinical sciences in medical practice

2. Understanding the social and cultural aspects of health and disease

3. Patient assessment and management

Interactional Abilities
4. Effective communication

5. Working as a member of a team

Personal Attributes
6. Self directed learning and critical evaluation skills

7. Understanding and acting in an ethical and socially responsible manner

8. Development as a reflective practitioner

The duration of the Medicine program is normally 6 years. It has a modular structure comprising a series of fully integrated courses studied over 26 teaching periods, generally each of 8 weeks duration. There are 4 teaching periods in Years 1-4 (Teaching Periods 1-4). There are five teaching periods (Summer Teaching Period and Teaching Periods 1-4) in years 5-6. Courses usually correspond to an 8-week teaching period, rather than the semester arrangement applicable to most UNSW courses. However, in general, the standard UNSW program load of 48 units of Credit (UOC) per year will apply.

As part of the program, students are required to satisfy the University's General Education requirements. Please see General Education below.

The program is organised into three phases. Phase 1 includes an initial Foundations course, followed by 7 x 8 week courses focussing on basic medical sciences in relation to the human life cycle; social, ethical and legal issues related to health care; and early experience in clinical or other health-related environments. During this phase, students will undertake a variety of learning activities involving students from different stages of the program working collaboratively in small groups.

Phase 2 consists of 2 x 16-week courses, with increased clinical content and an emphasis on correlation between prior and current learning. Students will also undertake an Independent Learning Project which, unless otherwise negotiated, will be taken consecutively over 2 semesters, followed by a 4 week Clinical Transition Course. During the Independent Learning Project students should also complete 12 UOC of General Education courses in a faculty or faculties other than Medicine. The Independent Learning Project will offer scope for the in-depth study in a variety of possible settings, ranging from laboratory-based work in the biomedical sciences, audits of clinical practice, to - for example - projects dealing with cross-cultural issues or health economics, which may be taken outside the Faculty of Medicine.

Phase 3 consists of 10 x 8-week courses with a clinical focus, but still includes relevant content from the basic medical sciences and the social sciences. Students are required to complete a course in the disciplines of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pyschiatry, Primary Care, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Children's Health (Paediatrics). Students may choose from a range of other available clinical modules to complete phase 3 requirements. In addition, a student's clinical experiences during phase 3 must include a minimum of 4 weeks in a rural location. All clinical courses in phase 3 adopt the principles of clinical clerkship, in which students learn through experience and participation in the treatment of patients under the care of medical practitioners and/or medical teams to which they are attached.

In all phases of the program, students will be required to travel to various clinical environments associated with UNSW, which will be the predominant locations for learning in Phases 2 and 3. These locations include Clinical Schools associated with St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst; St George Hospital, Kogarah; the Randwick Campus Hospitals, various locations in the South Western Sydney Clinical School based around Liverpool; and the Rural Clinical School, which has campuses in the Greater Murray and Mid-North coast areas. Throughout the program, students may be attached to multiple sites, which will typically include at least 4 weeks in a non-metropolitan setting.

Students wishing to undertake a full year of research may be able to enrol in the BSc (Med) Honours program 3831 subject to the approval from the Honours Committee. These students will be exempt from undertaking the Independent Learning Project. Exemption from the Independent Learning Project will also be granted to students who have previously completed a research Honours program or higher research degree, or a Master degree with a significant research component, or who can otherwise demonstrate acceptable evidence of independent study or research at a tertiary level.

AND

AND

As part of the program, students are required to complete 12 UOC of General Education courses (unless exempt under UNSW rules). This requirement must be completed prior to entering Phase 3.

A number of General Education courses are not permitted to be taken as they are too closely related to Medicine studies. For further information and a list of excluded courses, see the Faculty of Medicine website.

Award of Honours

This will be calculated on the basis of a weighted mark for specified assessments in the three phases of the program, together with the marks obtained in General Education courses.

The Faculty Assessment Review Group considers the ranked list of students and their marks and decides the cut-off marks for the award of Honours at the various levels. Neither the percentage of the students obtaining Honours at the various levels nor the cut-off marks are predetermined, and the Faculty Assessment Review Group makes its own assessment of the level of academic attainment indicated by the overall program mark.

Percentage Contribution within Phases

Phase 1

End-of-Course Examinations (cumulative) 10%

End-of-Phase Written Examination 5%

End-of-Phase Clinical Examination 5%

Portfolio Assessment 10%

Phase 2

Course Assignment & Project Marks (cumulative) 5%

Independent Learning Project 7.5%

General Education Courses 5%

Integrated Clinical Examination 10%

Phase 3

Course Marks (cumulative, excluding Elective & PRINT) 10%

Biomedical Sciences Viva Examination 7.5%

Integrated Clinical Examination 15%

Portfolio Assessment 10%

Rules of Progression

Assessment in this program is capability based, requiring students to demonstrate their ongoing development with respect to the eight areas of capability.Progression will not be based solely on satisfactory completion of individual courses, nor will it correspond solely to annual stages. Full details are available on the Faculty of Medicine website.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.