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University of Calgary Calendar 2009-2010 COURSES OF INSTRUCTION Course Descriptions M Medicine MDCN
Medicine MDCN
Instruction offered by members of the Faculty of Medicine.
First Year Courses
Medicine 320       Medical Skills
The medical skills required by students learning to optimize the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of patients (and self). Components include Communication, Physical Examination, Clinical Correlations, Ethics, Global Health, Physicianship, and Procedural Skills.
Course Hours:
(172 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 340       Healthy Populations
Students will learn about concepts of health and disease as they apply to populations, communities, and individual patients. Risks to health in the workplace, health care setting and community (including epidemics) will be considered. The roles of health promotion and disease prevention will be presented. Epidemiology, biostatistics, study design, research methods, and health care systems will be covered.
Course Hours:
(108 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 350       Introduction to Medicine, Blood and Gastrointestinal Course
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to the Blood and Gastro-Intestinal systems. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage patients presenting with such clinical presentations as fever, anemia, bruising and bleeding, weight loss, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, jaundice, diarrhea, etc. General principles of medicine as a whole will be presented, including concepts of history and physical examination taking, as well as principles of investigations such as test sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value. This course will also introduced fundamental concepts of anatomy, histology, pathology and radiology.
Course Hours:
(240 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 360       Integrated Musculoskeletal and Dermatology Course
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to the Musculoskeletal System and Dermatology. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage clinical presentations such as painful limb, joint pain, fractures and dislocations, skin lesions, etc.
Course Hours:
(152 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 370       Integrated Cardiovascular and Respiratory Course
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to the Cardiovascular and Respiratory systems. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage clinical presentations such as chest pain, loss of consciousness, palpitations, shock, heart murmur, shortness of breath, cough, sore throat, etc.
Course Hours:
(224 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Second Year Courses
Medicine 402       Second Year Elective
The student selects an area of medicine of particular interest for more in depth study. Studies may be done in centres other than Calgary. Students are encouraged to consider experiences in developing world nations through the International Electives Program. All experiences must be evaluated by a preceptor.
Course Hours:
(4-6 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 410       Integrated Renal-Electrolyte and Endocrine-Metabolic Course
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to the Renal and Endocrine systems. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage clinical presentations such as acute and chronic renal failure, generalized edema, hypertension, abnormal electrolytes, neck mass, abnormalities of blood lipids, diabetes, etc.
Course Hours:
(240 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 420       Medical Skills
The medical skills required by students learning to optimize the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of patients (and self). Components include Communication, Physical Examination, Clinical Correlations, Ethics, Global Health, Physicianship and Procedural Skills.
Course Hours:
( 86 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 440       Applied Evidence Based Medicine
Applied Evidence Based Medicine provides an opportunity to explore in depth an area of particular interest to each student. Students under the supervision of a preceptor may complete a research project. Others may pursue a clinical experience utilizing critical appraisal skills to address questions related to prognosis, investigation and/or treatment. Alternatively, students may pursue supervised electives in such areas as History of Medicine, Pathology, Health Economics, Community Health, Palliative Care, Rehabilitation Medicine, etc. Concepts of clinical informatics and evidence based medicine (including critical appraisal) will also be presented.
Course Hours:
( 96 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 450       Integrated Neurosciences, Special Senses and Aging Course
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to the Neuroscience system, Special Senses and Aging. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage clinical presentations such as muscle weakness, head and spinal injuries, gait disturbance, dizziness, speech and language disturbance, seizures, acute confusion, headache, dementia, falls, dying patient, visual loss, double vision, ear pain, hearing loss, etc.
Course Hours:
(192 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 460       Children and Women's Health
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to Reproductive Medicine and Pediatrics. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage pregnancy, contraception, pelvic pain, infertility, breast mass, the well and unwell newborn, childhood communicable diseases (including disease such as pharyngitis, otitis media), genetics, etc.
Course Hours:
(192 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 470       Integrated Mind and Family Course
Integrated Clinical Presentations related to the Mind and Family. Students will learn how to diagnose, investigate and manage clinical presentations such as substance abuse and drug addiction, suicidal behaviour, panic and anxiety, psychoses, mood disorders, personality disorders, family violence, etc.
Course Hours:
(96 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 480       Integrative Course
Students work in small groups with a tutor and standardized patients (actors) to further improve their skills in interviewing, communication, physical examination, diagnosing and patient management. Basic science and clinical information across organ systems are integrated with an emphasis on clinical problem-solving ability through the generation and testing of hypotheses.
Course Hours:
(56 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 490       Introduction to Clerkship Course
Students are introduced to topics related to senior medical student responsibilities (clerk) such as writing orders, using the regional diagnostic and laboratory services, as well as more advanced ECG, radiological and procedural skills.
Course Hours:
(56 hours)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Third Year Courses

The third and final year is called the Clinical Clerkship. The total period of studies in the Clinical Clerkship constitutes 54 weeks, of which 46 weeks must be clinical studies. During this time, students work on hospital wards, in ambulatory care clinics and doctors' offices as well as in the Emergency Room. All students will spend from 4 to 10 weeks in community hospitals in Southern Alberta learning Family Medicine as well as some specialties. During the clerkship students rotate through a variety of specialties spending from 2-12 weeks in each. These specialties include: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, and Obstetrics and Gynecology. Students also have 10 weeks of elective experience chosen from the courses listed below (Medicine 514). During this time students will apply the knowledge learned in the first 2 years and their clinical skills toward the solution of the most common clinical presentations. Students will evaluate patients and properly manage their medical problems by conducting a comprehensive medical history and thorough physical examination, formulating accurate hypotheses as to the causes and solution of their clinical problems, formulating and implementing a management plan to deal effectively with the problems. Students will demonstrate the fundamental concepts of disease prevention and health promotion for individual patients and incorporate them into treatments plans as appropriate.  Students will communicate and interact effectively with patients, families, medical staff and others involved in the delivery of health services. During this time students will accept increasing responsibility in patient care as the final year advances.  Students will be working with multi-disciplinary clinical teams of nurses, physiotherapists, residents and faculty. Students will develop and apply high ethical principles and standards in all aspects of medical practice and will exhibit appropriate personal and interpersonal professional behaviours. In the clerkship, as in the whole of the curriculum, it will be clear that physicians can serve patients to the highest possible standards only if they continually acquire new knowledge and skills for as long as they practice medicine.

Participation in Outreach Rotations: The clerkship program includes several community centres such as Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Red Deer, and rural sites such as Brooks, Fort Macleod and Pincher Creek, etc. Students should expect to do from 4 – 10 weeks of their clinical clerkship outside the city of Calgary except in unusual circumstances.

Notes:
-There are two weeks set aside in January of the third year for students to attend interviews for their residency application within the process of the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS).
-As of March 2008, 6-12 students per year will have the opportunity to achieve the objectives and evaluation requirements of the above stated disciplines in the “Rural Integrated Community Clerkship”, an experience consisting of:
- 32 weeks in a longitudinal rural preceptorship
- 12 weeks of urban medicine (4 weeks Internal Medicine, 4 weeks Pediatrics, 4 weeks selectives)
- 10 weeks electives. 

Medicine 502       Family Medicine

During this 6 week block the learning experience will consist of mostly clinical experience in a community setting with a pre and post seminar that will take place in the Medical School on the first and last Friday of the block, respectively. Common clinical problems associated with Family Medicine will be emphasized. The four principles of Family Medicine as identified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada will be highlighted.

502.01. Family Medicine


Course Hours:
(6 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 504       Internal Medicine

During this 12-week block, clerks will develop their diagnostic and problem-solving skills by participating in a variety of clinical experiences and formal teaching rounds. The clinical experiences will consist of: a 4-week Medical Teaching Unit rotation, a 4-week rotation on a more inpatient-based subspecialty, and two 2-week rotations on a more outpatient/consultative subspecialty. Formal teaching sessions include weekly bedside teaching, clinical Pharmacology, medical emergencies and "case of the week" rounds.

504.01. Internal Medicine


Course Hours:
(12 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 506       Surgery/ Anesthesia

This 8-week rotation begins with a seminar series in the first week, covering a wide-range of problems encountered in General Surgery and related specialties, including Anesthesia. Subsequently, students will rotate through General Surgery (3 weeks), Anesthesia (1 week) and choose two selectives (1 or 2 weeks) from Urology, Orthopedics, or Plastic Surgery. These rotations will enhance clerks' clinical and procedural skills, including such topics as aseptic operating room technique/protocols, simple suturing, urethral catheterization, airway management and ventilation.

506.01. Surgery/Anesthesia


Course Hours:
(8 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 508       Pediatrics

This 6-week rotation will provide clerks with a learning experience in Pediatric Medicine, emphasizing clinical skills and problem solving pertaining to common pediatric problems. The experience will build upon knowledge and skills (including history taking and physical examination of newborns/infants/children/adolescents) previously gained in the first two years of the medical undergraduate curriculum, and will prepare the student for subsequent residency. The experiences shall be broad-based involving both ambulatory and hospital-based patients, and shall include newborn care, and care of children and adolescents up to the age of 18 years.

508.01. Pediatrics


Course Hours:
(6 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 510       Psychiatry

This 6-week rotation will develop the clerks' understanding of the psychiatric patient. Clerks will develop clinical skills in Psychiatry in order to perform a psychiatric assessment and to demonstrate the basic principles of management of psychiatric clinical presentations with integration of basic knowledge obtained from the non-clinical setting. Students will perform a variety of assessments including: child and adolescent behavioural and learning assessments, elderly cognitive function, risk of fall, and competency assessments, safety assessments for suicide, abuse, and mental status examinations. They will order appropriate investigations including: collateral information, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and psychological and other functional assessments, etc.

510.01. Psychiatry


Course Hours:
(6 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 512       Obstetrics and Gynecology

During this 4-week block clerks will receive a broad exposure to women's health and focus on details essential to the practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Clerks will experience direct patient care in both outpatient and inpatient settings, spend a 5-week block at either a community hospital in Calgary or Medicine Hat Regional hospitals, or at a tertiary care hospital. Clerks will develop history taking and physical examinations skills appropriate to obstetric and gynecology patients and will participate in deliveries. Fetal assessment, maternal fetal medicine, colposcopy, low risk obstetrics, infertility and urogynecology will also be covered during this rotation.

512.01. Obstetrics and Gynecology


Course Hours:
(4 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 514       Clerkship Electives

During these mandatory 10 weeks of clerkship, clerks will choose electives from the range of potential medical domains. Ten weeks of mandatory elective time must be completed during the clerkship year with a minimum of two weeks on any one elective block.

514.01. Family Medicine

514.02. Complementary Medicine

514.03. Hospitalist Medicine

514.04. Anesthesia

514.05. Public Health

514.06. International Health

514.07. Emergency Medicine

514.08. Cardiology

514.09. Dermatology

514.10. Endocrinology

514.11. Gastroenterology

514.12. General Internal Medicine

514.13. Geriatric Medicine

514.14. Palliative Care

514.15. Hematology

514.16. Immunology and Allergy

514.17. Infectious Diseases

514.18. ICU-Trauma

514.19. Nephrology

514.20. Medical Oncology

514.21. Neurology

514.22. Clinical Pharmacology

514.23. Pulmonary Medicine

514.24. Rheumatology

514.25. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

514.26. Cardiac Surgery

514.27. Thoracic Surgery

514.28. Vascular Surgery

514.29. General Surgery

514.30. Neurosurgery

514.31. Ophthalmology

514.32. Orthopedic Surgery

514.33. Otolaryngology

514.34. Plastic Surgery

514.35. Sport Medicine

514.36. Transplant Surgery

514.37. Trauma Surgery

514.38. Urology

514.39. Developmental Pediatrics

514.40. Community Pediatrics

514.41. Neonatology

514.42. Pediatric Anesthesia

514.43. Pediatric Cardiology

514.44. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

514.45. Pediatric Emergency Medicine

514.46. Pediatric Endocrinology

514.47. Pediatric Gastroenterology

514.48. Pediatric Hematology

514.49. Pediatric Infectious Diseases

514.50. Pediatric Nephrology

514.51. Pediatric Neurology

514.52. Pediatric Oncology

514.53. Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine

514.54. Pediatric Rheumatology

514.55. Pediatric Surgery

514.56. General Psychiatry

514.57. Child Psychiatry

514.58. Adolescent Medicine

514.59. Family Therapy

514.60. Neuropsychiatry

514.61. Psychiatric Assessment Services

514.62. Psychiatric Consultation Liaison

514.63. Forensic Psychiatry

514.64. General Obstetrics and Gynecology

514.65. High Risk Obstetrics

514.66. Low Risk Obstetrics

514.67. Maternal Fetal Medicine

514.68. Urogynecology

514.69. Gynecologic Oncology

514.70. General Pathology

514.71. Forensic Pathology

514.72. Surgical Pathology

514.73. Molecular Pathology

514.74. Neuropathology

514.75. Oncologic Pathology

514.76. Renal and Transplant Pathology

514.77. Medical Genetics

514.78. Diagnostic Radiology

514.79. Radiation Oncology

514.80. Nuclear Medicine

514.81. Research

514.82. Other


Course Hours:
(10 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 520       Medical Skills
The medical skills required by students learning to optimize the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of patients (and self). Components include Communication, Physical Examination, Clinical Correlations, Informatics, Ethics, Culture, Health and Illness, and Well Physician. These components run as a theme throughout the entire clerkship program.
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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Medicine 522       Emergency Medicine
During this two-week rotation, students will experience a minimum of six shifts in an urban Emergency Room at three teaching sites. During this rotation, students will experience the varied diagnostic and therapeutic challenges offered by Emergency Medicine, including the assessment and management of life threatening illness. The clinical clerks will have access to all elements of health care delivery, including discharge planning, outpatient referrals, and direct interaction with consultants, ambulatory care and inpatient facilities, as well as diagnostic imaging. This type of integrated experience will provide the training physician with a unique and invaluable exposure to outpatient care not normally seen on the more typical inpatient rotations.
Course Hours:
(2 weeks)
NOT INCLUDED IN GPA
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