Bachelor of Complementary Medicine in Unani Tibb Medicine

Purpose

The qualification will

• Equip graduates with the skills to meet primary health care needs in the communities and in private practice in South Africa and to interact with other health care practitioners in a responsible and professional manner.
• Equip clinical graduates with the skills to diagnose and treat patients using the Traditional Health philosophy and methods of Unani-Tibb. Such skills will be equivalent to international standards, and will enable graduates to meet the requirements to register with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA).
• Provide a foundation for continuous life-long learning in the profession and the skills to pursue research within the discipline.

Rationale

During the last decade there has been a growing interest in traditional and alternative systems of medicine in developed countries and natural and herbal medicines are assuming greater importance in the primary health care of individuals and communities in many developing countries (WHO Fact Sheet 622). The programme falls within several of the university's Areas of Concentration, e.g. Public Health and Complementary and Traditional Health Systems, and Land, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development through its commitment to the use of natural plant remedies sourced from industries that support sustainable development and natural resource policies. Equipping graduates with the necessary skills to meet the demands of the job market therefore serves the country through providing qualified health practitioners in a new and growing profession in South Africa.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Access to the qualification can also be provided in terms of the university's Recognition of Prior Learning policy and its admission criteria stipulated by Senate. In the Recognition of Prior Learning process students have to undergo a Portfolio Development Course to support the student's admission.

Entry Requirements

The minimum requirement is

• A National Senior Certificate.

This qualification comprises of compulsory modules at Level 5, 6 7 and 8 totalling at 635 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 95 Credits

• Chemistry 116 (N), 15 Credits.
• Principal of Nat Healing System 111, 5 Credits.
• Medical Bioscience 111, 15 Credits.
• Computer Literacy 121, 5 Credits.
• Primary Health Care, 10 Credits.
• Chemistry 126 (N), 15 Credits.
• Physics for CHS, 15 Credits.
• Life Science 141, 15 Credits.

Elective Modules

• Intro to Afrikaans (CHS), 10 Credits.
• Intro to Xhosa (CHS), 5 Credits.
• English for Educucation Development 111, 10 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 6, 140 Credits

• Com Complementary Healing Systems 201, 10 Credits.
• Medical Bioscience 231, 20 Credits.
• Interdisciplinary Health Promotion, 10 Credits.
• Medical Bioscience 232, 20 Credits.
• Nutrition 211, 10 Credits.
• Nutrition 221, 10 Credits.
• Medical Microbiology 251, 20 Credits.
• Medical Microbiology 252, 20 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 7, 120 Credits

• Pathology 311, 15 Credits.
• Herbal Pharmacognosy 312, 10 Credits.
• Health Psychology 224, 5 Credits.
• Pathology 321, 10 Credits.
• Study of Human Development 211, 10 Credits.
• Herbal Pharmacognosy 322, 10 Credits.
• Nutritional Medicine 315, 10 Credits.
• General Medicine 301, 30 Credits.
• Pharmacology 204, 20 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 280 Credits

• Research Methods 421, 20 Credits.
• Counselling Skills 410, 10 Credits.
• Therapeutics of Tibb 414, 10 Credits.
• Pharmacology of Tibb 413, 20 Credits.
• Emergency Care 409, 10 Credits.
• Philosophy and Aetiology of Tibb 412, 10 Credits.
• Regimental Therapies 415, 10 Credits.
• Pathology Diagnosis of Tibb 411, 10 Credits.
• Clinical Diagnosis 402, 20 Credits.
• Clinical Practice (Tibb)404, 10 Credits.
• General Medicine 401, 30 Credits.
• Illness Management 522, 10 Credits.
• Illness Management 521, 10 Credits.
• Ethics, Jurisprudence and Prac Man 501, 10 Credits.
• Illness Management 523, 10 Credits.
• Research Project 508, 20 Credits.
• Illness Management 524, 10 Credits.
• Illness Management 525, 10 Credits.
• Clinical Practice 504, 40 Credits.

1. Examine, diagnose and treat the range of health problems presenting in this profession using a variety of Unani-Tibb methods and solutions.
2. Work with others as a member of a professional team, group, organisation or community.
3. Make appropriate decisions regarding when to make referral to professional colleagues.
4. Prescribe and dispense basic herbal medicines and natural remedies.
5. Evaluate appropriate use of remedies given contraindications and possible drug-remedy interactions.
6. Plan and monitor the management of the six determining factors, nutritional therapeutics and regimental therapy programmes.
7. Counsel and advice on indicated life-style changes.
8. Communicate effectively, by oral, electronic and written means with other health care professionals and the general public.
9. Sustain personal development and learning through continuous professional development and/or research programmes.
10. Identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions, using critical thinking, have been made.
11. Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, or organisation.
12. Organise and manage oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively.
13. Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
14. Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical, and/or language skills in the modes of written and/or oral presentation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes

• Prescribe, prepare and dispense herbal medicines and natural plant remedies.
• Understand the basics of chemical reactions and organic chemistry and an d principles of physics.
• Understand basic principles of Immunity and infection control and it application in clinical medicine, emerging factors and process of infectious diseases.
• Assess Western Medical Approaches to nutritional therapy relevant to diseases of lifestyles, the role of nutrition in the diseases of life styles.
• Examine, diagnose and treat the range of health problems presenting in this profession using a variety of Unani-Tibb methods and solutions.
• Work with others as a member of a professional team, group, organisation or community.
• Make appropriate decisions regarding when to make referral to professional colleagues.
• Counsel and advice on indicated life-style changes.
• Plan and monitor the management of the six determining factors, nutritional therapeutics and regimal therapy programmes.
• Sustain personal development and learning through continuous professional development and/or research programmes.
• Evaluate appropriate use of remedies given contraindications and possible prescribed drug-remedy interactions.
• Communicate effectively, by using oral, written and electronic means, with other health care professionals and with the general public.

Integrated Assessment

In line with the university's Assessment and Moderation Policy Formative and Summative Assessment will be used to monitor student progress via the Continuous Assessment Strategy Students will be given tasks, assignments, tests, group tasks, presentations, clinical work portfolios, etc. to assess their understanding and progress in the various modules using formative strategies. Feedback is therefore provided to students to support their learning. Currently, modules employ Continuous Evaluation Mark (CEM) with a final examination (summative assessment) in order to obtain a final mark to evaluate the student.

Assessment takes place according to strict assessment criteria as outlined in the prescribed module descriptor. Lecturers set assignments, class tests, projects clinical assessments and the final assessment papers in terms of module outcomes viz. Adequate level of relevant text comprehension to be demonstrated, adequate range of relevant sources to have been accessed and relevant problems to have been grasped, and appropriate theoretical and practical assignments and clinical case studies as well as solutions to problems to have been presented This ensures that assessments maintain a certain standard in accordance with the standards as set out in the syllabus. An external moderator moderate's assessment papers set. The same principle applies to the final marking of the assessments. This ensures that skills and concepts are mastered, thereby maintaining a standard of assessment relevant to this offering.

Integrated Assessment will be achieved by a variety of strategies, including written examinations, individual projects and assignments and a research project. Learners are required to demonstrate an ability to consider a range of options and make appropriate decisions to prescribe, dispense and refer patients within the professional code.