Master of Medicine in Emergency Medicine

Purpose

This qualification aims to

• Develop competence in sciences which underpin clinical practice in the discipline.
• Allow the learner to attain an intermediate level of competency in the knowledge, skills and behaviours appropriate to effective clinical practice as a specialist, which will be developed further in Clinical and Professional Practice 2.

Rationale

SA has high incidence of trauma. This specialisation will develop appropriate skills in Emergency medicine doctors to stabilize and treat patients who are experiencing acute health problems or traumatic injuries.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy which is applicable with equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications. RPL may be applied for access, credits from modules and credits for or towards the qualification.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations should they be allowed entrance into the qualification.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), NQF Level 9

Or

• A relevant qualification in the related field, NQF Level 9 plus two years experience and registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at NQF Level 9 totalling 720 Credits

• Research Methodology,16 Credits.
• Research Project, 164 Credits.
• Clinical and Professional Practice I, 270 Credits.
• Clinical and Professional Practice II, 270 Credits.

1. Clinical Competence

• Show clinical competence in the diagnosis and management of disorders appropriate to the discipline.
• Demonstrate competence in procedures.
• Ensure maintenance of high ethical standards in practice and research.
• Benchmark clinical practice against international standards, using available evidence.

2. Scholarship

• Demonstrate academic literacy in terms of critical thinking, the ability to access appropriate learning resources, formulate a research proposal, conduct the research, and communicate the findings to the academic community.

Generic attributes.

3. Competence in

• Communication skills.
• Creating and sustaining harmonious and effective service delivery teams.
• Leadership in health provision.
• Health advocacy.
• Mentoring junior colleagues in the area of speciality.
• Dealing with complex issues both systemically and creatively.
• Demonstrating self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems.
• Exercising sound judgement in the use of data and information.
• Acting autonomously in planning and implementing professional tasks.

1. Service-learning prepares students for professional practice as a specialist by exposing them to a wide range of clinical experiences requiring active learning and problem-solving. During service learning, students are supervised by senior clinical and academic staff, receive personal instruction in techniques and perform these under supervision until such time they are competent to perform them independently, and engage in constant discourse with colleagues and seniors in order to develop the facility, and later expertise, in the discipline.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Clinical case presentations will be used to indicate the knowledge and application of anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology to allow candidates to demonstrate a thorough understanding of special investigations into surgery and surgical decisions.
• Participants need to demonstrate the use of appropriate communication in their interaction with patients, their families and other professionals which should adhere to the professional ethical codes.
• Candidates will be assessed through a professional portfolio for proof of exposure to a variety of surgical interventions, and feedback on their competence in clinical management, teaching, management, leadership and academic roles.
• Written papers indicate a thorough knowledge and the ability to apply this to clinical problems in the areas of anatomy, physiology and pathology as applied to the surgical patient.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

Candidates will be assessed on their ability to

• Analyse the problem into its component parts.
• Contextualise the problem (social, local, scientific context)
• Define foreign specialised terms and concepts and simplify concepts.
• Introduce a framework to help readers/assessors understand an issue of interest and the relevance of the issue.
• Identify and categorise the factors that may impact the problem.
• Ability to focus attention to identify known and unknown and design strategy to solve the problem.
• Using robust strategies to investigate and find answers with suitable evidence to the identified problem as needed) Justifying the sample, sampling strategies to be used; Justifying the piloting, use of standard, modified tools for data collection; and or designing a suitable tool of data collection.
• Appropriate use of Quantitative /Qualitative strategies to solve the research question.
• Following guidelines for the presentation of scientific presentations (conferences/symposia and or written manuscripts.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Communication skills.
• Creating and sustaining harmonious and effective service delivery teams.
• Leadership in health provision.
• Health advocacy.
• Mentor junior colleagues in the area of speciality.
• Dealing with complex issues both systematically and creatively.
• Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems.
• Exercising sound judgement in the use of data and information.
• Acting autonomously in planning and implementing professional tasks.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

Candidates are assessed on their ability to demonstrate leadership skills, communicate effectively, collaborate on projects, manage resources in the department and stay abreast with evidence and development is research through projects during the SERVICE-learning time.

• Self-study, independent work.
• Project work, in the form of formal case and topic presentations, need to illustrate the scientific foundations of the practice, present the most recent evidence for advocating a specific practice, identify researchable problems and develop facility in academic and professional discourse.
• Present their work at Journal clubs to expose students to critical reading in the scientific field.
• Participate in staff meetings, to become familiar with discussions related to the management of the department, and service-related problems, and gain and assess their ability in activities related to service planning and development.
• Present seminars to expose them to questioning and answers, viva voce preparations.
• They present tutorials to junior students, help them to solidify their knowledge, and learn how to provide frameworks to others for self-directed learning.

Integrated Assessment

Formative Assessment

Students are subjected to continuous assessment by their clinical and academic supervisors. They are interviewed at the end of each clinical rotation and are interviewed twice yearly by the Head of Discipline or designated senior academic staff. All assessments are recorded in a portfolio of learning.

Summative Assessment

The Part 2 examination of the relevant constituent College of the College of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) constitutes the summative assessment for this module. Students' competences are assessed through:

• Two written papers.
• An Objective Structured Clinical Exam.
• Two viva voce examinations.
• Clinical cases presentations.