Master of Medicine in Medicine

This qualification provides graduates with knowledge, skills and applied competence in Internal Medicine sufficient to allow registration with Health Professions Council of SA as a specialist Medical Internist. It aims to provide graduates with the foundation for continued personal and intellectual growth, gainful economic activity and for contributing to society at large through advanced patient care, innovation, scholarship and leadership in the field of Internal Medicine.

• Completion and award of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees of the University or admitted to status thereof;
• Adequate language and communication skills
• Adequate numeracy skills.

A Master of Internal Medicine is able to diagnose, through oral communication, physical examination, and interpretation of appropriate special investigations, and formulate and prosecute treatment options for divergent problems in Internal Medicine in an holistic manner. S/he is able to advise on and implement prophylactic measures to prevent disease relevant to Internal Medicine. S/he is able to interpret scientific literature relevant to his/her field and through reflection adapt new developments in the field of Internal Medicine into his/her clinical practice. S/he is able to conceptualise, plan and implement and interpret research relevant to the practice of Internal Medicine.

• Demonstrate academic literacy listening / reading skills
• Use the medium of instruction effectively to convey ideas and insight intelligibly and to achieve own communication purposes;
• Demonstrate an understanding of statistical data;
• Communicate effectively with patient and colleagues
• Perform appropriate physical examination;
• Choose appropriate special investigations plan and implement treatment options in an holistic manner;
• Plan and implement treatment options in an holistic manner
• Conceptualise, plan implement and interpret research

• Interact with text (oral and written) through critical listening/reading skills;
• Produce texts which integrate information from different sources using appropriate academic and professional conventions;
• Take a medical history at a level appropriate to the specialty and communicate the findings and treatment options effectively with the patient and referring doctor;
• Determine signs and symptoms of disease or injury and perform advanced physical examination appropriate to the speciality;
• Use cost-effective investigations which provide sufficient relevant information to aid diagnosis;
• Gather information from various sources, reflect critically on knowledge and information and in consultation with the patient and other health care professions (where appropriate) plan and implement to completion a treatment option
• Initiate and complete a research project.

Integrated assessment appropriately incorporated to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved

The University of Natal is currently reforming its assessment strategies to include the assessment of applied competence for each qualification. In the meantime, a combination of continuous assessment and traditional written examinations serve to assess the integration of all/most of the learning outcomes for each module in a qualification.