Molecules, Genes and Disease

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Outcomes for Graduates (2018) relevant to 'The Doctor as a Scholar and Scientist' and 'the Doctor as a Professional'. The specific aims of this unit are that students will develop an understanding of the general relationship between the processes involved in chromosome behaviour, gene expression and the activity of cells. At the end of the unit students should appreciate the variety of protein structures necessary to carry out the range of cellular processes, including protein synthesis and secretion. Additionally the student will understand the fundamental processes of inheritance and mutation and how these may affect patients. Finally the student should be able to connect the themes and molecular analyses discussed within the unit to a clinical context, and be aware of the ethical issues surrounding it.

Tissues of the Body

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Outcomes for Graduates (2018) relevant to 'The Doctor as a Scholar and Scientist' and 'The Doctor as a Professional'. The specific aim is to enable students to develop an understanding of the human body as a cellular system, classify its tissues as epithelial, connective, muscular or nervous, identify several examples of each, explain their embryological derivation, apply a knowledge of histological and anatomical structure to predict function, and state examples of the cellular basis of disease.

Metabolism

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Outcomes for Graduates (2018) relevant to 'The Doctor as a Scholar and Scientist' and 'The Doctor as a Professional'. The specific aim is to enable students to develop an understanding of the tissue metabolism and the chemical processes which go on within cells in order to maintain their proper function, and how these are controlled by the endocrine system. You will consider how these processes are controlled and what happens when this control breaks down. There are three major areas of study and at all stages clinical presentations that arise as a consequence of metabolic or hormonal disorders will be discussed.

  • Nutrition and whole body metabolism, considers the energy and nutrient requirements of the whole body, along with the regulation of body weight.
  • Cellular metabolism, considers the chemical reactions and transformations that go on inside cells and tissues, and how they are controlled.
  • Endocrinology, considers how the metabolism of cells and tissues is integrated to serve the needs of the whole body under different physiological conditions.

Clinical Problem Solving 1

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Outcomes for Graduates (2018) relevant to ‘The Doctor as Scholar and Scientist’, ‘The Doctor as a Practitioner’ and ‘The Doctor as a Professional’. The specific aim is to enable students to develop skills of integrating understanding and focussing that integrated understanding on problems presented by patients.

Clinical Skills Foundation Course

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Outcomes for Graduates (2018) relevant to 'The Doctor as a Scholar and Scientist', 'The Doctor as a Practitioner' and 'The Doctor as a Professional'.  The specific aims are to enable students to carry out a patient-centred consultation and interpret the findings to generate appropriate working diagnoses and to enable students to take and record a history from a patient, perform a physical examination of the main systems of the body and understand the importance of the patient perspective in diagnosing and managing patient problems.