Musculoskeletal System

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Tomorrow's Doctors (2018) relevant to 'The Doctor as a Scholar and Scientist' and 'the Doctor as a Professional'. The specific aim is to enable students to understand the structure and function of bones, joints and muscles, and blood supply and innervation of the upper limb, lower limb and vertebral column by using a variety of learning methods and resources including physical examination (surface and living anatomy). The module also aims to introduce students to relevant clinical conditions and disorders of these regions and help them to acquire a working knowledge and understanding of the principles and concepts applicable to the musculoskeletal system in general.

Mechanisms of Disease

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Tomorrow's Doctors (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 basic pathological processes which will help them to understand the diseases they will study in other modules. An appreciation of the mechanisms of disease facilitates an understanding of the symptoms with which patients present, the physical signs which they demonstrate and their abnormal investigation results. It allows an appreciation of how various therapeutic interventions affect disease processes.

Membranes and Receptors

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Tomorrow's Doctors (2018) relevant to 'The Doctor as a Scholar and Scientist' and 'the Doctor as a Professional'. The specific aims of this second term unit are that students should understand membrane structure and function and be able to relate this to cell behavior; understand how the movement of ions and molecules across membranes may contribute to pH and cell volume regulation and electrical excitability and nerve impulse conduction, appreciate how chemical messengers, such as hormones and neurotransmitters, influence the activity of cells and organs by interacting with receptors; understand in principle how drugs might modify the action of such chemical messengers.

Health and Disease in Populations

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Tomorrow’s Doctors (2018) relevant to ‘The Doctor as Scholar and Scientist’, ‘The Doctor as a Practitioner’ and ‘The Doctor as a Professional’. The specific aims are for students to demonstrate how to interpret population-based studies of disease frequencies, risk factor associations and treatment effectiveness, to enable the practice of evidence-based medicine for the benefit of the health of patients and the population. In this unit, we aim to:

  • Give students an introduction to the scientific basis of epidemiology.
  • Enable students to understand the implications of epidemiological and health service data for their future practice.
  • Facilitate students in the development of their practice of medicine, not only in terms of benefit for individual patients but for the population as a whole.
  • Equip students with the skills to critically appraise the evidence for and against potential risk factors causing a disease or clinical interventions they may consider using.

Clinical Skills Foundation Course

The unit aims to enable students to make progress towards meeting some of the learning outcomes described in Tomorrow's Doctors (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.