Student Conference 1

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Intensive - one week in June

50 hrs

None

None

None

N/A

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.
The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website:

http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The student conference will be delivered in a traditional conference format over one week. The aim of the student conference is to allow students to learn from each other, experts in various fields and other health professionals in topic areas suited to a conference format. In their first year students will attend and participate in the conference program but would not be expected to present, teach or be actively involved in the conference organization.

Specific objectives of the Student Conference will be dependent on the theme of the conference that will change from year to year. In line with the graduate attributes of the MD, by
the end of the subject students should have developed the following objectives to a level appropriate for the first year of the course:

Society
1. Understand the determinants of a well society and the economic, political, psychological, social and cultural factors that contribute to the development and persistence of health and illness
2. Understand the health of indigenous Australians including their history, cultural development and the impact of colonisation and the ongoing health disparities of indigenous people in this country and globally
3. Understand the burden of disease in differing populations and geographic locations
4. Understand the differing requirements of health care systems in a culturally diverse society
5. Consider local, regional, national and global ramifications of health care issues
6. Understand the relationship between environmental issues and the health of local communities and society
7. Understand the principles of practising medicine in an environmentally responsible way.

Medical Profession
1. Understand the continuum of medical training and the diverse roles and expertise of doctors
2. Understand the potential conflicts of interest that may confront doctors
3. Understand the principles of ethics in the provision of health care and research
4. Understand organisational governance, the ability to be an active participant in professional organisations, and an appreciation of the benefits of this participation
5. Understand the principles of mentorship
6. Understand the role of educational theory and practice in medical education
7. Understand the importance to maintain standards of medical practice at the highest level throughout a professional career

Systems of Health Care
1. Understand the roles, responsibilities and expertise of all health professionals, and how they work in teams to deliver health care
2. Appreciate the responsibility to contribute to the education of all health professionals
3. Understand the principles of efficient and equitable allocation and use of finite resources in health care systems, locally and globally
4. Understand the structure of the Australian health care system and health care systems globally
5. Understand the role of political systems in shaping health care systems locally,nationally and internationally

Self
1. Apply the principles of reflective practice in a conference setting
2. Identify and address your learning needs in a conference setting
3. Apply effective time-management to a conference setting

Knowledge
1. Understand the scientific method relevant to biological, behavioural and social science
2. Understand research methods
3. Learn from patients, health professionals and the community in a conference setting

Patients
1. Discuss and defend the rights of patients in a conference setting
2. Understand chronic illness and disability and its impact on the patient, their carers and communities

• Attendance (hurdle requirement);
• Structured report from workshop leaders on participation in workshops across a theme of interest (student will be able to sign up for workshops on a number of themes) ( Pass/Fail);
• Peer marking, using a structured marking scheme, of a report of 1,000 words on one keynote presentation from the conference to be completed by Week 27 (Pass/Fail).

No prescribed texts. An on-line volume of proceedings will be available at the end of the conference

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

By the end of this subject students should have developed the following generic skills:

• The ability to extract information from expert presentations and to take notes to enable them to write a report on those presentations
• The ability to participate in group discussions and workshops
• An understanding of academic conferences and their role in the dissemination of knowledge