Discipline of Psychiatry

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Discipline of Psychiatry
Level 4, Eleanor Harrald Building
Royal Adelaide Hospital
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
SA 5005
AUSTRALIA
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Year 6

Course objectives

  • To master competence in knowledge of cognate disciplines that are relevant to psychiatry, including the study of the doctor-patient relationship
  • To attain clinical skills in clinical psychiatry adequate for the first post-graduate year
  • To master the integration of clinical sciences and the evidence base of medicine with clinical practice in psychiatry
  • To master competence in knowledge and clinical application of ethical and medical-legal issues as they relate to the practice of psychiatry
  • To develop an appreciation of the clinical role of teams and an understanding of systems issues as they relate to clinical psychiatry
  • To develop an appreciation of the assessment of families and an understanding of the role of family issues as they relate to clinical psychiatry
  • To develop an understanding of public health, epidemiology, community and social systems as they relate to mental health

The Sixth Year Teaching Programme
The teaching programme closely integrates clinical teaching and clinical patients with lectures, tutorials and assessments. In the 6th Year the clinical placements are formulated on a student internship model in a variety of community and general hospital setting. Students are placed directly with a team and work on a daily basis with one-to-one supervision from a post-graduate trainee in psychiatry, in addition to the consultant preceptor. Tutorials are focused around clinical issues such as assessment of suicide and are confined to four half days of the 4 week attachment. Students are assessed during their attachment directly on clinical skills by formal case presentations to supervisors and also writing case logs centred around important areas in clinical psychiatry. They are also encouraged to develop skills in evidence based medicine by writing an essay that includes a critical review of the literature in relationship to clinical problems, issues or case series or a case that they seen while on their clinical attachment. A formal written examination and distinction and pass/fails oral examinations are held at the end of the year.

The teaching is structured in such a way as to combine clinical exposure with the theoretical knowledge. This implies an active model of learning. The exposure to patients with major abnormalities of their mental state focuses the students' skills in recognition of the potential for major disorganisation of cognition and affect, and enhances their ability to carry out an observational mental state examination.
In the 6th year skills acquired from 4th year programme are thus refined and consolidated.