Introductory course, 6 credits

The aim of the course is to introduce the student to the concepts health and illness, as well as the physician's activities, and to give an overview of the structure of medicine education at Karolinska Institutet in order to optimise the student's possibilities to benefit continuously from the studies on the degree programme in medicine.

The aims relate to the general intended learning outcomes of the whole degree programme in medicine. Aims concerning knowledge and understanding are structured according to the SOLO taxonomy: S1) simple (e.g. know, identify), S2) compound (e.g. account for, describe), S3) related (e.g. analyse, relate to), and S4) extended (e.g. theorise, analyse). Practical skills outcomes are structured according to Miller: M1) know, M2) know how to carry out, M3) be able to show, and M4) be able to carry out professionally.

For knowledge and understanding
The student should:
 

• be able to identify factors that contribute to the retention of health and also be able to relate these factors to personal knowledge, convictions and experiences (S3)
• have knowledge of basic disease processes and medical treatment (S2)
• have knowledge of factors that influence behaviour and also be able to relate these factors to personal knowledge, convictions and experiences (S3)
• be able to explain how knowledge of the causes and treatments of diseases arises and changes continuously from a scientific basis (S2)
• know at a general level to how higher education is organised and how it is carried out, and specifically know how medicine education at Karolinska Institutet is structured (S1)
• know that social organisation, social factors, culture, ethnicity, gender/sex and environmental factors can characterise the disease panorama in different environments, and the social consequences of diseases (S2)
• know how a scientific hypothesis is formulated and have knowledge about which tools and methods are available to answer scientific issues. (S1)
• be able to reason about skills that are needed for the physician profession (S3)
• be able to explain basic mechanisms of team effort and leadership (S2)
• have certain basic knowledge of the importance of personality and emotions in a patient-physician meeting (S2)
• be able to define the central ethical concepts that are covered during the course (S2)

For skills and abilities:
The student should be able to:

• determine whether respiratory and / or circulatory arrest is present and perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in accordance with current national guidelines (M3)
• in an efficient way increase and interpret medical information (M2
• collect and analyse simple basic scientific and clinical issues and summarise the results (M2).
• describe different forms for giving and receiving feedback (M2)

Attitude
The student should:

• be able to reason about the humanistic qualities that are needed in the physician profession
• know the importance of a scientific and ethical attitude in medicine

In the course, the physician profession and the physician programme are presented. The student is also introduced to the meaning of professional and scientific attitudes.

The course consists of three parts, Introduction (1/2), Scientific Development (1/4) and Professional Development (PD) (1/4). The teaching is both parallel and integrated

The course contains a "camp", where the student is given the opportunity to get to know his/her fellow students, students from earlier courses and physicians. During the camp, group exercises are carried out, and a case-based ethics discussion is started.

The student receives an introduction to cardiopulmonary resuscitation at a clinical training centre (CPR). The physician's activities are presented partly through the possibility for the student to meet physicians at the camp and during the introduction.

Basic scientific issues are raised in several steps, including in connection with the overview of the development of medicine. This is illustrated for example by how basic scientific achievements have led to improved treatment.

The teaching of professional development includes, apart from the CPR training, a half-day on narrative medicine, a half-day on team effort and leadership, a whole day on the patient-physician meeting, two whole days on medical ethics and a workshop day. The workshop day is led by a mentor that follows a small group of students during the whole medicine programme. During the workshop day, films with patient-physician conversations that illustrate important medical psychological aspects are shown. Furthermore, if possible the students receive an insight into the clinical weekday of the mentor.

During the course, integrating assignments are used, which concern for example depression, obesity, heart arrest and seizure.

In a scientific project the student specialises in the mechanisms of genetics, under the theme "Heredity and Man in Health and Illness".

The course, which is based on the student's own activity, contains lectures, seminars, individual teaching, individual supervision and teaching in groups. Some of the modules are IT-supported.

The scientific projects include information retrieval, self-study, discussions and written reporting.

The examination takes place through reflective portfolio sheets The student should be able to reflect on both his/her own learning and current parts of the course. If the portfolio sheets are insufficient, the student must provide a supplement according to the instructions of the examiner. Presentation of the scientific project "Heredity and Man in Health and Illness" takes place in written form.

Compulsory modules:
- Team effort and leadership
- Whole day on the patient-physician meeting
- Presentation of miniproject
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training
- Theme days in medical ethics
- Teaching of literature search
- Workshop day

The course coordinator decides whether, and if so how, absence from compulsory course elements can be made up. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator.

Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

Limitation of examination sessions:
Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five more occasions. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. For clinical sessions, the rule is that they can only be repeated once.

If a course has been closed down or undergone major changes, at least two additional examinations (excluding regular examinations) in the previous contents are provided during a period of a year from the date of the change.

Course evaluation is carried out according to Karolinska Institutet's guidelines.
In the course, apart from Karolinska Institutet, also Södertörn University and Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts participate.

Examination
The examiner may, with immediate effect, interrupt a student's clinical placement (or equivalent) if the student demonstrates such serious deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitude that patient safety or patient confidence in healthcare is at risk. If a clinical placement is interrupted in this way the student is deemed to have failed that element and to have used up one clinical placement opportunity.

In such cases, an individual action plan should be set up stating which activities and tests are required before the student is qualified for a new clinical placement on the course.

Eligibility
A student failing due to shortcoming in knowledge skills or attitudes, thus jeopardising patient safety and/or trust in medical care, can be assigned to a new clinical placement only after having completed objectives set in the individual plan.