Year 4

Year 4

The two modules that General Practice contributes to are Primary Care and Mental Health (PCMH) and Advanced Clinical Skills (ACS).  The other two modules are Women’s and Children’s Health (WCH) and Special Study Module (SSM)

Primary Care and Mental Health

Primary Care and Mental Health (PCMH) combines teaching and learning from General Practice, Psychiatry and Otorhinolaryngology (ORL).  Through their clinical attachments students acquire the knowledge and skills to assess, diagnose and manage the major acute and chronic presentations of these disciplines.  Clinical experience is supported by small group work, tutorials, workshops and lectures.  It is assessed mainly by written exams. 

Learning Outcomes - Primary Care and Mental Health:

1. Create and justify case based management plans for primary care and mental illness presentations, which are evidence based and provide high quality holistic care effectively, within available resources.
2. Recognise and theoretically manage common mental illness, primary care and otorhinolaryngology emergencies.
3. Describe the clinical presentations, epidemiology, aetiology, differential diagnosis and management of common illnesses presenting to mental health services, primary care services or otorhinolaryngology services.
4. Describe the principal mechanisms of action and appropriate use of common general practice and psychotropic medications, the principles of the main forms of psychotherapy and their appropriateness for different patients with mental illness.
5. Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of mental or primary care illness on the patient, their family and the doctor, the resources available to help those with chronic enduring illnesses, the operation and respective roles of multidisciplinary teams, and indications for referral to specialist services.
6. Apply effectively knowledge of principles of health promotion and disease prevention in mental health and primary care medicine in the Irish context, including maximising the social integration of patients with mental health problems and reducing the negative impact of stigma.
7. Demonstrate awareness of the ethical, regulatory and legal frameworks within which psychiatrists and general practitioners operate, in relation to such issues in their clinical practice.

Advanced Clinical Skills

Advanced Clinical Skills (ACS) combines the teaching of communication, examination skills and basic point-of-care investigations in Children’s Health, Women's Health, Primary Care, ORL and Mental Health contexts.  Students learn about emergency care, differential diagnosis, effective patient-doctor managment planning, and patient safety.  Students are taught to demonstrate accepted professional attitudes and behaviour.  It is assessed by OSCE. 

Learning Outcomes - Advanced Clinical Skills

1. Take a history from people of relevant specialties, across a wide range of different scenarios, showing a patient-centred, sensitive, multicultural, structured and thorough approach, with demonstration of principles of good communication.
2. Undertake system’s based physical examination/mental state examination, appropriate for patient’s age, gender and state of mental and physical health, in a rigorous, sensitive, efficient and systematic manner.
3. Demonstrate awareness of accepted professional attitude and behaviour with patients, carers and colleagues.
4. Demonstrate awareness of patient safety in the specialist areas of children’s health, women's health, community and mental health.
5. Evaluate and analyse common investigative test results, and interpret positive or negative findings therein, and exhibit a further ability to request further appropriate investigations, in the specialty subjects. 
6. Synthesize competently, in the specialist clinical context, all available information gathered from history, examinations and basic investigate testing and formulate a reasonable working diagnosis and differential diagnosis, whilst recognising life threatening conditions that require immediate treatment.
7. Explain effectively diagnosis/prognosis and agree a management plan with the patient, including reference to appropriate additional sources of information.