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UNDERGRADUATE
TRAINING
Clinical posting
in Psychological Medicine lasts four weeks for 3rd year and 4th
year medical undergraduates and two weeks for final year medical
undergraduates. During this period, the student will have the opportunity
to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the management
of patients with psychiatric disorders.
Clinical clerkship consists of postings in the wards and outpatient
clinics at the National University Hospital (NUH), Woodbridge Hospital,
Institute of Mental Health, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore General
Hospital and Changi General Hospital. Teaching consists mainly didactic
lectures, information-technology based lecture-cum-discussion, seminars,
workshops, problem-based learning conferences, clinical tutorials
and video-tape demonstrations.
Objectives
Professional
objectives
- To adopt a holistic,
biopsychosocial approach in the practice of medicine.
- To conduct a psychiatric
evaluation of an emotionally disturbed or mentally ill patient.
- To discuss the interactions
of predisposition, precipitant and illness in a given patient.
- To discuss the interaction
of biological, socio-cultural and psychological factors in the
aetiology of a disorder in a patient.
- To assess and manage
psychiatric emergencies e.g. suicidal or aggressive patient.
Learning
objectives
- To acquire basic knowledge
of emotional and psychological development from childhood to senescence,
with special attention to socio-cultural influences.
- To be able to take
a psychiatric history and perform a mental state examination.
- To be familiar with
conditions listed in the core nosology.
- To understand how
psychiatric states may relate to disturbances of bodily functions.
- To be familiar with
basic psychopharmacology and the therapeutic use of psychotropic
drugs.
- To be cognisant of
basic principles of counselling and behavioural treatment.
- To appreciate and
practise effective communciation skills in patient-doctor relationships.
Each
clinical group (7 to 9 students) are assigned to two principal tutors
at the respective hospitals. Assessment will be based on presentation
and participation during tutorials, multiple choice questions (MCQ),
objective structured-clinical examination (OSCE), case write-ups,
seminar presentation and clinical case assessment.
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