Courses run by CPHS
Health and Society (Year 1)
Course Organiser: Jenni Harden (CPHS)
The Health and Society course aims to introduce students to the key psychological, social, public health (epidemiology, health promotion and occupational health) and ethical concepts. Understanding of these concepts is developed by reflection on their application to health and illness behaviour, the experience of illness and disability, risks for ill health through the life cycle, and health care provision and utilisation.
Introduction to Clinical Practice (Year 2)
Course Organiser: Owen George
This course based in 19 general practices throughout Edinburgh aims to introduce the student to the diagnostic (history taking and examination), therapeutic and practical skills that are central to their future practice of clinical medicine.
Public Health for Clinical Practice (Year 3)
Course Organiser: Raj Bhopal (CPHS)
This module is held as part of the introductory review at the beginning of the year and builds on the CPHS teaching in earlier years. Special emphasis is given to aspects of epidemiology, health economics and health promotion relevant to the clinical management of individual patients. Examples are drawn from clinical areas in which parallel clinical teaching is taking place to enhance students' to appreciation of the clinical relevance of the material and to promote horizontal integration of learning.
General Practice: Diagnosis (Year 4)
Course Organiser: Karen Fairhurst (CPHS)
This course is co-ordinated within CPHS but mostly delivered through a cohort of 27 teaching general practices in Edinburgh, West, East and Mid Lothian and the Borders. Students are attached singly to practices. The focus of the course is the development of clinical, communication, consultation and organisational skills; and patient centred professional attitudes to enable students to evaluate and diagnose patients' health problems in general practice, in an effective, efficient and holistic way.
General Practice: Patient Management (Year 5)
Course Organiser: Lorraine McGuigan (CPHS)
This course is co-ordinated within CPHS but mostly delivered through a cohort of 30 teaching general practices in Edinburgh. Students are attached singly to practices. The focus of the course is preparing students for professional practice through development of the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to manage, effectively and holistically, the wide range of patients and problems that present in general practice.
Student Selected Component (SSC) (Years 2 & 4)
Co-ordinator: Brian McKinstry (CPHS)
Year 2: In year 2 the SSC is a group activity (groups of about 8 students, working together over a period of about 4 weeks). The group can elect to pursue a public health or primary care topic.
Year 4: In year 4 the SSC is an individual activity, and aim is for the student to learn/consolidate basic research skills, including critical appraisal and study design. Each student can elect to pursue a public health or primary care SSC project. CPHS offers a wide range of topics such as allergy, ethnicity and health, doctor-patient communication, palliative care, reproductive health and preventative health care.
One possibility in year 4 is for students is to participate in an initiative which aims to produce an online review series describing the evidence behind World Health Organisation recommendations for paediatric care in hospitals in developing countries. This International Child Health Collaboration produces evidence-based guidelines for paediatric health care, and also provides 'real-life' learning opportunities for undergraduate medical students from the University of Edinburgh and four other universities across the world. Further details, including a list of some reviews already completed: ICHC SSC projects
