Curriculum

Introduction

The education of medical students in Canberra and the region has a history of almost two decades with programs being run for final year of University of Queensland (UQ) students in the 1980's followed by the development of the Canberra Clinical School (CCS) of the University of Sydney (USYD) in the 1990's. The success of the latter led to the decision to develop The Australian National University (ANU) Medical School. The School has been allocated 3 Medical Rural Bonded Scholarships, 57 Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) funded students, 20 Bonded Medical Places and will enrol up to 12 international students. The first student intake was in 2004 with year 3 commencing in 2006.

The Objectives of the medical course

The program, underpinned by biomedical, population health, behavioural and social sciences, aims to produce graduates who are committed to compassionate ethical health care and the expansion of medical knowledge.

• Our graduates will be responsive to the health care needs of individuals, communities, and populations, and will be committed to improving the health care system at all levels.
• Our graduates will understand the concept of professionalism and be committed to successful professional practice, both locally, nationally and internationally.
• Our graduates will understand the role and responsibility of the medical profession as a contributor to public debate and policy development on matters of broad social and international importance.
• The program seeks to promote an understanding of international health, human rights, the impacts of globalisation and have a multicultural perspective on health and health care.
• Our graduates will have the ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams and will understand its importance in patient safety and quality improvement.
• Our graduates will recognise the need for decision making in circumstances of uncertainty and will have the capacity to make and justify rational and sensitive decisions based on best available evidence
• Our graduates will be mindful of their own well-being, and will know how to maintain their own mental and physical health in order to remain fit to practice.
• The program seeks to recruit students who come from diverse backgrounds, including rural and indigenous.
• Our graduates will develop life-long self directed learning skills and achieve pre-defined competencies