AC7047 - Health History and Examination

There are a range of approaches employed for your learning. There will be lectures based upon the systems and common clinical conditions. You will be expected to learn as a group and be involved in groups work to solve problems. You will undertake case-based problem solving both at the university and in clinical practice. You will explore clinical conditions on formal clinically based learning sessions. There will be demonstrations of clinical skills of which you will be required to practice in class as well as in the clinical environment. On-line material will be available to support your learning throughout the module. You will be allocated to clinical practice areas that will compliment your learning needs.
You will have access to 24/7 generic IT support and access to a full range of student administration and support services offered by Northumbria University which includes library and learning support outlined in the module handbook.

During this module you will be supported in several ways. Firstly, you will be supported by the module tutor who will guide you through the requirements of the module and be a link with educational (clinical) supervisors. The module tutor will provide you with academic advice, guide you through the module assignments, and provide individual tutorials, as well as individual progress reports and feedback.
You will have an educational (clinical) supervisor whose responsibility it is to ensure that you are supported in practice, have the appropriate experiences to allow you to progress, monitor your progress, and provide individual feedback and sign off your competence documentation. This could be the same person that is identified as your educational (clinical) supervisor in year two of the programme. Methods of learning development and assessment include Assessment of Clinical Expertise (ACE or mini-ACE) Case-Based Discussions (CBD), Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (MiniCEX), Directly Observed Practical Skills (DOPS), Electronic Care Records (ECR), Multisource Feedback (MSF) and Acute Care Assessment Tool (ACAT) where appropriate. These are recognised methods of assessment used by medical practitioners and endorsed by a number of medical colleges including the Royal College of General Practitioners.
The programme leader will be available to offer support and deal with any programme related issue that may arise.
Should you have any additional or specific learning needs, these can be discussed with the module tutor as and when they arise. If you have an existing disability which affects your learning or may believe you have a disability that impacts upon your ability to learn, you may be eligible to access help from the university student support team. The student support team will liaise with the module tutor to ensure you are offered appropriate support to help you get the most from your studies.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate a structured approach to the completion of a thorough and concise clinical history and develop mastery of targeted physical examinations.
2. Critically reflect on clinical decisions and clinical actions in relation to evidenced based literature and medico-legal requirements appropriate to your clinical role.
3. Demonstrate achievement of clinical competencies within the practice setting and submit a signed record of achievement

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
4. Effectively document findings and communicate with other members of the multi-disciplinary teams.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. You will work collaboratively with peers in a learning community, this will help you to develop professional networks and peer support opportunities, while formulating an action-plan to meet your own personal, professional goals as part of a strategy for lifelong learning and professional learning

Formative Assessment
You will receive verbal formative feedback throughout the module from the module lead, peers and clinical educators and supervisors. You will undertake a series of meetings with your clinical educator to review your performance and organise appropriate learning and development.
(MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Summative Assessment
The summative assessment for this module has two parts
1. Critical analysis of evidence for an enhanced case history.
You are required to analyse the evidence used in the assessment of a patient. This means examining clinical decisions and application of an evidence-based approach. Critical analysis will include a reflective component aimed at evaluating your learning.
2500-word maximum (100%)
This is an electronic submission via the university electronic Learning Portal. Feedback will be electronic and individualised to identify good practice and suggest areas for development.
(MLO 1, 2, 5)

2. Part A: is a multi-station OSCE that assesses foundational skills for practice. Feedback will be electronic via the eLearning portal.
Part B: is a completed competence document for application and development of foundational skills assessed in part A.
Evidence of competence will include direct observation of practice (DOPS)/Clinical examination and procedural skills (CEPS) where appropriate in primary care, mini clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX), case-based discussions (CBD), Multisource feedback (MSF) including Patient satisfaction questionnaire PSQ)-where appropriate in primary care, acute care assessment tool-where appropriate (ACAT), electronic care records (ECR). You will maintain a patient contact log. Reflective accounts on practice are a required. Your educational (clinical) supervisor will be the signatory of completion. (MLO 2 3, 4,5)

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This module has been designed to enable you to become competent in the history taking and examination of patients that will help you to achieve capability in the Clinical Practice pillar of Advanced Clinical Practice. The module has been designed to provide an essential foundation for development of skills necessary for becoming an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) regardless of your clinical professional background. You will learn in both the university and clinical environments with the help of academic and clinical educators. Teaching and learning methods will include lectures, demonstrations, practical application, supervised practice, critical analysis of evidence and personal reflection. Your practice environment is expected to facilitate learning opportunities to enable you to gain experience and develop your skills and knowledge, this should be under the supervision of a competent practitioner.
You will be assessed in two ways. The first method of assessment will be a clinical review, which allows you to analyse the evidence base behind aspects of clinical assessment. Critical analysis of research and evidence is a recurring theme throughout the module of which you will be encouraged to become involved through formal teaching, case presentations, clinical practice, and module assessment. The second method of assessment is by a clinically focussed assessment which has two parts Part A: the completion of clinical skills in an examination scenario (OSCE) to demonstrate safety and competence at a set point early in the module; and Part B: completion of a clinical competence document under the supervision of your nominated educational (clinical) supervisor. Both part A and B must be passed.