1991/1992 - Office of the Registrar - McMaster University

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
Falsification of Admission Information
An applicant supplying documentation or evidence which, at the time,
or subsequently, is found to be falsified will be withdrawn from consideration.
Any student admitted to the programme having submitted false
evidence will be asked to withdraw. .
Health Regulations for Admission
Before registration, students must file with the University evidence of a
recent health examination and chest X-ray. More detailed medical information
will be required upon acceptance into the programme.
Clinical Course Requirements
Where, in the opinion of the faculty, the performance of the student in
clinical practice may jeopardize or endanger the welfare of the patient
or the patient's family, the student may be removed from clinical experience
any time during the academic year, until continuation in the
course is reviewed. '
Information and Academic Counselling
In certain programmes, a member of faculty is selected for each student
in the September of entry to a degree programme and provides each
student with advice on evaluations, electives and other educational
needs throughout the programme. In the M.D. programme, the advisor
is also responsible for the collation of all evaluations and completion of
the final transcript. Changes in advisors are entertained as each student
becomes acquainted with faculty well enough to choose'his or her own
advisor.
The academic adViSOry role for B.Sc.N. students is fulfilled by the
Coordinator of Studies (Nursing). Students are also encouraged to consult
individual faculty members regarding career planning.
Students who have difficulty assessing their academic backgrounds in '
relation to the admission requirements should write to the Associate
Registrar (Health Sciences) for a ruling about their individual application.
T ranspoitation
Students are responsible for expenses involved in transporting themselves
to community agenCies, making home visits', or in connection with
clinical study.
The School of Medicine
The School of Medicine, established in 1965, offers major programmes
in undergraduate, postgraduate and graduate medical education. The
clinical programmes use not only the teaching hospital and extensive
ambulatory care and research facilities at the McMaster University Medical
Centre division of the Chedoke··McMaster Hospitals, but also the
clinical teaching units at each of the major Hamilton hospitals and community
health care centres.
The undergraduate medical programme for the M.D. degree was initiated
in 1969, graduating its first students in May of 1972. At present,
100 students are admitted to the programme each year. The academic
programme operates on an eleven months-a-year basIs and students
qualify for the MD. degree at the end of the third ,academic year. The
curriculum has been designed to involve medical students with a broqd
range of ~uman health problems throughout their ,education and to prepare
them for effective working relationships with patients, colleagues,
and society.
Postgraduate training programmes currently include: Anesthesia,
Community Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal
Medicine (and subspecialities), Laboratory Medicine, Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Pediatrics (and subspecialitiesl...Psychiatry, Radiology, and
Surgery (and subspecialities).
More details on these postgraduate programmes are available from
the Associate Registrar (Health Sciences).
The Northern Ontario Medical Programme (NOMP) has been developed
in co-operation with the Thunder Bay-Medical Society and physicians
in towns in Northwestern Ontario: Clinical traIning opportunities
exist in community hospitals adjacent to Hamilton. Excellent clinical
experience in thes.e settings is part of both the undergraduate and postgraduate
medical programmes.
Graduate programmes leading to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees are
offered in Biochemistry and in Medical Sciences. Graduate studies are
based on the health research programmes in the school; with special
emphasis on: Blood and Cardiovascular Disorders; Growth and Devel-
opment;, Neurosciences and Design, Measurement and Evaluation. An
M.H.Sc. (Health Care Practice) programme is interprofessional in nature
and is for experienced health profeSSionals who wish advanced preparation
as clinicians.
THE MEDICAL PROGRAMME
The three-year programme in Medicine uses an approach to learning
that should apply throughout the physician's career. The components
have been organized in a relevant and logical manner with early exposure
to patients and case management Flexibility is ensured to allow for
the variety of student backgrounds and career goals.
General Objectives
The aim of the undergraduate medical programme is to provide students
with a general profeSSional education as physicians. The programme
enables students to build on previous education and experience, using
available learning resoilrces and opportunities. The competencies
achieved by graduates will qualify them to proceed to further postgraduate
training. While most graduates will be involved directly with the care
of individual patients, it is expected that some will choose careers concerned
with the health of populations and the development of new
knowledge.
The overriding objective to achieved is the demonstrated ability
tq identify, analyze and manage clinical problems in order to provide
effective, efficient and humane patient care.
Enabling objectives consisting of knowledge, skills and personal
qualities comprise the follOWing.
Knowledge: To acquire and put into practice concepts and information
required to understand arid manage health care problems. The
study of human structure, function and behaviour will be guided by an
analysis of the determinants of health and illness. A spectrum of factors
will be considered in both the external and internal environments of individuals
when deciding on preventive, therapeutic, reh'~bilitative and supportive
management.
Skills: To acquire and use the fo!!ovJing skills:
1. Critical Appraisal Skills: The application of eertain rules of evidence
to clinical, investigational and published data in order to determine
their validity and applicability.
2. Clinical Skills: The ability to acquire, interpret, syhthesize and
record clinical information in managing the health problems of
patients, considering their physiCal, social and emotional function.
Included is the use of the clinical reasoning process.
3. Self-Directed Learning Skills: The ability to identify areas of deficiency
in one's own performance, fin'd appropriate educational
resources, evaluate personal learning progress and use new knowledge
and skills in the care of patients.
Personal Qualities: To recognize, develop and maintain the pe~sonal
qualities required for a career as a health professional. Acquiring
the authority to intervene in the lives of patients carries with it the obligation
to act responsibly:
1. toward oneself: to recognize and acknowledge personal assets,
emotional reactions and limitations in one's own knowledge, skills
and attitudes, to build on one's assets and to overcome areas of
limitation;
2. toward patients and their families: to b~ able, under appropriate
supervision, to take responsibility for the assessment and care of
patients and their families;
3. toward colleagues: to contribute to productive communication and
co-operation among colleagues engaged in learning, research or
health care;
4. toward the community: to contribute to the maintenance and
improvement of the health of the general population.
Learning Methods
To achieve the objectives of the undergraduate medical pro~ral1)me, students
are introduced to patients with health problems within the first level
of the curriculum. In this way, students understand the relevance of what
they are learning, maintain a high degree of motivation and begin to
understand the importance of responsible professional attitudes.
The students are presented with a series of health care problems,
requiring for their solution, the understanding of underlying physical,
biological and behavioural principles, the appropriate collection of data
and the critical appraisal of eVidence. In each problem area, the student
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