The department of surgery will run four modules for undergraduate (B.Ch) course. The modules are organised with the drifts model of performance principle and strategy for learning of clinical skills (Novice – Advanced Beginner – Competent – Proficient – Expert).
Our goal is to take the surgical novice at the end of year 2 to an advanced undergraduate surgical beginner by the end of year 3. Year 4 will produce a competent candidate as far as undergraduate surgery is concerned. The goal of year five is produce a proficient if not, an expert graduate in surgery from UNAM School of Medicine.
The modules are practical with considerate amount of clinical teaching.
- Module I: Year 3 , during this period students are introduced to surgery. They are expected to gain practical experience in how to take a good surgical history, do a thorough clinical examination and requests appropriate investigations.
- Module II: Year 4 and Module III: Year 4,In Year 4, the following surgical sub-specialties are cover: Urology, Otorhinolaryngology, Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic and Ophthalmology.
- Module IV: Year 5 semesters 1and2: This will cover General Surgery, Paediatric Surgery and Trauma. During this period students are expected to consolidated theoretical knowledge and clinical experience.
Students are expected to gain practical experience in centres identified by the department for this purpose outside Windhoek. They are expected to be proficient in coherent surgical history taking, thorough clinical examination, and requests for relevant ancillary investigations and plan appropriate surgical management. Students are required to have performed all the procedures attached to their module logbooks.
Surgery Clerkship Competencies
- Medical and Scientific Knowledge. Demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioural sciences and apply this knowledge in caring for ill and healthy patients of all ages.
- Patient Care and Prevention. Demonstrate patient centred care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the promotion of health, quality of life, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and the end of life.
- Professionalism and Self-Awareness. Demonstrate a commitment to professional service, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to diverse patient populations, and awareness of one's own interests and vulnerabilities.
- Practice-Based, Life-Long Learning. Demonstrate the ability to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence to evaluate and improve patient care practices.
- Systems-Based, Inter Professional Practice. Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context of health care and be able to call on system resources and other health care professionals to provide optimal care.
