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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Deanery of Biomedical Sciences : Biomedical Sciences

Undergraduate Course: Emergency Medicine (BIME10062)

Course Outline
SchoolDeanery of Biomedical Sciences CollegeCollege of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will explore the key fundamental concepts that are central to practice and delivery of contemporary Emergency Medicine including resuscitation, time critical interventions, major incidents, decision-making, diagnostics and the assessment of clinical risk.
Course description This course will be subdivided into 4 academic themes together with various topic areas for a poster presentation. Each of the 4 themes will be covered as a combination of tutorials and small group work.
1. Resuscitation
a. Cardiac arrest and peri-arrest rhythms
b. Major injury
c. Sepsis
d. The shocked patient
e. Acute respiratory failure

2. Time critical interventions
a. Stroke thrombolysis
b. Segment elevation myocardial infarction
c. Airway management
d. Emergency Procedures (e.g. chest drain insertion, thoracotomy, intravenous access, surgical airway management)
e. Procedural sedation, analgesia and pain management
f. Reduction of common fractures and dislocations

3. Major Incidents
a. Scene management
b. Emergency Department planning
c. Specific incident types including radiation, chemical, biological and blast injury

4. Decision making, diagnostics and risk
a. How do clinicians make decisions
b. Disease probability and the use of investigations
c. Factors affecting clinical decision making
d. Error in emergency medicine
e. Safety systems and zero harm systems
f. Realistic medicine and shared decision making

Examples of potential topic areas for Poster Presentation
In addition, students will choose 1 example from the following areas and prepare and present a poster to peers and colleagues:
a. Vulnerable patients
b. Complexity, the elderly and frailty
c. Emergency Department attendance, targets, overcrowding and patient flow
d. Triage and rapid assessment systems
e. Patient experience
f. Staff wellbeing and resilience
g. Clinical Leadership and role modelling
h. Effective multidisciplinary educational, research and clinical teams
i. Research priorities in emergency care

This course provides an introduction to Emergency Medicine, including resuscitation, time critical interventions, major incidents and emergency care systems improvement looking at decision making, risk, error, safety, research and quality improvement. The course is taken in conjunction with an associated 20 credit course comprising either Medical Science, Surgical Sciences or Primary Care and will enable students to gain a broad and selectively deeper understanding of the application of biomedical science including anatomy, physiology and pharmacology in the practice of medicine. Students will be taught in tutorials and small groups.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 64, Formative Assessment Hours 10, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 122 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 70 %, Coursework 30 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) End-of-course assessment
A 2 hour written exam in December diet (70%)
In-course assessment
Poster Presentation of a topic chosen from a prescribed list of topics provided to students early in Semester 1 (30%)
Feedback Students will be given formative feedback on a week-by-week basis in relation to performance in tutorials, engagement with course materials, critical discussion of research papers and group and peer work. Students will have a formative essay with feedback. Students will be given feedback following their posters presentation. A structured questionnaire will be used to gather student feedback on the components of the course.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:15
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate understanding of the theories, concepts and principles of modern Emergency Medicine, including essential aspects of Biomedical and Medical Sciences
  2. Apply knowledge skills and understanding to a range of Emergency Department patient groups including: resuscitation, time critical interventions and major incidents.
  3. Critically review and consolidate knowledge and skills in Emergency Medicine and apply to areas such as decision-making, diagnostics and risk.
  4. Effectively communicate information verbally, in writing and via posters.
  5. Work with others to achieve development, review and critical thinking.
Learning Resources
Review articles
Original relevant research journal articles
On-line resources e.g. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, UptoDate
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will have a broad overview of modern Emergency Medicine, including the key issues and priorities within this field. Students will be critical thinkers able to apply the generic quality improvement and clinical research skills they have learned to a future career in any branch of medicine as well as emergency medicine itself. Graduates will be able to evaluate and critically appraise research papers as well as work and communicate effectively in teams.
KeywordsEmergency Medicine,patient,clinical trial,decision-making,intervention,risk,resuscitation
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alasdair Gray
Tel:
Email: alasdair.gray@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Stepha Heck
Tel: (0131 6)50 3160
Email: stepha.heck@ed.ac.uk
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