Introductory description

As this is the core concepts module that starts the course, students will be introduced to a range of topics and concepts spanning health, biomedical and medical sciences.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Throughout the module students will be introduced to new language and terminologies used by the biomedical, medical and health sciences disciplines, covering key concepts, theories and principles, and will develop the confidence and capability to use their new vocabulary appropriately.

In the medical sciences, students will be introduced to core anatomical concepts including the building blocks of the human body, including genes, cells, and tissues, and how these relate and inter-relate with functional anatomy and physiology, the normal function and regulation of the body.

In the health sciences, core concepts in health and illness including psychological and sociological perspectives will be introduced along with the concept of lifespan and health span. Incidence and prevalence are important concepts in disease and will be introduced alongside an introduction to epidemiological concepts and methods.

The concept of patient safety will be introduced and will be used to frame the introduction of health systems including an overview of the history of NHS and other health system models globally.

Concepts in medical and health sciences will invoke a consideration of the ethical and medical legal dimension of health and how important these fields are when considering equitable human health and wellbeing.

Students will be introduced to effective skills for study and case-based learning including its application as a pedagogical approach and the chief instructional method of this course.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• 1. Describe the key concepts, theories and principles which will underpin an understanding of health and medical sciences
• 2. Demonstrate appropriate use of standard terminology and nomenclature across a range of health care disciplines and interacting fields of interest, and appreciate the differences and similarities in scope & language through applied examples
• 3. Extract, compile and interrelate relevant information from a variety of resources
• 4. Identify the concepts underpinning case based learning (CBL) to allow engagement with real-world problems using a CBL approach

Indicative reading list

1. Alberts B., et al., (2009) Essential cell biology. 3rd edition, Taylor & Francis Inc.
2. Tortora and Derrickson (2008) Principles of anatomy and physiology volume 1& 2. 12th edition, Wiley.
3. Marshall and Roe (2016) Health Sciences: Concepts and applications. Goodheart-Wilcox Publisher. 4. Thistlethwaite J.E., et al., (2012) The effectiveness of case-based learning in health professional education. A BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 23. Med Teach. 34(6): e421-44.
4. Frenk J. et al. (2010) health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world. The Lancet, 376, 1923 – 1958.
5. Craig C. (2009) Study skills for health and social care students. SAGE publications ltd.

Subject specific skills

Using basic health and medical sciences specific language, terms and nomenclature
Comprehending underpinning concepts of health and medical sciences, and their basic interrelationships
Showing sensitivity to socio-economic factors and interplay between factors affecting health and experience of illness and disease
Using many different communication forms/styles to work alone or with others successfully (verbal, non-verbal, written, illustration, graphical)

Transferable skills

Communication skills, integration of topics and subjects, problem solving, time management.