Queens University Belfast

School of Medicine and Dentistry

Phase 3 Clinical Placement Student Selected Component
Generic Study Guide

CONTENTS
Page
Introduction

Important Dates

Teaching Staff and Resources

Student Support and Guidance

University Regulations

Learning Outcomes

Assessment

10

Example of SSC Diary

13

SSC Diary

15

Resource material & suggested reading

18

Intimate examination guidelines for students

21

Marking schemes

25

Introduction to the Clinical SSC

In this SSC, you will have the opportunity to study in depth an area of clinical
practice. You will take a full part in the life of the unit that you are attached to. SSCs
should encourage the development of abilities in self study, critical thinking and
problem solving.
This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about an area that you are
interested in and you can develop your history taking skills as well as seeing lots of
interesting procedures. We expect that you work all 15 days and either be present in
the ward/outpatients clinics/day procedure units/operating theatres etc. or be
involved in self-directed learning. The total study time for the SSC is 120 h. i.e. 40
hours per week should be spent on this work.
The assessment outcomes for this module will be a CASE, PROJECT and a
completed signed DIARY. See pages 10-12 of this study guide for further
information.
If you run into any problems during the SSC, you should first contact the module
coordinator. If there is a problem in the hospital that you are in, then contact the
pastoral tutor in that hospital (see http://www.qub.ac.uk/cm/guidance/ for details). For any
other SSC related problems, contact the semester SSC coordinator, or the
Programme SSC coordinator (p5). The details of other people to contact for student
support and guidance are given on pages 5 and 6 of this Study Guide.

Important Dates
3rd September 2007

First day of SSC. Meet with module coordinator and

discuss the clinics and other sessions you will need to
attend, details of your project work, find out where to
hand in work etc. Schedule dates into SSC diary.

14th September 2007

Hand in case report to designated person as discussed

above and arrange time for feed back.

21st September 2007

Last day of SSC. Project work must be handed in by this

date at the latest. Ensure Diary has been signed.

TEACHING STAFF
QUB Staff
SSC Programme Coordinator
Dr Vivienne Crawford, v.crawford@qub.ac.uk
Year 3 SSC Coordinators
Autumn Prof Denis Johnston,g.d.johnston@qub.ac.uk /f.price@qub.ac.uk
Spring Prof Sheena Lewis, s.e.lewis@qub.ac.uk
Information on Facilities in Hospitals and who to contact for help while on
placement: http://www.qub.ac.uk/fmhs/sumde/Index.htm

Information about Student Support and Guidance

1.

Head of Student Support

Miss G Silvestri, Head of Student Support and Guidance
Contact: 028 90 63 31 52 (answering machine available outside main
office hours)
Please arrange an appointment using the above telephone number

2.

Tutor
If you do not know who your Tutor is or how to contact them speak to Mrs
Perpetua Lewis, Department of Ophthalmology
Contact: 028 9063 3152 or email p.lewis@qub.ac.uk

3.

The Web
Student Support and Guidance Website: http://www.qub.ac.uk/cm/guidance/
Students News site: http://www.qub.ac.uk/cm/mednews/
Information on Facilities in Hospitals and who to contact for help while on
attachment: http://www.qub.ac.uk/cm/guidance/

4.

School Office
Curricula enquiries: Linda McGuinness
l.mcguinness@qub.ac.uk, Tel: 028 9097 1448
Exam Enquiries: Mrs Arlene Stockman
a.stockman@qub.ac.uk, Tel: 028 9097 5963
Student Support: Mrs Nicola Swenarton
n.swenarton@qub.ac.uk, 028 9097 1451

5.

Female Medical Student Counsellor

Dr Ann Harper: 028 9026 3009 or 028 9024 0503 Ext 2506

University Regulations 2007-2008

Plagiarism
Blatant cheating, i.e presenting work done completely by someone else and
representing it as your own, is an academic offence and may result in you receiving
no marks for the module (see Para 7.17 -7.29 of the General Regulations, University
Calendar 2006/2007). It is also a fitness to practice issue and may result in you
being expelled from Medical School.
If you quote another persons work, you must acknowledge this fully by means of a
reference in the text (source to be given in the reference list) and putting the
quotation in quotation marks i.e. . This also applies if you use verbatim short
sections from a source.
Paraphrasing statements/text of factual knowledge or ideas from published works,
lectures or WEB sources is not plagiarism if you reference the original source and
the paraphrasing is not too extensive. If in doubt dont!! You will lose marks for
excessive paraphrasing.
Any diagrams, tables, graphs etc which have been taken directly from a source or
modified from a source must include appropriate details of the author and source, as
well as being acknowledged: e.g. from Bloggs et al. 1998 or adapted from Bloggs et
al. 1998.
Attendance
Full attendance is expected, as is submission of course work and contribution to
group work. In keeping with University Regulations students must inform their School
of any absences from examinations or compulsory components of their courses and
to submit medical certificates or other evidence of extenuating circumstances within
3 days of returning to their studies.
University Calendar General Regulations http://www.qub.ac.uk/info/calendar/
Late submission of work
Students who submit work late will be penalised. Coursework signed in after the
published submission deadline will be automatically penalised at the rate of 5%
marks for each day late, up to a maximum of 5 working days late, after which a mark
of zero will be awarded.
NOTE: exemption from late penalties will be the exception rather than the rule
(please refer to the Notes for Undergraduate Medical Students Booklet for guidance
regarding extenuating circumstances). Application for late submission of coursework
should be made using the approved form available from the School Office and
submitted to the member(s) of staff designated by the School within 3 days after the
deadline for submission of the work.
Mobile phones
Mobile telephones and electronic messaging devices must be switched off during all
lectures, tutorials, practical classes, clinical teaching sessions and class tests.

For further information on regulations, please read the Pathway

Specific Regulations for Medicine issued to all students at the start
of each academic year.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
SKILLS
By the end of the SSC the student should be able to demonstrate:
1.

Competence in clinical skills

2.

Appropriate decision making skills, clinical reasoning and judgment

3.

Competence in retrieval, handling and presentation of information

4.

Competence in communication

5.

Ability to weigh up and balance ethical arguments

ATTITUDE
By the end of the SSC the student should demonstrate:
1

Reflection on learning

Ability for self-directed learning

Responsibility for own learning

Appropriate approach to patient care

Team working

UNDERSTANDING
By the end of the SSC the student should have an understanding of:
1.

The doctors role within the health service

2.

An understanding of basic and clinical sciences and their underlying

principles

3.

Health promotion and disease prevention

4.

Research methods and limitations

ASSESSMENT
The final assessment mark is made up of:
Individual case presentation
Group or individual project
+ submission of signed diary record
+ elements of interest & motivation and reliability
Marking schemes can be found on p25-26.
The Diary should be handed in at the end of the course while the case should
be handed in no later than the Friday of week 2. Adequate time must be
allowed for case marking and feedback. During the attachment the student
should interact with all levels within the medical team. They should also
develop an awareness of the roles of the nurses and the other professions
allied to medicine (ie. Physiotherapists, Social Services, Pharmacists,
Occupational therapists etc.).

Written Case (40%)

During the clinical attachment you will write up a case in detail and a commentary.
See below for details of how to approach this work. This will be discussed with you
by the consultant in your unit and you will be given feedback on these.
Within the first two days select a patient who you have come across in any of the
clinical areas and work up their case for presentation. This should be handed in by
the end of week 2. You must hand in 2 hard copies to the module coordinator and
also email a copy to the SSC Semester coordinator (see p5). One marked copy will
be returned to you and the other marked copy will be retained for future GMC and
Subject Review inspections. The written case will not be word limited but its length
and content should be appropriate for the subject matter being covered. Students
may lose marks if it is felt the case is incomplete or too lengthy (see marking scheme
p25-26). Care should therefore be taken when deciding what is appropriate to
include. If the student is uncertain regarding appropriateness of subject matter they
should consult with a member of the clinical team they are attached to.
In writing up this case you should.
Take a full history. This should include a history of the presenting
complaint, the past history, medications, an occupational history, a family
history and an assessment of personal and family circumstances.
Examine all systems focusing particularly on the system, which is most
likely to provide information of help in diagnosis and record the findings of
your examination. You should perform a mental state examination where
appropriate. At the end of the clerkship you should be able to examine
each system in a competent and practiced manner and be confident in the
accuracy of your findings.

Formulate a problem list and make a differential diagnosis.

10

List the investigations, which you would consider appropriate and be able
to justify your choice. The investigations should help support the final
diagnosis. You should be able to describe the purpose of an investigation
and give an outline of the procedure in language, which can be
understood by patients.
Describe all forms of therapy appropriate. If drug therapy you should list
drugs (using Generic names) written in block capitals and stating dose
and route of administration. You will be expected to know the mode of
action of commonly used drugs and their side effects and interactions.
Make an assessment of the disability likely to result from this illness and
decide on appropriate measures for rehabilitation.
Detail the advice you would give to the patient.

Before commencing your case project ensure you familiarise yourself with the
regulations for performing an intimate examination. NO STUDENT SHOULD
EXAMINE A PATIENT WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GIVE
CONSENT.

Project (40%)

This can be an individual or group project. The preparation, content, timeliness and
delivery of the project contribute another 40% of the marks. Information about the
project and your group members (if any) will be given at the introductory session.
Each group member should contribute to the project presentation and its preparation.
This should be handed in at the end of the course (2 hard copies to the module
coordinator and also email a copy to the SSC Semester coordinator (see p5). For
presentations, you should provide your PowerPoint presentation. One marked copy
will be returned to you and the other marked copy will be retained for future GMC and
Subject Review inspections. The project can take different formats: a patient
information sheet; an audit study or a literature search and presentation. Either way
you will have an opportunity to discuss which type of project you will be doing with
your SSC coordinator on the first day of the SSC. The length of the project will not
be limited but should be appropriate to the subject matter being covered (see
comments on same in written case). An audit is a method of assessing compliance
with a given standard. It should include the guidelines to be audited, a presentation of
your data, how this data compares with the guidelines and any recommendations you
would make depending on your results. Examples of patient information sheets can
be found in most outpatient departments. Students should liaise with an appropriate
specialist nurse (ie. COPD, diabetes, stroke, incontinence etc.) as their assistance
may be invaluable.

11

CLINICAL ASSESSMENT TASKS

DIARY

There is a blank diary contained within this study guide. A completed diary is also
provided as an example of how it should be completed. Following a discussion at the
initial meeting with your consultant you should make a list of the activities and
procedures that you are to take part in or watch and schedule these into the diary.
The diary must be signed by a consultant in the unit to which you are attached to
indicate that you have attended and have satisfactorily completed the tasks.
Students must complete their clinical attachment satisfactorily.

e.g. See example (below)

Example for diary for the Respiratory Unit at the BCH
Respiratory Unit at BCH the actual specialist clinics will depend on the
consultant who you have been assigned to. You are very welcome to attend any
other sessions of interest but only 2 students can attend most of the sessions at one
time. All students should aim to attend at least 2 multi-disciplinary team meetings and
3 specialist clinics.
Example list
Bronchoscopy session (all students)
Pulmonary function testing (all students)
Exercise testing (all students)
Pulmonary rehabilitation in the gym (all students)
Tutorials as scheduled (all students)
MDT Cancer (all students)
For those in the CF group: CF Research Meeting; CF Clinic;
CF Multi-disciplinary team meeting
For those in the asthma group: Difficult asthma clinic, Ward follow-up asthma

12

Example of a completed SSC Diary

Student Name:
Title of SSC:
Hospital:
Supervisor:

AN Example
Respiratory Medicine
Belfast City Hospital
Professor JS Elborn
Morning

Lunch

Semester

Afternoon

Signature

WEEK 1
3.9.2007

8.00 Introduced to
Department and
found out about
clinics and other
opportunities.
Discussed project
9.15 10.30
Bronchiectasis MDT
and
Ward Round (JSE)
10.30 CF MDT
Presentation (JSE)
11.00 1.00
CFMDT/Ward
Round (JSE)

Select patient
for case study

Attended
Chest Clinic
with LGH

4.9.2007

Bronchoscopy
session

Read up about
case

Pulmonary
rehabilitation
in gym

5.9.2007

Difficult Asthma
Clinic with LGH

Discussed case
with JSE

CF Clinic
(JSE)

6.9.2007

Lung cancer clinic

(RS)

Read up about
case

Private study
for case report

7.9.2007

8.30 10.00
Bronchiectasis Clinic
(JSE)
10.00 11.30
General Respiratory
Clinic (JSE)

13.00-15.00
MDT Cancer
(all)

Worked on
case report

10.9.2007

8.30-9.00
Discussed project
work with JSE
9.15 10.30
Bronchiectasis MDT
and
Ward Round (JSE)
10.30 CF MDT
Presentation (JSE)
11.00 1.00
CFMDT/Ward
Round (JSE)

WEEK 2
Worked on
project/case

Worked on
project/case

13

11.9.2007

12.9.2007
13.9.2007
14.9.2007

Morning
Pulmonary function
testing

Lunch
Worked on
project/case

Scleroderma/primary
pulmonary
hypertension (MR)
TB Clinic (RS)

Worked on
project/case

Afternoon
Worked on
project
16.00
Attended
Respiratory
Research
Meeting
CF Clinic
(JSE)

Worked on
project/case
Worked on
project/case

Chest clinic
(JMcM)
Handed in
case report

8.30 10.00
Bronchiectasis Clinic
(JSE)
10.00 11.30
General Respiratory
Clinic (JSE)
11.30 14.00
Cystic Fibrosis Clinic
(JSE)

Signature

Worked on
project

WEEK 3
17.9.2007

8.00 Discussed
progress with JSE
9.15 10.30
Bronchiectasis MDT
and
Ward Round (JSE)
10.30 CF MDT
Presentation (JSE)
11.00 1.00
CFMDT/Ward
Round (JSE)
Bronchoscopy

Worked on
project

Chest Clinic
(LGH)

Worked on
project

19.9.2007

Difficult Asthma
Clinic (LGH)

Worked on
project

Worked on
project
16.00
Attended
Respiratory
Research
Meeting
Sleep
disorders clinic

20.9.2007

Exercise testing

21.9.2007

8.30 10.00
Bronchiectasis Clinic
(JSE)
10.00 11.30
General Respiratory
Clinic (JSE)
11.30 14.00
Cystic Fibrosis Clinic
(JSE)

Worked on
project
Worked on
project

18.9.2007

Worked on
project
15.00 Gave
oral
presentation
Handed in
project
Handed in
completed
diary

14

SSC Diary
Student Name:
Title of SSC:
Hospital:
Supervisor:

Semester

Morning

Lunch

Afternoon

Signature

WEEK 1
3.9.2007

4.9.2007

5.9.2007

6.9.2007

7.9.2007

15

WEEK 2
10.9.2007

11.9.2007

12.9.2007

13.9.2007

14.9.2007

16

WEEK 3
17.9.2007

18.9.2007

19.9.2007

20.9.2007

21.9.2007

17

Resource Material & Suggested Reading

Most, if not all the information you require regarding history taking and clinical
examination

can

be

found

on

the

http://www.qub.ac.uk/cskills/index.htm

or

QUB

clinical

skills

web

site:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/cskills/Skills

%20resource/skills_resource.htm
If you encounter any difficulties in this area or are unsure of what you have found you
should discuss this with a member of the clinical team to which you are attached.
Remember that all the course material for the scientific basis of medicine is available
online or on disc and you should refer to this when necessary. You may be covering
areas on your clinical SSC that you have yet to cover in your lectures. As such you
may wish to refer to the lectures and discuss areas that you do not understand with
the clinical team to which you are attached.
Some websites offer comprehensive medical and other specialty texts. These
include:

http://www.emedicine.com/

An online searchable text book covering all specialties and regularly updated.
The site uses American English when entering search terms ie. Esophagus rather
than oesophagus.

http://www.merck.com/pubs/

Free searchable online medical texts for medical professionals as well as for
patients and care givers. It has several different texts that can be searched by
system or symptom.
1.

Manual of Diagnosis & Therapy

http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html

2.

Manual of Geriatrics
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mm_geriatrics/

3.

Manual of Health & Aging

http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/contents.html

4.

Home Edition
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html
This is a text book aimed at patients and their care givers. It may be
useful if preparing patient information sheets or in explaining
medical terms that you do not understand.

18

There are a number of organizations that provide clinical guidelines and these may
be useful when designing an audit, patient information leaflet or writing up a case.
The organizations can be accessed and searched online.

NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence)

http://www.nice.org.uk/
NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national
guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health in
England and Wales.

SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network)

http://www.sign.ac.uk/
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) was formed in 1993.
Its stated objective is to improve the quality of health care for patients in
Scotland by reducing variation in practice and outcome, through the
development and dissemination of national clinical guidelines containing
recommendations for effective practice based on current evidence.

CREST (Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team)

http://www.crestni.org.uk/
The Clinical Resource Efficiency Support Team was established in 1988
under the auspices of the DHSS (NI) Medical Advisory Structure. Its formation
was at the instigation of the medical profession because of concerns about
the increasingly competitive pressures on scarce health service resources.

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit and

independent organization, dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate
information about the effects of healthcare readily available worldwide. It
produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare interventions
and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other
studies of interventions.
The major product of the Collaboration is the Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews which is published quarterly as part of The Cochrane
Library.
Or
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/index.htm.
Or
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/mrwhome/106568753/HOME

PubMed is a free search engine offering access to the MEDLINE

database of citations and abstracts of biomedical research articles. The
core subject is medicine, and PubMed covers fields related to
medicine, such as nursing and other allied health disciplines.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed

19

The Royal Colleges can also be accessed online and most can be searched for
college publications and guidelines

http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/
Physicians (Edinburgh)
http://www.rcplondon.ac.ukPhysicians (London)

http://www.rcpsg.ac.uk

Physicians & Surgeons (Glasgow)

http://www.rcog.org.uk

Obstetricians & Gynaecologists

http://www.rcseng.ac.uk

Surgeons (England)

http://www.rcpch.ac.uk

Paediatrics

http://www.rcgp/org.uk

General Practitioners

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk

Psychiatrists

Within each speciality there are various sub-specialities. ie. Within medicine
you may have care of the elderly, respiritory, gastroenterology etc. These
specialities may have their own society that provides guidelines and
publications. ie.

http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk
http://www.bgs.org.uk

British Thoracic Society

British Geriatric Society

http://www.bad.org.uk

Dermatology

http://www.bsg.org.uk

Gastroenterology

This is of course only a small example of what can be found. An efficient

search engine should be able to get you what you are looking for. Not all
specialities have a free search facility or free publications. However, most
topics are covered by NICE, CREST & SIGN and these sites can be searched
free of charge.

20

Intimate Examination of Patients by Students

1. Background:
a.
b.

c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

h.

All students within the Medical School will at times see and are
expected to examine intimate parts of patients bodies.
There is a difference between inspection and examination for the
purposes of this document: inspection simply involves a student
looking at an intimate part of a patient while a medical practitioner
performs an examination. Consent for the student to be present will
be required in the normal way but is not considered further in this
document. Examination is where the student performs a physical
examination under supervision. This document offers guidance on
correct procedures for a medical student performing such an
examination.
For the purposes of this Guideline, Intimate Part will be defined as
breast, external and internal female genitalia, penis, scrotum and
rectum.
Increasingly there is reluctance by patients to be examined by a
student in addition to their healthcare provider: this applies whether
the patient is conscious or under anaesthetic.
It is necessary that any intimate examination of a patient by a student
should be appropriately structured, supervised and consented in the
interests of patient, student and teacher.
Where this is the case, there is rarely a problem. However, where the
examination is inappropriate or unconsented it may constitute the
criminal or civil offence of Battery.
Consent for a student to perform an intimate examination must
always be voluntary. This is straightforward where it is obtained from
a competent adult with the capacity to comprehend and retain
information about the implications of such an examination. However,
not all adults have the Capacity to give consent through either acute
or chronic mental deficiency.
Further, some of the intimate
examinations students will be expected to become competent in as
part of their training, will involve patients under the age of 18 years.
Consent for intimate examination may be implied, verbal or written.
Consent which is not specifically sought but implied, by a patient not
refusing an examination, is always unacceptable in the context of an
intimate examination.

21

i.
j.

The withholding of consent to intimate examination by a medical

student must never alter a patients treatment plan.
Instances can arise where, whilst a patient has refused to consent to
examination by a medical student whilst under anaesthetic, the said
medical student, as part of the surgical team, is asked to assist at
surgery.

2 Aims
k. To produce a guideline for obtaining consent to the examination of the
various intimate parts of the body where
i. The patient will be conscious
ii. The patient will be unconscious
iii. The patient is competent to give consent
iv. The patient is not competent to give consent
v. The patient is aged under 18 years
l.
To recommend best-practice guidelines for recording consent
m. To recommend best-practice guidelines for the presence of a
chaperone at the intimate examination of a patient by a student
n. To offer guidance on the difference between examination of a patient
and assisting at their surgery
Committee:
Neil McClure (Chair)
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Dennis Carson
Senior Lecturer in Child Health
Stephen Cooper
Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry
Maeve Rea
Senior Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine
Bob Taylor
Consultant Anaesthetist, RBHSC

22

2.

BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES:

(FHP = Female Healthcare Professional; HP = Healthcare Professional))

Patient
Competent
Adult

State
Conscious

Anaesthetised
Incompetent
Adult
Minor (aged
<18years)

Breast
Consent: verbal
Chaperone:
FHP

Penis & Scrotum

Consent: verbal
Chaperone: HP

Female Genitalia
Consent: verbal
Chaperone: FHP

Rectum
Consent: verbal
Chaperone: HP (if
patient female,
chaperone should be
female)
Consent: written

Consent:
Consent: written
Consent: written
written
An Incompetent adult is one who is judged unable to give informed consent by the medical practitioner in charge of the case.
Where this has been recognised, it is inappropriate for the patient to be examined by a medical student
Conscious and
Consent: verbal
Consent: verbal
Consent: verbal
Consent: verbal from
Gillick Competent
from minor
from minor
from minor
minor
Chaperone:
Chaperone: HP
Chaperone: FHP
Chaperone: HP (if
FHP
patient female,
chaperone should be
female)
Anaesthetised
Consent:
Consent: written
Consent: written
Consent:
written
and Gillick
written from
from minor
from minor
from minor
Competent
minor
Conscious and
Consent: verbal
Consent: Verbal
Not appropriate
Not appropriate
Gillick
from minor and
from minor &
Incompetent
PPR*
PPR
Chaperone:
FHP
Anaesthetised and
Consent:
Consent: written
Not appropriate
Consent: written from
Gillick
written from
from PPR
PPR
Incompetent
PPR

* PPR = Person with Parental Responsibility

23

General Observations:
a. It is a common courtesy and essential that all students must wear their
student identity card and introduce themselves to patients using both
given and surnames.
b. No patient should have an intimate examination performed by more
than one student at any one consultation.
c. Consent for the student to examine the patient should be obtained by a
registered medical practitioner.
d. The date, time and location of the examination; the names of the
student, supervisor and chaperone; and the consent should always be
recorded in the patients notes.
e. A chaperone is NOT an accompanying person, i.e. friend or relative of
the patient, although the patient may also wish such an individual to be
present during intimate examinations. A chaperone, similarly, is not
another medical student.
f. Student examination of the adult female genitalia should always be
supervised by a gynaecologist (except in Delivery Suite where a
midwife may supervise the examination).
g. Examination of a patient by a student for educational purposes is
different from assisting at surgery for therapeutic purposes. It is not
necessary for consent to be obtained for a student to assist at surgery
although, of course, the names of all assistants should be recorded in
the patients operation note whether they are students or full members
of staff.
h. All medical students are indemnified with the MDU or MPS from the
time of entry to the Faculty.
i. Students are always at liberty to refuse to examine a patient for
educational purposes. This is particularly so where they feel the
consent obtained is inappropriate or where they feel the patient has
been coerced into agreeing to the examination against his or her will.
Where there is a particular disagreement with the supervisor, which is
unresolved, the student should report the matter to the School Office.
j. Where the patient is known to the student (or vice versa) intimate
examination of the patient by the student is always inappropriate.
k. Examination of the female chest, e.g. examination of the
cardiovascular and respiratory systems, normally requires touching
though not examination of the breast. It is important that students of
either sex explain the procedure and ensure that the patient is willing
for the examination to be undertaken, and be sensitive to potential
embarrassment. It is not normally necessary to offer a chaperone
when conducting such an examination but male students may prefer a
chaperone to be present.
l. Irrespective of the sex of the examining student and the patient, a
chaperone is necessary during all intimate examinations.

24

Marking Schemes
PHASE 3 SSC ASSESSMENT FORM 2007-2008
Student Name:
Semester: A / S
Title of SSC:
Section 1: Criterion Reference for Case Study (Please mark out of 100)
80-100%Excellent.
History All aspects social history, family history etc included Focused (not large amounts of
irrelevancies).
Examination Focused without extensive irrelevant examination.
All relevant signs found. No non-existent positive signs found.
Differential diagnosis. Relevant.
Commentary focussed discussion of disease applied to particular patient. Insights into patients
situation.
Relevant references.
Presentation Excellent. No spelling errors. Reasonable English (note form is acceptable in history and
examination using usual format used in wards but grammatical errors etc should be noted). Tidy.

Mark
Out of 100

70-79% Very good.

Most of above but without the overall excellence. Relevant with insights into patients circumstances.
60-69% Average.
Occasional minor deficiencies (i.e. part of history omitted, concentrating on irrelevant areas of
examination). Good commentary.
50-59% Poor.
Major omissions in history and examination
Missed or incorrect clinical signs.
Commentary on disease onlyNo application to patient
Presentation adequate only
<50%

Very poor.
Major deficiencies in all areas.
Evidence that student has not seen the patient (0%)

Section 2: Criterion Reference for Project (Please mark out of 100)

80-100%Excellent.
Planning Student has demonstrated exceptional skills in relation to this criterion
Responsibility Student relied little on supervisor for management, running and progress of project
Understanding Student has demonstrated exceptional understanding of scientific/clinical principals
underpinning the project
Context/application exceptional appreciation of the general context/application of the project work
Team working Exceptional skills shown in interacting with others when necessary
Presentation of work Excellent, few spelling errors, reasonable English, tidy etc.

Out of 100

70-79% Very Good.

Most of above but without the overall excellence.
60-69% Average.
Occasional minor deficiencies (e.g. part of understanding omitted, concentrating on less relevant areas
of project.
50-59% Poor.
Student has met the basic requirements but not demonstrated any elements of outstanding ability.
<50%

Very poor.
Major deficiencies in all areas.
Evidence that the student has not carried out the project work (0%)

25

Section 3: Interest and Motivation (Please mark out of 10)

8-10
7-7.9
6-6.9
5-5.9
4-4.9
<4
0

Highly self-motivated. Enthusiastic and mature approach to activities.

More motivated than the average student. Participates spontaneously and constructively
Average student. Participates after minimal prompting.
Requires repeated prompting to participate.
Rarely participates despite prompting. Clearly not interested.
Cannot be prompted to participate.
Inadequate attendance. No good reason supplied.

Out of 10

Section 4: Professional Attitude (Please mark out of 10)

8-10
7-7.9
6-6.9
5-5.9
4-4.9
<4
0

Totally reliable. Always present and prompt. Much better than the average student.
Better than average.
Expected standard. Can usually be relied on.
Cannot always be relied on. Only just meets acceptable standard.
Unreliability is an issue. Below expected standard.
Unreliable. Well below acceptable standard. Usually absent/late for duties.
Totally unreliable.

Out of 10

SSCs are expected to occupy 5 days per week for 3 weeks. Attendance at all sessions set out by the
module coordinator is compulsory. Has this students attendance at the SSC been adequate?

Yes / No

Please give an overview of the students performance on this SSC. We are particularly anxious to gauge an
appreciation of the students strengths and weaknesses. Please not that these comments may be made available
individually to students.

Signature of Supervisor:

Date:

Print Supervisors Name:

Module Organisers Name:

Please return form to :

Mrs Frances Price, therapeutics & Pharmacology, Queens University, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL.
Phone: 028 90975770; Fax: 028 90438346; E-mail: f.price@qub.ac.uk

Calculation of Final Mark

Final Mark/100

Case/40

________

Interest/Motivation/10

________

Project/40

________

Reliability/10

________

26