AC6773 - History Taking & Clinical Skills in contemporary health care settings

What will I learn on this module?

This module aims to develop practitioners to undertake history taking and examination within contemporary health care settings. You will be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to assess, and respond appropriately to health need, whilst working independently whilst working within legal, ethical, and professional guidelines.

You will learn knowledge and skills for undertaking a general approach to health history and clinical examination of patients. You will cover biological systems in order to provide a systematic approach to history taking and clinical examination resulting in an increased ability to assess, examine and manage patients with a wide range of clinical presentations across the age spectrum (except very young children). The systems covered in your learning are as follows:
Cardiovascular.
Respiratory
Gastrointestinal
Neurological
Musculoskeletal
Gynaecology
Dermatology

This module will give you the knowledge to assess and manage the patient’s ability and appropriateness to receive health interventions and refer to other health care professional as required. Summative assessment will include the achievement of clinical examination skills via an OSCE. You will learn to review clinical data in order to construct clinical decisions and produce management plans. You will learn specific techniques for examination of the body for accuracy and safety. Learning will be research led by current clinical evidence including local, national, and international guidelines.

How will I learn on this module?

This module applies Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to remove barriers to learning and create an inclusive, flexible experience that accommodates diverse learning styles. By offering multiple ways to engage with content, varied formats for accessing and understanding material, and ample opportunities for diverse action and expression, you can develop and showcase key employability skills. Through a blend of online resources, and live seminars, the module ensures an active, authentic learning journey that supports your success in real-world contexts. (La, Dyjur, & Bair, 2018). This means learning will be via a blended delivery using a combination asynchronous (30 hours of web-based resources), synchronous (16 hours of face-to-face online seminars) learning followed by 12 hours in-class activity to consolidate your learning. A ‘flipped classroom’ approach (Bergman & Sams, 2012), promotes the front loading of theoretical content as preparatory independent study provided via online supported learning (OSL) and reading, prior to the face-to-face online seminars and on-campus practical sessions where your understanding of concepts and application of theory will be explored. This approach to module delivery promotes active learning as it works to accommodate your learning needs and abilities by offering flexibility and direction gained from the preparatory web-based materials which are then explored and applied during the live online seminars creating new knowledge. Offering multiple ways of learning helps you to engage along with giving you the opportunity to express your learning through action and/or expression. This encourages a positive learning environment where you are likely to feel more engaged and motivated in your learning. Authentic assessment means that any assessments throughout the module will mirror real life activities that you will be faced with in your professional practice. Authentic assessment will be an on-going key feature of the module, via tasks within the web-based materials and online simulated practice learning. These will not only support your learning of the theory related to professional practice but will also support assessment literacy through developing your skills and knowledge of the assessment process. All assessments within the programme will be operated in accordance with standard operating procedures and marked and moderated in accordance with the Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards (ARTA) ensuring the academic standards required for student awards are met.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

You will be supported by the module lead who will guide your academic learning and assessment throughout the module. The module lead was involved in developing the e-learning materials, assessment exercises, and will provide some of your live online seminars, and feedback, supported by other staff. This module is supported by Blackboard Ultra and adheres to the university’s minimum standards. The site includes module information, assessment information, power-point presentations and e-learning packages, reading lists and relevant web links. Blackboard Collaborate will be used for the delivery of the live online seminars.

A discussion board is available to the cohort, through which students can post comments and ask questions of their peers throughout the duration of the module. You will have a live online group tutorial will help you prepare for the summative assessment. Your Programme Lead and Personal Tutor are also available to offer guidance on academic support throughout the programme.

The University Libraries offer an extensive collection of material, both hard copy and electronic, access to international databases and training in information retrieval. A variety of study-skills-related help sheets, and online videos can be found on the library Skills Plus site. You can also access a range of student support and wellbeing services via Student Central or by accessing the student support and wellbeing pages and Ask4Help via your electronic student portal.

You will also have an allocated personal/guidance teacher who will provide advice and support in relation to academic, procedural, and (where desired and appropriate) personal matters during the programme of study you have enrolled on. You will have access to 24/7 generic IT support and specific support from the programme team with any specific IT issues related to the e-learning package.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. You will have demonstrated a structured approach to the completion of a thorough and concise clinical history and develop mastery of targeted physical examinations.
2. You will have reflected on clinical decisions and clinical actions in relation to role and professional regulations.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. You will have evaluated the necessity for clinical investigations in support of the assessment process. Demonstrating rationales for clinical decisions, proposed management, and demonstrate the ability to analyse and apply results.
4. You will have communicated effectively with service users and clinical colleagues.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. You will have worked collaboratively with peers in a learning community, this will help you to develop professional networks and peer support opportunities, professional goals as part of a strategy for lifelong learning and professional learning.

How will I be assessed?

How will I be assessed? (SRS 0006)
Please give details of all formative and summative assessment process indicating which MLOs will be addressed and how feedback will be provided.

Formative assessment will take the form of in-class seminar discussion and practical sessions to assess your level of knowledge and understanding gained from course materials in order to prepare you for summative assessments. You will receive verbal feedback throughout the module from the module lead. Formative tests and quizzes will also be embedded within e-learning materials.
(MLO 1,2,3,4,5)

Summative assessment will be in two sections:
Part 1: A multiply stationed OSCE to demonstrate your history taking and physical assessment skills.
(MLO 1,2,3,4,5)

Summative feedback on final submission of the assessed work will be given in a structured format to inform future practice

Pre-requisite(s)

To undertake this module, applicants must hold a valid current professional registration (i.e. NMC/GMC/HCPC)

Co-requisite(s)

N/A

Module abstract

This module aims to support you to develop your knowledge and skills in undertaking clinical histories and examinations within contemporary health care settings. You will be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to assess, and respond appropriately to health need, whilst working independently within legal, ethical, and professional guidelines. This module is designed to equip you with the knowledge and competence to recognise opportunities to provide interventions therefore preventing or identifying disease. The module is designed for health professionals and will provide you with an increased ability to assess and manage patients across all the age ranges of patients (except very young children). Academic assessment is a multiple station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) where you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in the effective history taking and physical assessment of patients in contemporary healthcare settings.