Bachelor of Medical Science

The primary aim of the Bachelor of Medical Science is to provide an experiential introduction to the process of biomedical research.

The AMS program allows students to:practice the concepts of project design, ethical consideration and application of research methods;develop skills in the assembling and evaluation of scientific data to provide a scientific rationale for updating medical practice and treatment and/or understanding the mechanisms of disease;comprehend the selection of appropriate statistical techniques to appraise scientific data;assess the benefits and limitations of research an area/discipline of clinical interest;demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the diversity and breadth of biomedical research;demonstrate autonomy and independence in defining research methods, locating relevant resources and critically evaluating evidence and;actively participate in improving knowledge in a specific areas of medicine by critical review of scientific and medical evidence.

Course structure

To satisfy the requirements of the Bachelor of Medical Science, students must successfully complete 2 core subjects and a total of 100 points.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

• Semesters 1 to 5 of a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery degree, or equivalent.

Meeting this requirement does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• Prior academic performance.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. The English language requirements for this program are an overall IELTS score of at least 7.0, with no band score less than 6.5. Scores on other standard English language tests that the Academic Board recognises as equivalent to these requirements will also be accepted.

Note:

• This program is only open to enrolled students at universities with which the University of Melbourne has an agreement confirming availability of the program.
• Successful applicants will be awarded 250 points of credit into the degree.
• This program may be taken either as coursework or as a research project. Entry to the research project stream is restricted to applicants who have a weighted average mark of at least H1 (80%) over semesters 1 to 5 of their Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery degree, or equivalent, have completed prior learning in research methodology and design to at least H2B (70%) standard, and have an overall IELTS score of at least 7.0, with reading and writing band scores of at least 7.0, and listening and speaking band scores of at least 6.5 (or equivalent scores on other tests recognized by the Academic Board).

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to providingsupport to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website. http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Intended learning outcomes

At the completion of the Bachelor of Medical Science, students should be able to:

• demonstrate the ability to communicate the results of original research;
• discuss how the results of medical research can be translated to improve the clinical care of patient and/or the mechanisms of disease;
• select and apply appropriate statistical tests such as descriptive statistics, power calculations, pvalues and confidence interval, and uni/multivariate logistic regression analysis, to analyse research data;
• compare and assess scientific evidence through critically evaluating relevant medical literature;
• appraise and describe the ethical requirements of a research project;
• demonstrate technical and problem solving skills in the use of biomedical experimental techniques and;
• understand the requirements for presentation of research data through preparation of a an xtended literature review, and small research report, in an area of clinical interest.