Medical Program Participation Guidelines
The Medical Program Participation Guidelines have been developed to support you to engage optimally with your learning in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program with your wellbeing in mind. The guidelines aim to:
- Clarify the expectations of you as a medical student in relation to participating optimally in the MD Program while preparing for future professional practice.
- Outline the flexible approaches available to you to prioritise your health.
- Inform you about the processes in place to enable you to manage absences.
The Medical School expects you to read these guidelines carefully, and that you will take responsibility to look after your health and manage your learning in accordance with these guidelines. The School encourages you to inform relevant personnel and to seek support early as outlined in these guidelines.
1. Overview
The MD Program at The University of Queensland (UQ) is a full-time, professional degree program that prepares students for safe and effective clinical practice. You are responsible for maintaining continuous enrolment over the course of this program. The program emphasises the need for you to take responsibility for your own learning while managing a busy schedule whilst also attending to your own wellbeing. These are important skills within the demanding profession you have chosen and developing these skills is a key part of the curriculum and your success as a doctor.
Participation in all learning experiences, including clinical work-based learning experiences aimed at developing technical and non-technical competencies, are prerequisites for effective learning. You need to be present and actively engage with the learning environment to effectively participate in a learning experience.
In accordance with the UQ Student Code of Conduct, the Medical School expects you to take full advantage of the learning opportunities available to you so that you are optimally prepared for internship and post MD medical training. The School must ensure that UQ MD graduates have successfully participated in the program in order to fulfil its obligation to society. These guidelines are designed to outline expectations of participation in accordance with the Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) Inclusive Medical Education guidance document and the Medical Board Good Medical Practice: A Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia. This supports the requirements of the program while emphasising the importance of active learning, clinical immersion, and professional development in the education of future doctors. These guidelines also acknowledge that you are at postgraduate level and are therefore able to take responsibility for ensuring that you capitalise on the many learning opportunities available to you as you develop into capable, caring medical practitioners.
Early intervention and supporting you to succeed is important to the School and therefore participation is monitored in several ways. Being absent for any reason will prevent you from participating in learning experiences. Not participating in learning experiences may be an early sign that you are having difficulty with your studies.
In this context you must notify the School if you are absent or plan to be absent, providing a reason and appropriate supporting documentation. Student attendance is observed and recorded as a component of participation monitoring to complement the self-reporting of absences. This is a learner-centred approach to a) inform the level of participation across learning experiences and b) to identify and support students who are having difficulty with their studies and are at risk of not meeting participation requirements in a timely manner. This is in line with professional workplace obligations you will have in future practice. It will also allow clinical workplaces to address safety and security considerations.
You are expected to take personal responsibility for self-reporting absences. These guidelines outline procedures for communicating absences in a professional manner and act as a reminder that you have an obligation to meet all academic requirements of the program even if you are absent.