0601 Medical Studies

Medical Studies is the study of the principles and procedures used in preventing, diagnosing, caring for and treating illness, disease and injury in humans, and the maintenance of general health.

The main purpose of this narrow field of education is to develop an understanding of disease processes and mechanisms, the structure and function of the human body and mind, the restoration and maintenance of health, immune defences of the body, pain control, human behaviour and medical ethics. It also involves developing an ability to assess and evaluate clinical observations to arrive at diagnoses and determine appropriate courses of action.

Courses in Narrow Field 0601 Medical Studies develop skills in:

• assessing patients’ psychological, physical and emotional states
• carrying out procedures and dealing with medical emergencies
• examining specimens to determine the origin, nature and course of any disease present
• monitoring progress of patients
• practising professional responsibility in relation to individuals and the community

This narrow field comprises the following detailed fields:

060101  General Medicine
060103  Surgery
060105  Psychiatry
060107  Obstetrics and Gynaecology
060109  Paediatrics
060111  Anaesthesiology
060113  Pathology
060115  Radiology
060117  Internal Medicine
060119  General Practice
060199  Medical Studies, n.e.c.

Medical science. This is included in Detailed Field 019901 Medical Science.

General Medicine is the study of the clinical presentation and treatment of diseases.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• clinical diagnosis
• diseases affecting humans

Surgery is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with principles and practices for treating diseases, injuries, defects and deformities by manual operation and manipulation, and by using instruments and appliances.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• post-operative patient progress monitoring
• surgical diagnosis
• surgical procedures and techniques

Oral surgery. This is included in Detailed Field 060701 Dentistry.
Veterinary surgery. This is included in Detailed Field 061101 Veterinary Science.

Psychiatry is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases and disorders of the mind.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• patient’s psychiatric state assessment
• child psychiatry
• developmental psychiatry
• psychiatric syndromes and phenomena

Obstetrics and Gynaecology is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with the care of women during pregnancy, labour and after childbirth, and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the female reproductive system.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• foetal development
• gynaecological and obstetric conditions treatment
• female reproductive system diseases

Paediatrics is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with normal physical growth and development from birth through to late adolescence. It includes preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases and uncommon disorders in children and adolescents.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• physical growth and development of children
• child and adolescent diseases
• neonatology

Anaesthesiology is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with administering drugs and other substances to achieve lack of sensation with or without loss of consciousness.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• administering anaesthetics
• regional analgesia
• anaesthetic reactions

Pathology is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with the causes and effects of diseases, including the structural and functional changes of body organs, tissues and fluids, and the systematic methods of detecting these changes.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• disease origin, nature and course
• histopathology
• pathology tests interpretation and evaluation
• post-mortem examination

Radiology is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with using radioactive substances, X-rays and other ionising radiation to diagnose, treat and follow the course of disease and its response to treatment.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• medical images interpretation and evaluation
• nuclear medicine
• tumour radiation treatment

Internal Medicine is the study of the medical specialisation concerned with the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases and disorders of specific bodily structures and functions.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• endocrinological medicine
• gastroenterological medicine
• thoracic medicine
• clinical immunology
• clinical haematology

General Practice is the study of providing primary and continuing medical care to patients in a community setting. It is particularly concerned with providing family and community oriented health care.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• early diagnosis
• medication prescription and administration
• primary, personal and continuing medical care

This detailed field includes all Medical Studies not elsewhere classified.

Examples of subjects in this detailed field include:

• dermatology
• oncology
• ophthalmology