Undergraduate Teaching in Psychiatry

The Department of Psychiatry at HKU aims to teach medical students how to optimally manage individuals with mental health problems. While most doctors will not become psychiatrists, they will still encounter individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders in the course of their practice. We intend that our medical students should possess basic competencies, even though some will eventually go on to specialise. Since mental and physical health are inextricably linked, the teaching of psychiatry involves a holistic, evidence-based, humanistic approach to care for the individual and community. Psychiatry is taught in 3 phases between MBBS year III and V, which is briefly summarized as follows:

Psychiatry teaching begins in the Integrated Block in MBBS III, from August to October. Medical students are taught 4 three-hour Clinical Skills Learning (CSL) sessions and 5 one-hour Whole Class Session (WCS) lectures. CSL sessions include history-taking, mental state examination, and eliciting psychopathology. During CSL session, there may be opportunities for live-patient clinical demonstration.The following topics are taught in the WCS lectures: brain and behavior, aetiology of psychiatric disorders, psychosocial

assessments for general medical and surgical patients, somatic presentation of psychiatric diseases, and classification and diagnosis of psychiatric illness. Medical students may be examined on the content of the Integrated Block teaching in Psychiatry in the Year 3 summative examinations. Teaching timetables

Psychiatry teaching continues in the Whole Class Session in the MBBS IV Senior Clerkship from September to December. There are 12 lectures of one-hour each on common clinical problems to bring out the essence of the clinical picture on the following topics : dementia, geriatric assessment and rehabilitation, child and adolescent psychiatry, alcohol, suicide and overdose, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, sleep disturbances, psychosis, substance misuse, bipolar disorder, and medical ethics. Medical students may be examined on this part of the course at the CCT and Final Examinations.Teaching timetables

Finally, the Specialty Clerkship of MBBS Year 4 / 5 takes place from January to December in 6 rotations of approximately 24 medical students. Since 2009 onwards, Psychiatry and Family Medicine provide an 8 week Combined Specialty Clerkship which includes: 1 week Orientation, followed by each of the following (sequence will vary between different student groups): 2 weeks Family Medicine, 5 weeks of Psychiatry. (i.e. General Psychiatry Team, Sub-specialties (including Child, Old Age, and Community Psychiatry), Early Psychosis Team, Castle Peak Hospital, Pamela

Youde Eastern Nethersole Hospital). Specialty Clerks are taught the following: lectures (e.g. basic sciences, psychotherapy, medical ethics, clinical skills in psychiatry), bedside teaching, clinical problem-based learning, community visits, on-call and so on. Doctors and medical students hold a Staff-Student Consultative Committee meeting for course evaluation. Medical student evaluation takes place based on Continuous Assessment (i.e. attendance, performance, and a long case report) and Clinical Competence Test at the end of the Specialty Clerkship. There will also be a revision lecture in Psychiatry in the February or March prior to the Final MBBS Examinations which will comprise a Written paper (Multiple Choice Questions including Extended Matching Questions, and Short Answer Questions) as well as Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Please click here for more details on the Specialty Clerkship. More details on the Speciatly Clerkship.

Teachers from The Department of Psychiatry also conduct undergraduate teaching in Clinical Interpersonal Skills (CIPS) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The teachers are also actively involved in the MBBS III Health Care Project, and Summer Broadening Course. We also welcome Special Study Module (SSM) students of the HKU MBBS, as well as Medical Elective Students from around the world who are interested to participate in the Specialty Clerkship. Any interested candidate for SSM or Medical Elective

(The above are available at the HKU Bookstore.)

Please note that outline- or review-type books or guides are strongly discouraged for use as the only learning source in this clerkship.