Course Syllabus

Please note that there might be some small changes to the syllabus up to the beginning of the semester

Semester & Location:

Spring 2024 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines:

Biology, Biomedicine / Biotechnology, Pre-Medicine / Health Science

Prerequisites:

One year of biology and one year of chemistry at the university level

Corequisites:

Students have to be enrolled in the human health and disease core course

Faculty Members:

Elisa Skovgaard

Current students please use the canvas inbox to contact

Teaching Assistant:

Borislav Pekez

Course Assistants:

TBD

Current students please use the canvas inbox to contact

Program contact:

Science and Health Department

shsupport@dis.dk

Program Director:

Susana Dietrich

Time & Place:

Mondays and Thursdays, 08:30 - 11:25  (please see the individual times in the canvas calendar as they are subject to change from class to class) 

N7-B11

 


Faculty

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Elisa Skovgaard Jensen

M.D. (University of Copenhagen, 2012). PhD student at the Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Department at Nordsjællands Hospital, Hillerød. DIS Clinical Instructor for Human Health & Disease. With DIS since 2017.

Teaching assistant

DIS-Academics-Borislav Pekez.jpg

Borislav Pekez

MD (Medical studies, University of Zagreb, 2018). BSc (Psychology, University of Nebraska, 2011). Psychiatry Junior Doctor, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Republic of Ireland, 2021. Medical intern, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia, 2019-2020. With DIS since 2023.

Course Assistants

TBD

 

Course Description

This hands-on lab course will focus on specific diseases and follow the diagnosis and treatment pathway of a surgical patient from admission to discharge. You will learn relevant anatomy and physiology through virtual reality (VR) alongside traditional approaches. Learn how to perform a basic ultrasound evaluation and how to diagnose common CT pathologies. Furthermore, you will learn basic surgical skills and interventions to perform surgical procedures with the use of laparoscopic simulators.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

 At the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Describe the surgical patient care flow through the healthcare system
  • Identify and locate organs and anatomically relevant tissues relating to a specific disease and/or surgery
  • Compare and contrast diagnostic options, and discuss when surgery is the treatment option
  • Understand the capabilities and limitations of diagnostic modalities and how they support the diagnostic process 
  • Name the different surgical equipment and identify when each should be used
  • Demonstrate how different surgical equipment should be held and used
  • Perform some of the most common pre-op procedures
  • Execute different types of surgery procedures, using a simulation approach
  • Describe possible operative and post-op complications, and prioritize the follow up action according to severity and possible outcomes
  • Show different suturing techniques and justify when to use each

 

Approach to teaching

The course will focus on using a hands-on approach to learning. Students will be given all necessary information, through a surgeon’s eye, regarding all aspects surrounding specific surgical procedures. Assignments and tests will assess relevant theoretical and practical knowledge.

 

Expectations of the students

Students are expected to actively participate in all activities related to the course. Additionally, students should come duly prepared for each class. Students should be willing to follow a surgeon’s approach to preparation for surgery, which includes a lot of training and executing the same type of procedure repeatedly in order to optimize performance.

  

Lab simulation work

The course will have at least 3/4 practical hands on work. This will include performing and training pre-op, operative, and post-op procedures, as well as surgical simulation. Additionally most of the anatomical prerequisites necessary for this course will also be taught through various VR platforms.  

 

Required Readings

Readings from the Human Health and Disease: a Clinical Approach Core Course books.

Additional readings regarding specific important information and instructions relating to specific procedures will be posted on canvas.

 

Evaluation

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class all of the assigned work must be completed.

The factors influencing the final grade and their weights are reported in the following table:

 

Participation 10%
Anatomy and CT test 20%
Surgery performance based test 20%
Ultrasound performance based assessment 20%
Final surgical assignment 30%
Total 100%

 

Participation

Class participation is an important part of this course and to receive full credit students should be present at all the scheduled classes and actively participate.

Anatomy and CT test

An individual test comprised of two parts: 

  • Essay questions related to abdominal organs/structures which are covered in class
  • For the CT portion:
    • A series of abdominal CT images (printed) where the student is asked to name specific organs and/or structures in the image.
    •  1 or 2 CT scans of real patient cases, where the student will be asked to identify the most likely diagnosis.

Surgery performance based test

This individual test is a hands-on test in knots and sutures from your curriculum .

Ultrasound performance based assessment

This hands-on assessment is comprised of a ultrasound and CT portion. For the ultrasound portion, the student will be asked to perform an abdominal ultrasound scan on a simulated patient, where the student will be asked to identify and/or measure the size of various abdominal organs. 

Final surgical assignment

This individual assignment will focus on suturing techniques, anastomosis and laparoscopic skills. 

 

NB: notes are not allowed for either tests, assessments or assignments.

 

Academic Regulations:

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

We ask for understanding if the schedule changes during the semester.

The doctors that you will be taught by are full-time doctors and cannot commit 100% to the schedule provided.

If changes do occur to the schedule, you will be notified. 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due