Discovery 1: Foundation

In the first year of the medical course, students can choose to study one topic within the Discovery - Foundation subject which will build the basis of knowledge for the following subjects. This subject is worth 12.5 credit points.

What will I achieve?

Students completing the subject MD Discovery – Foundation will be able to:

  • Identify the key concepts and knowledge bases underpinning their chosen topics
  • Relate their chosen topics to the medical practitioner’s role
  • Discuss how their chosen topics enhance their role as a health advocate
  • Describe how their chosen topics inform their future professional practice

What will I study?

Discovery offers you a range of exciting areas to choose from to extend your learning beyond our core MD curriculum. You can choose either a Discovery Topic or a Faculty Selective that is run by other Schools outside the Melbourne Medical School. All have been carefully selected to align with the graduate outcomes of the MD Redesign course.

The MD Discovery Foundation subject includes eight custom Discovery topics for you to choose from. These topics have been created by clinician experts across the Melbourne Medical School domain and are only available to our medical students. Close consideration has been given to what you are learning in your core subjects when topics are developed, and extending this learning appropriately in an area of interest.

Alongside the custom Discovery topics, the Doctor of Medicine has approved Faculty selective subjects as elective options that can be taken in place of Discovery 1.

How do I know what to choose?

To support you in navigating and choosing your flexible pathway each year, the Course Advice Program guides you through the process. Firstly, we ask you to review the Discovery topics and Faculty Selectives below and information via our Canvas pages. You are then asked to book your meeting and complete an online form that challenges you to identify your interests and goals, which will further assist you to identify your preferences. You then attend a one-on-one meeting with an experienced Melbourne Medical School academic to build your knowledge of the curriculum choices and pathways, and ensure your final preferences align with your interests and goals.

Discovery Topics

Click on the topic areas below to learn more about each one. When you meet with your Course Advisor you’ll be able to discuss your top preferences and where they might take you.

  • Death and Dying: Lifting the Lid

    You will explore a wide range of aspects of death and dying in contemporary Australia in this discovery topic. Read more.

  • Discover Cancer

    This topic explores the fundamentals of cancer sciences through a clinical approach. Read more.

  • Foundations in Translational Clinical Medicine

    The Translational Clinical Medicine Foundation topic will allow students to explore translational medicine - and learn how research translates into patient care and patient care can drive research discoveries. Read more.

  • Teaching and Learning in Medical Education

    The Teaching and Learning in Medicine topic will introduce you to essential skills in medical education. Read more.

  • Human Health in the Space Environment

    This topic will enable students to explore how human physiology responds to the space environment - how and why each body system adapts, and corresponding 'countermeasures'. Read more.

  • Rural Health – Foundations

    The Rural Health topic will provide an in-depth exploration of health care in the rural context. Read more.

  • Sexual Health across Clinical Contexts

    This topic offers a clinical and practical discovery in Sexual Health Care. Read more.

  • Foundations of Point of Care Ultrasound

    The topic offers students with foundational learning to perform an ultrasound.  Read more.

Faculty Selectives

You can also choose from a range of subjects in other schools in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Some of these are core or elective subjects in the Master of Public Health (MPH) and some are subjects from other award programs, such as Master of Science (Epidemiology), Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics, Master of Epidemiology and the Graduate Certificate in Sexual Health. Your successful completion of selectives may provide credit towards another award.

The University of Melbourne handbook introduction to these subjects which you are provided links to, includes information and advice that is applicable to all students who are enrolling in the subject – for example those doing the MPH. As such, some of the information is relevant for students of other courses only and doesn’t apply to you as an MD student (for example information about whether the subject is core for another course or the ideal timing to undertake the subject).

Please note that Faculty Selectives are governed outside the Doctor of Medicine and as such the department, School or Faculty that are responsible for these subjects have full oversight of the curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment. These subjects will use their own assessment procedure and this may include assigning grades/marks. If a grade for a subject is awarded it will appear on your academic transcript.

Follow the links below to be taken to the handbook information for faculty selectives:

Please note: The information provided above about the Discovery Topics and Faculty Selectives is correct at the time of publishing, but late changes, including cancellation of a topic or selective, are possible due to unforeseen circumstances. In such an eventuality, students would be notified as soon as possible, and we would work with you to enroll in another available topic or selective.

Discovery 2: Application