Second Year Medicine, Semester (3) Courses

Professional Skills (1)

The main aim is to improve the clinical skills of medical students in general and pre-clinical students in particular before their contact with the patients in hospitals and health units in the clinical phase. The programme extends longitudinally throughout the curriculum from year 2 to year 4 and is coordinated with the block/system and the learning problems. In this way the basic clinical skills (social, lab. and clinical) are acquired early in the programme to give enough time for their perfection before graduation

Principles of Disease (2)

Pathology is considered the basis of disease. This block on Principles of Disease is, therefore, a vital one since its main objective is to provide students with sufficient knowledge of basic concepts of pathology and microbiology were covered in the first part of this course during the first year in semester 2, and this part deals mainly with general pathology with some inputs from anatomy and physiology. The need for this block is to precede the integrated blocks on systems is therefore quite obvious. Basic concepts of processes like infections, inflammations and neoplasia which cause most of the morbidity and mortality in the world are introduced in the block to prepare the ground for the more in-depth study of the various organ systems of the body.

Immunology

The study of this system is of utmost importance since it involves many diseases in which each of the immune system components is subject to numerous abnormalities which affect the overall function of the body systems. The student should know the normal profile of immune system and the changes that require attention.


Blood and Lymph

Developments have occurred in the understanding of biochemical, physiological and immunological processes blood cell formation and function and the disturbances that may ensue. There is increased awareness of range of treatment available for patients with diseases of the blood and blood forming organs. A graduate of medicine has to know the basics of hematology and the developments that are rapidly emerging.


Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system module is designed to provide an overview of the structure and function of the cardiovascular system. Clinical case problems are based on the cardiovascular diseases or incidents that are common in KSA. Through these cases and associated activities, students come to understand the functioning of the cardiovascular system. They explore the hierarchy of the cardiovascular system, from molecules, cells, tissues and organs to function as a system, and follow the impediments of such normal function resulting from the impact of variety of diseases that impair one or more of the system's components. Throughout, a special attention is made to allow the students to understand how the resulting impairment of function generates specific symptoms or signs and how it affects the patient as an individual and a member of a family and a community.


Respiratory System

Through the study of this block, the students are expected to recognize the major respiratory illnesses in the Kingdom, understand the structure, function of the system, and explain the underlying mechanisms in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The students are also expected to devise treatment regimens and preventive measures to control the spread of these diseases in the community.