Curriculum

 Department of Community Practice

Makerere University, Uganda

Learn about the curriculum:
        ·     General Overview of the Masters Program
        ·      Chronological Overview of the Masters Program in Community Practice
        ·      Descriptions of each of the Community Practice Courses
 
( Note:   The information below is taken from the curriculum which was revised in Jan 2003.  For a complete copy of the 64 page curriculum, click here to download the Microsoft Word document which is the curriculum).

General Overview of the Masters Program:

Year 1 and year 2:
During the first two years of the program, the senior house officer (SHO) spends a complete semester (i.e. 4 months) getting further training in each of the major disciplines in medicine, including medicine, OB/GYN, paediatrics, and surgery.  During each of these 4  month-long semesters, the Community Practice SHO will function very similar to the SHO who is getting specialized training.  For example, for the first 4 months of the program, the Community Practice SHO will be attached in the medicine department, and will have a similar role as a medicine SHO, who is enrolled in the M.Med program in Medicine.  During this time, the Community Practice SHO will care for patients on the medical wards, attend lectures and tutorials, and take exams just as the medicine SHOs.

In addition to hospital-based training in each of the major disciplines in medicine, the Community Practice SHO will also receive specialized courses to train him or her to be come a community practitioner who care not just for patients, but who works to improve the health of whole families and communities.  These courses include the following:

During Year 1:
- Epidemiology and biostatistics and research methods (offered through the school of public health)
- Community Organizing for health
- Community diagnosis field work
- Health system management

During Year 2:
- Health systems management for quality assurance
- Advanced community organizing for primary health care
- Community project

Year 3:
Year 3 focuses on two things: 
1.  experience and learning outside the major referral hospital settings
2.  writing of a dissertation on a research subject relevant to the needs of patients in primary health care.

Chronological Overview of the Masters Program in Community Practice:

YEAR ONE:

Year 1 - Semester 1: 

- Principles of internal medicine:  i.e. attending the lectures held by the medicine department for medical students + SHOs, and taking examination at the end of the semester based primarily on these lectures

- Clinical course in internal medicine:  ie. working on the medicine wards as an SHO)

- Introduction to community studies

- Epidemiology, biostatistics and research methods

 Year 1 - Semester 2: 

- Principles of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for community practice
- Clinical course in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Community organizing for health: 

 Year 1 - Semester 3 (i.e. Recess Term): 

- Community diagnosis field work:
- Health system management:

Year Two:

Year 2 - Semester 1: 

- Principles of paediatrics
- Clinical course in paediatrics
- Health systems management for quality assurance

Year 2 - Semester 2: 

- Principles of surgery
- Clinical course in surgery

Year 2 - Semester 3 (i.e. Recess Term): 

- Advanced community organizing for primary health care
- Community project

YEAR THREE:

- Community practice apprenticeship:   conducted during 10 months out of the year
- Dissertation:  conducted throughout year 3

Descriptions of each of the Community Practice Courses:

CHP 7113:  INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY STUDIES

The concept of community as an organised entity with structures and set ways of doing things will be discussed. A desirable state of a community for health promotion will be presented. A framework for analysing or studying communities will be developed and tested in the field in line with a competent community concept

• overview of the concept of community
• community definitions
• community structure and sub-groups
• community dynamics
• a competent community concept
• assignment: Using the above concepts, what would a community practitioner do in a subcounty?
• analytical framework for studying communities
• community diagnosis: traditional health approach versus competent community approach
• practical community study/analysis report
• refine a study instrument and apply it to a defined community

CHP 7114:  EPIDEMIOLOGY, BIOSTATISTICS, RESEARCH METHODS               

The SHO will be guided to understand better the research process, critical review of literature, developing a research question and hypothesis. The SHO will be expected to understand the different ways of collecting data by appropriate design of research protocol. Data management and computer skills will be developed, drawing conclusions from research findings, organizing and presenting results.

CHP 7123:  COMMUNITY ORGANIZING FOR HEALTH

This module gives an introduction to man/woman in society and interactions within. Doctors will be facilitated to develop a deep and comprehensive understanding of the process of organising communities, making communities or groups of people into units of identity and solution. They will appreciate the value of organizing communities as opposed to just mobilisation. At the end of the module the doctors on the course will be marked on the assignments

• The concept of culture and it’s development
• Different institutions and intermediaries of culture
• Governance and governments
• Evaluation of the concept of community participation
• Assignment - to analyse a community familiar to you
• Characteristics of a community
• Fostering community growth
• Necessary skills to support community growth
• Assignment – make a proposal to the District Director of Health Services to improve the health of children in a defined community

CHP 7131:  COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS FIELD WORK

SHOs will be assisted, or work alongside staff to conduct a “community diagnosis” of a defined community. Tutorials will be conducted and an examination will be given

CHP 7223:  ADVANCED COMMUNITY ORGANISATION FOR HEALTH

The inter-relationship and theoretic basis for health, development, community participation and primary health care will be explored in further detail. It is expected that after this course graduates will be very well informed about development and leadership as they relate to health care delivery.

• Exploration of the concepts of primary health care
• Traditional health service delivery system
• Concept of primary health care teams
• Policy implementation
• Strategies for fostering community participation
• Village health teams, conditions, skills, roles and responsibilities
• Health professionals in health development and education
• Resources for health development and promotion
• The transformation process
• Support and supervision of community health, including monitoring and community based information systems

CHP 7231:  COMMUNITY PROJECT

The SHO assisted by the staff will identify an issue in a community and design steps to address the problem and implement a project. Audit projects in a community are also acceptable.

CHP 7311:  APPRENTICESHIP IN COMMUNITY PRACTICE

In year three, the SHO will work in an active health centre outside Mulago hospital for the equivalent of one full semester. There will be opportunity to learn how a community practice operates in terms of clinical work, management, community out-reach, implementation of the UNMHCP and coordination of all health education and screening programs.

CHP7123             Health System Management                        

The health system management module includes study of the basic principles of economics and the interplay of health and economic principles; evolution of the health system and health sector reforms and the wider public sector reforms; the process of planning, budgeting, human resource management and development of team work

• Introduction to health systems management
• Decentralisation of health services
• Health economics
• Health financing
• Quality assurance
• Budget tracking systems
• Time management
• Health policy formulation in Uganda
• The Ugandan national health policy
• Decentralisation of services
• Health Sector Strategic Plan
• Health policy analysis
• Motivation and leadership
• Principles of management and the management cycle
• Legal aspects
• Human resource development priorities in the national health policy
• Personnel management including recruitment, selection and appraisal
• Health information management systems
• Health resource management
• Effective communication
• Cost-effective analysis/ cost benefit analysis
• Delegation
• Medical supplies management
• Burden of disease methodology
• Health service indicators
• Inequalities in health care
• Disaster preparedness and management, including Ebola virus
• Integrated disease surveillance  
  

CHP 7213:   HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE      

The concepts of quality assurance will be discussed. Factors in quality assurance, monitoring and developing a culture sensitive to quality, gender and equity will be explored. Current quality assurance processes will be discussed; health system monitoring and evaluation systems in Uganda will be explored.

CHP 7321:   DISSERTATION

The M.Med course requires a piece of original research that is presented to the School of Post-Graduate Studies and defended by viva voce. This is a non-credit course and is assessed on a pass/fail basis. The SHO will be expected to critically review medical literature. After attending the research methodology course, the SHO will be assisted in developing a draft research proposal by the end of year 2

Submission of Dissertation

The SHO will : 

a)       submit a research proposal to the Faculty Higher Degrees Committee before the end of the recess term year 2

b)      research findings will be presented in the form of a dissertation in accordance with common university rules and regulations

c)       three months written notice of intention to submit the dissertation must be given to the Director, school of Post Graduate Studies, and must be endorsed by the supervisors

d)      when ready for submission, three loose bound copies with the authority of the supervisor must be submitted to the Director, school of Post Graduate Studies

e)       the dissertation must be presented at least 2 months before the date of the final examination

f)        to pass the dissertation the SHO shall satisfy the examiners in both the write up and viva voca

g)       a SHO who fails to satisfy the examiners shall re-submit a revised dissertation in accordance with the guidance of the viva voce committee, within six months after notification.

h)    Only one re-submission of a dissertation is allowed

Copyright 2004 - Last updated on: 15 Jan 2004
About this website