Summary of brainstorming session on Crossing Borders in the curriculum

Date: 23rd November 2006

People involved: Amy Crees, Debbie Linsky

We discussed places in the curriculum where refugee health issues could be explored. These fell into two broad categories: the core curriculum, and Student Selected Components (SSCS).

Core curriculum:

1. Year 1: Society, Health and Medicine, Ethics

2. Year 2: Communication skills

3. Year 4: Community Orientated Medical Practice (COMP II). This unit includes Primary Care lectures, which could include material on refugee issues e.g. use of Language Line, healthcare entitlements etc.

4. “Cross-linking” timetables with International Health BSc lectures.

SSCs

1. Year 2: Opportunity for students to write essays/ write essay based on relevant practical experience. We would need to find supervisors, but they could be interested GPs from locality.

2. Year 3: External SSC could be used for the purpose of exploring refugee healthcare issues. This could be a taught SSC with a similar structure to the one currently offered on complementary health.

Actions

Amy: to contact David Cahill about attending core curriculum meetings and feasibility of setting-up SSCs as described above. Also to contact Unit lead for COMP II on getting relevant lectures into course programme.

Debbie: to contact International Health people about their possible involvement.

Feedback to Crossing Borders committee when results of actions are known.

Recent developments

Proposed actions arising from CB in the curriculum working group meeting 21/1/07

1. Email to Liz Murphy about the following items:

• Our suggested titles for SSCs, and marking criteria
• Feasibility of students doing placements at the Haven during the period of their external SSC e.g. time commitment, activities.
• Running workshops for medics on asylum seekers and refugees in the healthcare setting. These would be based on existing workshops which are run for dentistry students, and could be included in Whole Person Care or as part of the International Health SSC which Liz Anderson is hoping to start this year (or next).

2. Email to Liz Anderson about taught International Health SSC which she is hoping to start, and the possibility of Crossing Borders organising a session of this (as stated in point 1). This could be the workshop run by Liz Murphy, or something else.

3. Email to Lesley Doyle and Sarah Paine with suggested SSC titles and marking criteria.

4. Email to Trevor Thompson about including workshops such as those mentioned above in the Whole Person Care course.

Update 12/2/07

• Email sent to Liz Murphy.
• Email sent to Liz Anderson. Amy to set-up meeting with her re combining CB with the new taught SSC. Liz to contact potential markers (on 16/2/07).