Role in the Faculty

1. Teaching

The department teaches third and fifth years of the undergraduate MBChB curriculum:

• Third years are taught clinical methods during an eleven week ward attachment, concluded with a clinical OSCE (objective structured clinical examination); during this year they also receive class lectures on clinical subjects from members of the department.

• Fifth years are attached to internal medicine wards for two sets of six weeks, at Parirenyatwa and Harare Central Hospitals. There they function as student interns, clerking admissions and becoming involved in their management. During this year there are also class lectures on clinical subjects, as well as whole class two hour seminars run in conjunction with other departments, and clinical meetings / radiology meetings.

The department runs a 4 year postgraduate   course in internal medicine, leading to a qualification (Master of Medicine (Medicine)) as a specialist physician. During the four years students rotate through ten medical firms at Parirenyatwa and Harare Central Hospitals. At the end of the first year an examination in basic sciences is prepared for by a combined course which many clinical and non-clinical college departments contribute to. In the third and final years students complete a research project and write a thesis as part of their course requirements.

2. Clinical work

The department provides clinical services to the Parirenyatwa Hospital in many different ways:

1. Lecturers act as consultant physicians to medical firms. Two medical wards are entirely run by lecturers from the department, while three others are staffed jointly by government specialists and lecturers. On the wards routine medical care to internal medicine inpatients is provided by medical firms headed by consultants, while MMed postgraduate students act as senior house officers, supervising pre-registration interns (junior resident medical officers).

2. Internal medicine and specialist outpatient clinics are staffed by lecturers and MMed students. Specialist clinics include:

• cardiology clinic
• opportunistic infections (OI) clinic
• nephrology clinic
• Kaposi sarcoma clinic
• Neurology clinic
• Diabetic clinic

3. Specialised services offered include:

• Echocardiography clinic
• Clinical Neurophysiology (EMG, evoked potentials, EEG)