Core Course

The Intermed program has been developed around 5 streams

1. Aspects of medical mission.

2. Health care service delivery, especially for primary health care.

3. Issues in public health.

4. Issues in clinical care, especially infectious diseases and nutrition.

5. Electives.

The course is conducted through lectures, seminars, practical classes and group work. The program usually runs from 8.45 am each morning and ends between 5:00pm and 5.30 pm, with breaks for morning and afternoon tea and lunch.  There are 2 midweek evening sessions (one during the first, and the other during the second week) but no weekend sessions during the core 3-week course.

There is a special emphasis on practical skills acquisition:

For all participants:

• Developing a basic health program

• Basic plaster techniques

• Applied contraception

For doctors and laboratory scientists:

• Making and interpreting blood films including malaria diagnosis

• Faecal parasites

• Gram staining, ZN staining and urine microscopy

For nurses and other health professionals:

• Simple consulting skills

• Examination of the child and adult

• Basic suturing

• Incision and drainage of an abscess

• Simple split skin graft

Course Objectives

Participants who complete the Intermed Summer School will:

• develop an understanding of key issues relating to life in the developing world and of the application of biblical principles of justice and mercy in health care

• discover ways of bridging the gap between technologically developed western medical practices and those appropriate in developing societies

• become familiar with the principles of appropriate sustainable community development

• extend their practical knowledge of specific health problems common in developing societies

• recognize and manage common diseases in developing contexts.

See the Intermed Handbook for full details of the course objectives, including additional objectives for Nurses, Doctors, Laboratory Scientists and other Health Professionals.

Two sets of extensive course materials are provided; one on clinical topics and the other on public health issues - some 500 pages in all! A CD-ROM of all the available teaching materials and resources is provided soon after the completion of the course. The price of these, together with the pre-reading material, is included in the core course fee. Notepaper, pencils, drinking water and morning and afternoon teas, but not lunch, are also included in the fee.

Who may attend?

The Summer School is open to any health care professional such as doctors, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical laboratory scientists and technologists, nutritionists, radiographers, paramedics, dentists and experienced community health and development workers. Applications are also considered from final year health professional students who are going overseas in the same year as the course. Those without health qualifications may be accepted, provided they can demonstrate a significant involvement in health work, for example a teacher conducting health education programs or an engineer involved in water and sanitation activities. The course is intensive and moves quickly, assuming an adequate bio-medical vocabulary and health care knowledge.

Accreditation

All participants are provided with a Certificate of Attendance on completion of the Course.

The course can be taken for academic credit, that is, to be used for credit points for a recognized qualification with another educational provider. On average about half the participants choose to do the course for credit.

Participants taking the course for credit are required:

• to take a 1½ hour exam at the end of the core course

• to write 4 x 750 word seminar commentaries on selected readings within two months of the end of the course (the end of April) and

• to do a 3000 word essay on a topic related to international health in the developing world, to be submitted by mid-July.

This course can be counted for credit in a number of Tabor Adelaide’s government-accredited courses, including the Bachelor of Intercultural studies and various postgraduate course options, all of which can be completed through External Studies.

Many universities and other tertiary education institutions, have accepted the course as an elective component in their courses, including Master in Public Health or equivalent degrees.

A number of Bible and Theological Colleges have recognized the course and given credit towards postgraduate courses for those completing the Intermed course for credit.

Various professional bodies have also recognized the course for approved continuing education. For example, General Practitioners can claim RACGP Continuing Medical Education points (self-assessed) for this course.

It is up to each participant seeking academic credit to arrange for that credit with the tertiary institution of their choice. Credit has been granted from all universities and theological colleges from which it has been sought, although the amount credited varies between institutions.

Optional 4th week

The optional 4th week follows immediately after the completion of the core 3-week course. This week provides an opportunity to gain additional skills in the areas of obstetrics, dentistry, community development, family planning and simple clinical skills. Only basic skills can be taught in the time available and this week is NOT a substitute for complete professional development in these areas. An additional fee applies to this extension (see Application Form for current cost).

To minimize the time participants are away from home and family, this week usually commences on the Saturday immediately following the end of the core course, and finishes on the Thursday of the next week, with Sunday kept free. There are no evening sessions during this week.

The components of the 4th week may vary from year to year depending on the availability of teaching staff and facilities. Most of the sessions are at Tabor Adelaide with a few at other teaching locations in Adelaide.

The specific objectives for each component of this week are:

For obstetrics

• sew up an episiotomy correctly

• describe the indications and steps for manual removal of the placenta

• manage postpartum haemorrhage correctly

• describe the steps in the resuscitation of the newborn.

For family planning

• perform injectable and subcutaneous contraception, and describe the common complications and their management.

For dentistry

• be able to deliver the necessary education for a community on preventive care through personal oral hygiene

• describe correctly the steps in undertaking a simple extraction

• recognize the indications for referral for basic emergency dentistry and restorative dentistry.

For community development

• understand the process of peace-building through the stages of denial, revenge, forgiveness and reconciliation, at both the individual level and the community level

• describe the importance of peace-building for community health and development.

For musculo-skeletal medicine

• recognise the important anatomical landmarks for musculoskeletal medicine

• recognise and manage of a range of simple musculoskeletal conditions

For additional clinical skills

• conduct a systematic examination of a child

• perform intravenous cannulation and CPR refresher

• undertake ear toilet and management of chronic otitis media

• remove a foreign body from the eye

• demonstrate and teach relaxation skills.

Course Staff and Lecturers

The course was designed by Emeritus Professor Anthony Radford, who has extensive experience in primary health care and training of mission workers in many countries. Dr Douglas Shaw, who has qualifications and experience in international public health and development, is the Course Coordinator, while Anthony is the Course Advisor.

The lecturers for the Summer School are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds. Almost all have had overseas experience, many with international health consultancies with groups such as WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, Aus AID, World Vision and TEAR Australia. Many also hold senior appointments at one or more of the three universities in Adelaide.

The lecturers, their current positions, qualifications and topic(s) taught during the Summer School are listed below (with their permission).

Applications

Because the course assumes some reasonable prior health knowledge, it is open primarily to health care professionals, such as doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, medical laboratory scientists and technologists, experienced community health and development workers, and senior students in medical, nursing and paramedical disciplines (usually those in the last year of their course). To apply, please complete the Application Form.

Fees

For information on current fees, see the Application Form.

The fee structure is based on whether or not the participant wishes to take the program for academic credit.

Course for credit fee is an additional fee to the core course fee for those choosing to do the course for credit.

A non-refundable deposit (deductible from the course fee) is required if the full course fees are not paid on Application.

An early bird rebate is available for those who have paid in full by the 1st November preceding the Summer School.

Optional 4th Week fee is an additional fee for those who elect to do the optional 4th week of the program.

What is included by the fees? The core course fee covers all lectures, seminars and practical sessions, over 500 pages of notes on public health and clinical topics in two large folders, other print material, basic equipment such as pens and paper, as well as the Summer School welcome BBQ, and morning and afternoon teas (but not lunches). The fee also covers a CD-ROM of all materials that can be saved electronically. This is prepared following the course and sent to participants. For the two evening sessions, and closing BBQ, participants usually share meal costs. Any weekend sightseeing and other recreational activities are paid for by the participants.

Practicum Fee: The 2-week practicum is usually conducted in the second half of the year in a Pacific or Asian country. Participants are encouraged to indicate their interest by the end of the core course, but confirmation of participation is not required until one or two months later, and payment is not required until the practicum location and details are confirmed. The cost will vary depending on the location and number of participants, but as a guide, the fee will be the travel costs from your place of departure, plus approximately $1500 to $2000.

Low or no income concessional fee for the Core Course is available for those on low or no incomes and who do not meet the criteria for a Scholarship. To apply for this reduced fee the participant must complete a Concessional/ Scholarship Fee Application Form (link to download pdf) and provide a letter of support from their church.

A spouse concession is available if a husband and wife have both applied for the same course: a 25% reduction in the Core Course fee for one partner.

Scholarships
A Scholarship Fund has been established and built up by donations from lecturers who forgo their fees and other gifts. Depending on the amount available and the number of applications, part-payment of core course fees and part-payment of Practicum costs may be available. Participants applying for a Scholarship are first expected to seek funding from their usual sources of support. A final decision on the amount of support available will not be made until the numbers of participants applying for support are known. This is usually by the end of the three week Core Course.

The eligibility criteria for a Scholarship are:

• those on furlough with a mission organisation and who are intending to return to the mission field

• those not earning and who have been accepted by a mission organization

• those on low or no income who are definitely going to the field for more than a short-term assignment in the same year as the Summer School.

To apply for a Scholarship, the participant must:

• complete a Concessional/Scholarship Application Form and

• provide a letter from their mission organisation or their church leadership confirming that they meet the eligibility criteria.

Preparation

There are two sets of pre-reading, a general set and a seminar set. In November we send out several articles of general pre-reading to all who have submitted an approved Application. Participants are asked to “digest” this reading in advance as a sound preparation for this intensive course.

A second set of seminar readings is sent at the same time. There are four seminar sessions during the core course. The class is divided into small groups and each participant is asked to read a total of 4 articles (one for each seminar). Participants are expected to summarise the main purpose and findings of their articles and present the key points (about 5 minutes for each article) to their group during the seminar. Those taking the course for credit are required to write a 750 word critique for each of their four articles. It is strongly recommended that these articles are read and notes made BEFORE arrival as these seminars are in the first two weeks.

Location

The intensive teaching for the course takes place at Tabor Adelaide (a multi-denominational Christian education centre), 181 Goodwood Road, Millswood, Adelaide, South Australia (link to Google Maps). Tabor Adelaide is at Bus Stop 6, six kilometers (about 15-20 minutes) by bus south of the city centre. Details of the bus route and fares (multi-trip tickets are good value) are available from the Adelaide Metro website.

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You will have access to the library (with photocopying facilities at basic cost). Internet access is available in the library and from 2 or 3 dedicated computers in the Course training room. There is also a moderately priced cafeteria on site. The buildings are set in pleasant parklands (with tennis court and car parking facilities) belonging to the community and local government. A shopping centre with supermarket and other facilities is 5-10 minutes walk away.

Some practical components of the course are held at the Flinders Medical Centre, the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, the Dental Hospital and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Accommodation

Accommodation is the participant’s own responsibility, but we try to help. A variety of options are available. A volunteer Accommodation Coordinator for the Summer School may be available to assist with accommodation requirements.

Some of the accommodation options are detailed in the Intermed Handbook. These include the Youth with a Mission headquarters at Norton Summit in the Adelaide Hills, billeting arrangements with host families from local churches and sharing accommodation with Adelaide-based participants.

FAQs

Click here to see view answers to frequently asked questions.