Course Description
Objectives:
The goals are to impart an understanding of the structure, normal function, and pathologic dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system, and to develop the skill necessary to perform a general musculoskeletal screening examination. Departments contributing to the course include Biochemistry, Cellular Biology & Anatomy, Medicine/Rheumatology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy, and Physiology. The diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases will be addressed from both a medical and surgical perspective. Laboratory exercises will allow direct observation of the gross and histologic appearance of tissues. Small-group interactions will promote student participation in discussions of clinical case presentations, and in discussions of the fundamentals of musculoskeletal function and dysfunction. To read a detailed description of the design and educational objectives of the course, click here.
Lectures and Student Groups:
All lectures will be held in the eighth-floor lecture hall; the date, time and instructor for each lecture are listed in the Course Schedule which is posted on the course webpage. The composition of the anatomy and histology laboratory small groups will be posted by Dr. Penny. The composition of the orthopaedics and rheumatology small groups is described in Group Assignments which is posted on the course webpage; these small-group meetings will be held in the core lab on the ground floor. Information regarding the small groups for Physical Examination Skills will be provided by the Module III coordinator.
Required Texts
- Musculoskeletal Medicine. J. Bernstein, Ed. American Academy Orthopedic Surgeons, 2003.
- Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases. J.H. Klippel, Ed. 13th Edition. Arthritis Foundation, 2001. (Copy provided to each student by the Center of Excellence for Arthritis and Rheumatology.)
- Essential Clinical Anatomy. K.L. Moore and A.M. Agur. 3rd edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006.
- Grant’s Dissector. P.W. Tank. 14th edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005.
- Atlas of Human Anatomy. F.H. Netter. 4th edition. Saunders, 2006.
Recommended Texts
- Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care. W.B. Greene, Ed. 2nd edition. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2001 (multiple copies on reserve in the Library).
- Langman’s Medical Embryology. T.W. Sadler, Ed. 10th edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory at Module-II activities that require student-teacher interaction to accomplish the education purpose; these activities are the anatomy laboratories, and the orthopaedics and rheumatology small groups.
Failure to attend an anatomy laboratory shall be remediated by the student in the manner prescribed by the instructor. Failure to remediate an anatomy laboratory will result in an F for the course.
Failure to attend an orthopaedics or rheumatology small-group meeting shall be remediated by means of a report of at least 10 pages, written in a format acceptable to the course administrator, in which the student describes in detail the educational activities and goals pertinent to the missed class, as determined by discussions with students who attended the class. The remediation process is complete only when the student is notified by the course administrator that the proffered report is acceptable. Failure to remediate a small-group meeting will result in a course grade of F. Failure to attend three small-group meetings, notwithstanding any remediation, will result in a course grade of F.
Additional Credit
If a student is present in the lecture hall during the entirety of all, all but one, or all but two of the Module II lectures, and irrebuttable presumption shall be created that the student actually acquired more knowledge than manifested on the final written examination to the extent that the student will receive credit for up to five wrong answers on the final examination. For the purposes of receiving credit, attendance is defined as being seated in class no later than seven minutes past the hour irrespective of when the class actually commenced.
A student who elects to accept the offer of credit shall do so by sending the following e-mail: “I attended all (or all but one, or all but two, as applicable) lectures in Module II,” with a listing of hte missed lectures. The e-mail must contain the following acknowledgement: “I understand that my statement is governed by the student honor code.” For acceptance of the offer to be effective, the required information must be provided and the student must send the e-mail to pburne@lsuhsc.edu no later than 5:00 p.m. February 6, 2009 with the message subject listed as “Class Attendance.”
Computers in Class
Computers may be used in class to display PowerPoint files of the lecture being presented, or to take notes. All other uses including but not limited to playing video games are distracting to other students and therefore prohibited. A student who opens a prohibited computer application in class shall not be eligible to receive credit on the final examination for class attendance.
General Musculoskeletal Screening Exam
The musculoskeletal screening examination described in the CD that accompanies Musculoskeletal Medicine will be taught and tested as part of Module III (Physical Examination Skills).
Examinations
Mid-course and final anatomy exams will consist of approximately 60 fill-in-the-blank questions based on cadaver tags, histology sections, and radiographs. Each student’s answer sheet will be returned and the correct answers will be posted. A student who feels aggrieved by the exam grade received can raise that concern with the course director for the anatomy portion of the course.
A mid-course and a final written exam will be given. The exams will each consist of 150 or fewer questions; generally 3–8 questions will be posed for each lecture hour or small-group session. The questions will primarily be multiple-choice, but fill-in and yes/no questions may also be included. The final exam will be cumulative.
The purpose of the Module II exams is to measure the student’s knowledge against the standard set by the faculty. This is accomplished by using many test questions that were used and validated in prior exams. To maintain a bank of validated questions as a reliable tool for measuring student knowledge, the mid-term and final exams will be sequestered. Neither the exams nor any part thereof may be removed in any form from the examination hall. A student who does so violates the honor code, and will receive an F for the course. The duty to not disclose the test questions is a continuing one; any disclosure of the test questions, either in whole or in part, to anyone other than the members of the class of 2012 will be regarded as a violation of the student honor code. The test questions are not subject to appeal and will not be discussed with particularity by any course faculty.
Some new questions will be included in the exams. If a question is determined by the faculty to be defective it will be stricken from the exam. It is the student’s responsibility to give the best answer to each question, irrespective of whether than answer is certain, or beyond dispute.
Absence from Examination
If a student misses a scheduled exam and has a documented excuse (as defined by the Medical Curriculum Council), a make-up exam will be offered. The student is responsible for contacting the course administrator to schedule the make-up exam.
Grading
| Mid-course written exam | 25% |
| Final written exam | 50% |
| Mid-course anatomy laboratory exam | 12.5% |
| Final anatomy laboratory exam | 12.5% |
The grade will be computed to one decimal place with no further rounding, except that any final grade within 0.2% of the next higher grade will be rounded to the higher grade; the exception shall not apply to a grade less than 70%.
Final Grade
| ≥90 – 100 | A |
| ≥80 – <90 | B |
| ≥70 – <80 | C |
| <70 | F |