Endocrinology and the Life Cycle

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Recognise environmental factors, nutrition and occupational hazards contributing to disease
• Demonstrate understanding of the principles underlying tests of endocrine and reproductive function
• Recognise the impact of disease and dysfunction of the endocrine and reproductive systems, including pregnancy, on patients and their families, and the scope of care available to them
• Recognise the normal anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy for mother and fetus
• Demonstrate understanding of the principles underlying tests of growth and development
• Apply scientific knowledge from this and earlier modules to explain clinical features, the results of tests and the effects of treatment in case-based scenarios
• Describe the structure and function of the major endocrine and reproductive organs
• Identify and describe the pathophysiology and treatment of disorders of pregnancy, childhood growth, adolescence and ageing
• Explain the treatment of endocrine and reproductive disorders and describe management options
• Demonstrate appropriate numeracy skills in the calculation and interpretation of quantitative scientific and clinical data
• Interpret the results of, and explain the principles underlying, tests for diseases of the endocrine and reproductive systems, pregnancy and growth and development
• Identify the physiological abnormalities and pathological changes that occur in endocrine and reproductive disorders and use them to interpret clinical features
• Recognise the processes of ageing and describe psychological and social consequences
• Describe the anatomy and physiology of childhood growth and development

This is an eight week module which begins with basic endocrinology, moving on to how this is relevant in understanding adult reproductive function. Following this, the module moves on to the establishment of new life - pregnancy and birth - then child development and adolescence. The last weeks of the module focus on getting older, including diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The module therefore reflects a continuum of human development from conception, embryonic and fetal life, through childhood and puberty, to adult life and ageing and death. Each week uses patient-based learning with access to an online interactive or discursive virtual patient. Students will be able to draw on their experience of seeing the birth of a baby in Year 1. In order to meet the learning outcomes, the syllabus will contain teaching in the following areas: anatomy, physiology, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, human genetics, histology, molecular cell biology, nutrition, pathology, physiology, psychology, public health, and sociology as applied to medicine.

More specifically the module focuses on:

• Endocrinology (week 1): basic endocrinology, pituitary and adrenal function, renal and thyroid health and disease, calcium metabolism, endocrine hypertension.
• Adult body in reproduction (week 2): structure and function of male and female genital tracts, contraception, infertility.
• Early pregnancy (week 3): implantation, embryogenesis, placental development, immunology of pregnancy, familial genetic testing, infective complications during pregnancy.
• Fetal growth (week 4): maternal adaptations to pregnancy, fetal maturation, labour, intra-uterine growth restriction, clinical problems of pregnancy.
• Child growth and development (week 5): implications of pre-term birth, lactation, measuring growth, childhood nutrition and obesity, puberty, developmental psychology, sexuality.
• Diabetes Mellitus (weeks 6 and 7): glucose homeostasis in health and disease, scientific basis of diabetes, treatment and practical management, diet, short and long term complications, psychosocial elements, Metabolic Syndrome, obesity and physical exercise.
• Ageing (week 7): processes of ageing, menopause, cancer, coping with dying.

Week 8 is a revision week with revision of all topics the module has covered.

The module will be taught through a range of learning and teaching strategies which will include:

• Lectures
• Practical sessions
• Tutorials
• Guided self-study
• Problem solving scenarios
• eLearning
• Patient-based learning
• Multi-disciplinary symposia

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.