The Medical Psychology course is a 13-hour course aimed at acquiring various theoretical knowledge, accompanied by 20 hours of practical work on medical psychology and health communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to understand and master the main principles of medical psychology, and should have acquired basic skills in nursing-care and interprofessional communication.
The teaching is structured around themes that vary from year to year, encouraging reflection on the psychic, relational, affective and personality factors in the context of health care.
The themes usually covered are
- Medical psychology: object and method
- Genesis of personality
- Stages of development
- Mental functioning
- Psychosomatic approach to health and illness
- The patient and his illness
- The doctor and his medicine
- The doctor-patient relationship
The course will cover the history and definitions of medical psychology, notions of the anthropology of health, the concepts of illness and patient, the impact of the psyche on the onset and course of illness, the impact of the psyche on the treatment of illness, the impact of illness on the psyche, and the doctor-patient relationship. These different themes will be studied in their various theoretical and practical facets, particularly with regard to health communication.
The course will cover the history and definitions of medical psychology, notions of the anthropology of health, the concepts of illness and patient, the impact of the psyche on the onset and course of illness, the impact of the psyche on the treatment of illness, the impact of illness on the psyche, and the doctor-patient relationship. These different themes will be studied in their various theoretical and practical facets, particularly with regard to health communication.
Practical work
Description practical work
The aim of these practical exercises is to develop students' knowledge of doctor-patient communication and communication communication between caregivers, as well as putting into practice certain concepts seen during these practical sessions.
These 20 hours of practical work will will be made up of theoretical lessons illustrated by videos and clinical cases, practical practical exercises and skills training through simulation (role-playing) and reading.
The aim of these practical sessions is to apply emotional, communication and multi-disciplinary teamwork strategies to prepare medical students for their first internship.
Assessment of practical work: completion of the practical work is compulsory, valued in points, and is an absolute prerequisite for validating the credits associated with this course. In addition, questions on the theory exam may relate to knowledge acquired during practical work.
The overall weighting of the two parts, theory and practice, is 20 points, divided equally between the two parts.
Both parts must be passed independently: the student is expected to pass both parts of the course in order to be awarded an overall pass. The teachers will discuss the student's performance and decide whether the objectives have been met. Partial grades cannot be carried over from one academic year to the next. Teachers may authorize partial marks to be carried over from one session to the next. Where appropriate, for the practical part, teachers may propose remediation prior to the June deliberation, and outside the examination session.
Practical work
Attendance at practical exercises is compulsory and graded. Any exercise not completed during the practical part will incur a penalty in points. With regard to role-playing: a particularly well-executed role-play may earn bonus points. Conversely, if the role-play is botched or carried out in an unserious, unethical or disrespectful manner, a points penalty may be incurred, up to and including the overall invalidation of the exam. In addition, questions on the theory exam may relate to knowledge acquired during practical work.
It is not possible to anticipate practical work alone.
Theoretical part:
On-site or distance written exam based on material seen and heard in class. Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and/or open-ended questions (with short answer (QORC) or long answer (QORL) or structured answer (QORS) like an essay, for example). Where appropriate, an oral examination may be organized.
Exercises (homework and workshops), as well as the completion of a portfolio, may be the subject of an intermediate graded assessment, to be included in the course grade where appropriate.
Adaptation of assessment procedures
The exact modalities of assessment may be modified when exam timetables are drawn up, according to practical constraints that the faculty administration may face, or in the event of illness/force majeure/employment with an internship, preventing the student from taking the exam on the date initially scheduled, or because of the health situation linked to the coronavirus.
In such cases, the teacher will inform the students of the assessment procedures via WebCampus.
- Psychologie Médicale, Michel Reynaud, Philippe Jeammet, Silla M. Consoli, published by Masson (course book for the theoretical part).
- Resources on the course page on webcampus
- Prerequisites:
- general psychology course
- Karen Huffman, "Introduction à la psychologie", De Boeck Supérieur.
- Material associated with practical work, without obligation to read :
- Richard, C., Lussier, M-T. (2016). La communication professionnelle en santé. 2nd ed. Saint-Laurent: Éditions du renouveau pédagogique inc.
- Silverman, J., Kurtz, S., Draper, J. (2010). Tools and strategies for communicating with the patient. Médecine & Hygiène.
- Epstein, R. (2018). Attending: medicine, mindfulness and humanity. Simon and Schuster.
- Department of Psychology, UNamur, "Miniguide de la communication médecin-patient en consultation".
- Department of Psychology, UNamur, "Charte de l'utilisation de la pédagogie par simulation en santé".