ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
An applicant must have Senior High School Certificate (SSSCE) aggregate 24 or West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) with aggregate 36 or better which should include credits in three core: English Language, Mathematics and Integrated Science and three elective subjects in the following: Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
State Registered Nurses (SRN) and Registered Midwives will receive exemptions from the level 100 courses and be eligible for admission to level 200.
Physician Assistant and General Nursing Diploma as well as Bachelor degree holders in life sciences (Biochemistry, Biological Science, Sports and Exercise Medicine, Psychology) will be considered for admission to level 300 of the programme and will as such be able to complete the programme in two years.
Mature applicants must be at least 25years at the time of admission and must possess either five credits as GCE O-Level including English language and Mathematics or WASSCE/SSCE with credits in three core subjects (English, Mathematics and Integrated Science) plus three elective subjects (Chemistry, Biology and Physics).
Foreign students may be considered for admission if they hold a qualification equivalent to those stated above, proved they are proficient in English, Equivalent qualifications include; A-levels, High School Diplomas.
Holders of Diploma Certificate in Community Medicine should be placed in the 3rd year after a top-up or pre-entry course, to be determined by the college.
INTRODUCTION
The desire of the Government to improve access to basic health care of all Ghanaians in the early 1960s, led to the training of Medical Assistants. This was occasioned by the shortage and misdistribution of physicians. Further development of the health care delivery based on the Primary Health Care approach, has emphasized the need to train multi-purpose mid-level health professionals to deal with common diseases that constitute a big percentage the diseases afflicting most Ghanaians. This curriculum is competency-based and takes into consideration the current needs of society and those of the students. In this regard, greater emphasis is being laid on the community, physical and social sciences as well as spiritual and ethical elements in medical practice.
The supervised field attachment is to be carried out wholly in the community with students involved in a direct observation as well as participation in the activities of a community health worker. The courses are organized so as to encourage the integration of theory and practice. Teachers are encouraged to use the community as part of a training environment. As much as possible the problem-based approach will require students to identify problems and plan interventions to solve them is encouraged. The curriculum is arranged to cover: the philosophy, goals and objectives of the programme, entry requirements, grading system and the course structure. It also includes a list of suggested textbooks for each course Assessment of students’ learning in each course will be done through continuous assessment and end of semester examinations.
RATIONALE FOR THE PROGRAMME
Since 1980, efforts have been made to train large numbers of health workers including physicians so as to increase coverage of the health delivery system. There remain still problems of shortage of physicians as a result of brain drain. Most district and sub-district facilities are under-staffed. A review of the training policies of the Ministry of Health indicates the need to train an upgraded Medical Assistant well motivated to provide health care in rural communities. The motivating factor is to ensure adequate career and academic progression of graduates to attain self-actualization and self-esteem. The training programme for this upgraded Medical Assistant is designed to provide the opportunity for further training to become a middle-level medical practitioner with requisite knowledge and skills to address health and related issues and contribute to the achievement of manage physician.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
AIM:
The aim of the programme is to produce a health worker who will be able to deliver effective promotive, preventive and curative health care at the sub-district level. His/her work will be wide in scope, efficient in its operation, simple in its approach and yet cost-effective in its delivery
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the programme, Medical Assistant should be able to:
- a) Organize and supervise sub-district health activities
- b) Work with other members of the health team, other Agencies/organizations and the community to plan, implement and evaluate health activities.
- c) Diagnose and treat common diseases and injuries using a minimum of available technology, and to refer cases where appropriate.
- d) Conduct training for subordinates and the community.
- e) Prepare and disseminate reports on PHC activities.
- f) Conduct research into health problems in the sub-district and disseminate the findings as part of problem solving activities.
- g) Manage drugs, equipment, materials and other resources.
- h) Demonstrate an understanding of national health policy and its relevance to community health.
- i) Develop competencies for imparting knowledge and principles of health to community members.
- j) Recognize the role of other sectors in contributing to community health.
All Ghanaians have a right to the best quality of health care that is culturally acceptable to them at a cost they can afford. Further, health is the engine of Socio-economic Development. Thus health being an end product of the Health Care Delivery System must respond to the needs of the community and must be a holistic package. This calls for the training of health personnel capable of holistic delivery of the package aimed at reduction of morbidity, disability and mortality. This is the basis for introducing the multipurpose health worker concept of human resource for health development especially at the peripheral level of care.
In this programme, credit is the equivalent of 15 hours of instruction per semester. A 2 credit course would have 2 contact hours a week for 15 weeks giving a total of 30 hours. A full course is a three (3) credit course, i.e. 3 contact hours a week for 15 weeks. A practical course will have 3 contact hours a week for 15 weeks. A 2 credit practical course will have 6 contact hours of instruction. A 3 credit course can have 2 contact hours of theory and 3 contact hours of practical.
Assessment of students’ performance in each course will be done through a combination of continuous assessment and End of Semester Examination.
The weighting will be as follows:
- a) Continuous Assessment = 30%
- b) End of semester Examination = 70%
The continuous assessment (CA) comprises quizzes, essays, assignments, short tests, laboratory reports, fieldwork report, observation, and mid-semester examination.
GRADING SYSTEM
Letter grades and their equivalent percentage marks, their credit values and their interpretations are indicated as follows:
| LETTER GRADE | SCORE RANGE (%) | GRADE POINT | DESCRIPTION |
| A | 80-100 | 4.00 | DISTINCTION |
| B | 70-79.99 | 3.00 | CREDIT |
| C | 60-69.99 | 2.50 | AVERAGE |
| D | 50-59.99 | 1.50 | PASS |
| E | <50 | 0.00 | FAIL |
| IC | 0.00 | 0.00 | INCOMPLETE
(ABSENT WITH REASON) |
| X | 0.00 | 0.00 | ABSENT |
| Z | 0.00 | 0.00 | DISQUALIFIED |
| DESIGNATION | FCGPA RANGE |
| DISTINCTION | 3.60 – 4.00 |
| CREDIT | 3.00 – 3.59 |
| AVERAGE | 2.50 – 2.99 |
| PASS | 1.50 – 2.49 |
| FAIL | <1.50 |
The pass mark is 50%
To qualify for the award of Degree in Community Medicine and Health, a student must:
- a) Have a total of at least 130 credit hours of course
- b) Pass in all courses taken earning a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better.
- c) A student should have a GPA of 2.0 or better in each course.
BSc Community Medicine and Health Programme intend to train professional medical assistants who will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to work in all health facilities requiring expertise in community medicine. These include District, Regional, Private, Mission and Teaching hospitals across the country. The school will also work closely with other stakeholders who will require the services of its graduates. The initial 12 months of their professional work after graduation will serve as the internship period where graduates will work at designated District, Regional and Teaching hospitals.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Medical Assistant heads a health centre where he/she assumes administrative responsibility for the sub-district he/she leads the sub-district health team to provide primary health care to the community under the supervision of the District Medical Officer and Health management team. He/she manages common cases of illness and injuries and within the limits of his competence, and refers patients to higher levels of care when necessary.
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