Gender Mainstreaming in the New Curriculum 

1st and 2nd Year

In 1st and 2nd Year gender content pertaining to all of the Theme areas of professional development, population health, biomedical evidence and clinical skills is mainstreamed or integrated into the weekly PCL (patient Centred Learning) teaching cases. Teaching of this curriculum commenced in 2002 for 1st Year and 2003 for 2nd Year.

In first and second semester of 2nd Year the student cohort is divided in 2 for a week and while half of the cohort spend a week in a rural medical environment the other half remain at the university and undertake a week of study on about the different challenges presented by rural and remote practice. During this week the PCL they undertake introduces the concept of the gender of the doctor and its impact on practice, particularly rural practice.

In addition to the PCL students attend a half day seminar which introduces them explicitly to the concepts of sex and gender and their implications for men’s health, women’s health and medical practice. Examples are given of how they have encountered gender mainstreaming in the curriculum already and how they incorporate gender competence into their own study and practice. This seminar is conducted in both first and second semester.

3rd Year

Third Year, the first clinical year, is based on a core of 60 theoretical and real patient problem-based learning (PBL) sessions. Gender issues are mainstreamed throughout all 60 PBLs. Teaching of this curriculum commenced in 2004.

4th Year

Fifth Year of the course is structured as a series of electives and selectives, where students extend their knowledge. Gender has been mainstreamed into all appropriate areas. Teaching of this curriculum commenced in 2005.

5th Year

Fifth Year of the course will be structured as a series of electives and selectives, where students will choose to extend their knowledge. Gender will be mainstreamed into the activities of other disciplines and specific areas, and specialist selectives on gender-specific medicine will be offered commencing in 2006.

At all levels, gender issues are mainstreamed into assessment.

Content by Ann-Maree Nobelius, 2004.    enquiries@med.monash.edu.au