Community Medicine Clerkship is a field based appointment comprising a series of visits to selected settings involved in delivery of public health services. This appointment is scheduled over four weeks during the fourth year of the course. The student will visit relevant institutions/ field based settings and gain awareness on how public health related services are provided to the community. During the appointment students are encouraged to critically evaluate the observed services and the health promotional strategies adopted. Two seminars will be conducted in the last week of the appointment to discuss the content covered during the clerkship and to clarify issues. Each seminar will consist of student presentations on topics given during the first week of the clerkship appointment. 2-3 students are expected to present each topic.
How would this appointment help the student in his/her future practice as a doctor ?
This appointment helps the student to develop skills and attitudes of maintaining professional standards, team work and communication skills that are essential to a doctor. It enables the student to understand social dimensions of health and disease; gain knowledge on health promotion and disease prevention, population health and health systems and healthcare planning and management including information management, providing a wider understanding of epidemiology and demography. It will expose the student to some of the legal responsibilities of a doctor and will be helpful to develop certain clinical skills.
Places to be visited during the clerkship programme
- Medical Officer of Health, Ragama
- Public Health Inspector
- Public Health Midwife
- Office of the Regional Director of Health Services, Gampaha
- Antenatal clinic
- Child welfare clinic
- District Hospital
- Anti-filariasis Campaign, Kiribathgoda
- School Medical Inspection
- NPTC &CD, Welisara
- Factory visit
- Correctional Centre for Youthful Offenders, Pallansena, Negombo
- St Joseph's School for the Deaf, Ragama
- Infection Control Unit, Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama
- Water Treatment Plant and Sewerage Treatment Plant, Raddolugama
- Community Dental Services