Capstone Project
Information
Our 48 credit point Masters course, M6033, has been designed with an increased emphasis on a progression through the units, culminating in a capstone project which aims to consolidate all prior learning and pull together all learning objectives.
This project provides the opportunity for individual creativity as per Monash Graduate Attributes and the Australian Qualifications Framework (level 9).
To recap, the learning objectives for the overall Master course are:
- Provide clinicians with information to care for the growing complexity of surgical patients.
- Provide a greater understanding of the importance and functioning of the pre-admission clinic.
- Equip the perioperative physician to risk stratify and optimise care of the patient in the perioperative period.
- Collaboratively manage the patient in the perioperative period, in particular the perioperative management of patients with chronic medical illnesses and other organ dysfunction.
- Equip the perioperative physician with the managerial skills to lead a multidisciplinary perioperative management team.
- Equip the perioperative physician with basic research skills to further perioperative medicine research.
To increase flexibility the capstone units are split into 2 units, each worth 6 credit points requiring 10-12 hours of study each week (on average).
The unit breakdown is as follows:
- POM5105 contains 6 learning modules and allows time for working on the capstone project. Go to POM5105
- POM5106 allows you to devote time to completion and submission of the capstone project. Go to POM5106
- Each of these units are worth 6 credit points each. They can be done concurrently with a similar workload to units POM5101, POM5102 and POM5103.
- For increased flexibility, they can also be done in separate semesters BUT POM5106 must be completed in your last semester of enrollment.
These two new units are offered to all students enrolled in the Master of Medicine M6033, and to those students enrolled in course M6027 who have chosen the course variation to complete the course via this pathway.
To aid planning and preparing for the capstone project we have introduced a learning journey platform called the PebblePad. We encourage all students to start thinking about, and working on, their capstone project as early as possible. Within the PebblePad platform you will be able to access an online workbook to help guide you through your project - from proposal to completion and submission. Completion of this workbook will comprise part of the assessment tasks of the two new units, POM5105 and 5106. More detail on this, including instructional videos, is provided to all enrolled Master of Medicine students at the beginning of first semester.
Capstone project
The final capstone project will be a 6,000 word report, or equivalent. Students will be encouraged to plan their capstone as they progress through the course. The initial proposal submission will be part of the assessment (5%) and will need to be completed by week 2 of unit POM5105.
Proposal submission will be via the PebblePad workbook. It will be possible for the proposal to be submitted earlier, even before enrolling in unit POM5106, with the credits for assessment saved for the unit.
The capstone must relate to the candidate’s own practice e.g. plans for implementing change at their local hospital or in their practice.
Capstone Unit Framework
There will possibly be the option to work in pairs or groups subject to the appropriate approval of a suitable proposal.
This will be a much more challenging area than any of our current assessments but there will be comprehensive guidelines and suggestions. Suggestions for appropriate projects will include (but are not limited to):
- Audit – meeting SQUIRE 2.0 criteria.
- Design of an iSAP – with full story board preparation and maybe preliminary materials (examples will be provided from other courses).
- Design, construction and proposed implementation of educational material or information for patients/staff, etc. – possible areas to address - communication around race, gender, indigenous patients, refugees, developing world, mental illness.
- A proposal for change at the candidate’s institution – including evidence, presentation to management, costings and initial implementation plan, e.g. change relating to patient blood management, cervical spine trauma, etc.
- Proposal for introduction of a perioperative medicine service at the candidate’s institution – with similar criteria to above.
Capstone Project FAQ
Information regarding the capstone project is available on top of this web page. Information has been kept deliberately sparse to encourage you to think about what is relevant to your work and your institution and how you might use this opportunity to instigate change in your workplace. We are always very happy to discuss project ideas.
The word count is meant as a guide only and as an indicator of the amount of time and work that is expected for the project. Clearly if your project is presented as a (very) long essay or mini-thesis then the word count is relevant. However, if you include video, podcasts, information brochures, posters, business plans etc the assessors will make an assessment of the time that was likely involved in preparing such resources.
Yes.
Referencing is required for all submitted text Vancouver style
You are welcome to engage the services of a statistician if necessary but unfortunately, we can't provide this service. Clearly their work should not be represented as your own. Please refer to the Monash Uni Software Catalogue for more information about available software which can be used as a Monash University student.
- Development of a protocol for the care of #NOF patient.
- Development/extension of a perioperative medicine service for a hospital or a subgroup of patients (elderly, complex urology, hip fractures etc).
- Development of a geriatrician led perioperative service in a regional hospital.
- The association between post-anaesthetic care unit length of stay and post-operative deterioration.
- PCA and its effect on postoperative outcomes in older cohort of patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgeries.
- Proposal to introduce point of care (viscoelastic) testing at a tertiary hospital.
- Prehabilitation for older patients having surgery.
- PAC training module for junior doctors.
- iSAP on complex geriatric patient concentrating on frailty and surgical outcomes, and advance care planning.
- The development of an ERAS/perioperative medicine pathway for major urology patients.
- Audit of time to surgery of patients with diabetic foot ulcers.
- The development of an ERAS/perioperative medicine pathway for major urology patients.
- Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol for Cardiac Surgery.
- Factors associated with postoperative blood transfusions following renal transplantation.
- Anaesthetist led information sessions for obstetric patients on epidural analgesia during labour.
- ISAP - Management of a Jefferson's fracture in the context of dementia and newly diagnosed progressive supranuclear palsy.
- Assessing the risk factor for perioperative AKI and analysing the validity of simple postoperative AKI risk (SPARK) classification before non-cardiac surgery.
- Fit testing of N95 respirator for anaesthetist and anaesthetic nurses.
- Perioperative pathway for patients having elective hip and knee arthroplasty surgery.
- Perioperative management of the palliative patient undergoing surgery.
- What are the benefits of pre-assessment clinics?.
- Analysis of Patient Selection for Rapid COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Testing
- Neuromuscular Monitoring Project.
Please contact us during 9AM – 5PM AEST weekdays via
03 9903 0321 or email med-periopmedicine@monash.edu
Pebble Pad FAQ
- To log to the PebblePad please click the following link,
Log in to PebblePad
For assistance, please refer to the PebblePad Help Guide via the following link,
PebblePad Help
Only the first page (Project Proposal) needs to be completed by the first deadline in POM5105.
However, we encourage you to start working on your Action Plan early as this will help you plan your project and enable us to offer advice and assistance along the way.
This is not entirely necessary but it does assist us (and you) in tracking your progress. Either way you will still be able to go back and edit any page at any time. This is a ‘live’ online platform and as such your latest entry will always be saved and will be able to be viewed by your unit coordinators.
All documents that make up your final project need to be uploaded into the ‘Project Documents’ page in the PebblePad workbook.
For more information see the Welcome to Pebblepad Guide.
Absolutely!
We encourage you to be as creative as possible. Videos, audio files, powerpoint presentations can all be uploaded as well as a variety of different text files. Please contact us if you are unsure.
All feedback will be provided within PebblePad.
When feedback has been added you will receive an email notification to your Monash email address.
To access the feedback, open your PebblePad work book and click on the blue tab in the top right corner:
This will open a dialogue with the unit coordinators. Similarly, we receive notification when you reply.
Please contact us during 9AM – 5PM AEST weekdays via
03 9903 0321 or email med-periopmedicine@monash.edu
Ask a question
For more information, or to discuss potential project ideas, please contact Course Convenor Dr. Jamie Smart