Masters Degrees (Clinical Governance)

Overview

The one year, part time Postgraduate Certificate offers an exciting opportunity for those working within clinical audit to pursue a taught postgraduate qualification. The overall aims of the course is to improve the quality and effectiveness of clinical audit projects and programmes; enhance the value of clinical audit at individual, team and organisation level and to support the professional development of those working in clinical audit – whether at clinical or non-clinical level.

See the website https://www.keele.ac.uk/pgtcourses/medicalscienceclinicalaudit/

Course Aims

The programme will:
• explore clinical audit within wider health policy and regulatory contexts
• promote greater understanding of governance, quality, assurance and the management of risk within and between healthcare organisations
• equip students with an appreciation of system design, thereby enabling the critical review and further development of clinical audit rameworks
• develop practical skills in clinical audit
• enable participants to effectively engage and motivate others so as to bring about change and quality improvement
• actively support the development of clinical audit within the NHS (or other, health-related) organisations

The PG Certificate will normally be available part time, over one year. However, it may be possible for students to take the PG Certificate over two years, by agreement. A variety of teaching methods will be used in both the face-to-face and online elements of the course. In addition to lectures, presentations and tutor-led discussion, there will be opportunities for students to undertake group exercises as well as complete an extended project relevant to their own role.

Course Content

The PG Certificate requires successful completion of four, 15 credit modules. The modules are:
• Governance and Assurance in Healthcare
• Clinical Audit
• Managing Change and Quality Improvement
• Realising the Potential of Quality Audit

Course Content
Induction Session (including Study Skills and an Introduction to the University e-learning system)

Module One: Governance and Assurance in Healthcare
This module will enable participants to critically consider the governance requirements and regulatory frameworks which apply to healthcare organisations and within this the role and value of clinical audit as a source of assurance. The key focus will be on governance and healthcare in the NHS, although the module will draw on developments in other sectors and countries as these have influenced the requirements placed on healthcare organisations in the United Kingdom.

Core topics include:
• Understanding the NHS: Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships
• What is Governance and Why Does It Matter?
• Governance, Risk, & Assurance within the NHS
• Assuring the Quality of Care: The Pivotal Role of Clinical Audit

Module Two: Clinical Audit:
This module considers what constitutes robust clinical audit (at both strategy, programme and project level) and explores the value of clinical audit at all levels of an organisation - locating this within the wider quality framework for an organisation or team. The module also provides an opportunity for students to critically review the key stages within the clinical audit cycle, develop their skills in planning and undertaking audits and identify the key challenges involved in managing clinical audit projects and programmes.

Module Three: Managing Change and Quality Improvement:
All healthcare organisations are dependent on their staff, so how do you get the best from them? This module explores the core concepts associated with change so as to enable students to effectively manage the behavioural and organisational issues associated with audit and quality improvement programmes. The aim is for students to (i) develop strategies and actions and (ii) be able to apply a range of different tools and techniques which together enable them to contribute to the successful delivery of sustainable change across professional, functional and hierarchical boundaries.

Module Four: Realising the Potential of Quality Audit:
This module requires students to bring together the knowledge and skills from earlier in their programme of study and to purposefully apply these in a well researched, extended project. Students will be required to critically examine a self-chosen empirical issue or, preferably, a specific work-related problem and develop a related action plan.

Teaching & Assessment

The Postgraduate Certificate is assessed through coursework. This will involve completion of individual and group exercises together with submission of a formal assignment at the end of each module. There will be a choice of assignment subjects for each module and assignment titles, submission deadlines and reading lists will be supplied at the start of the course.

Further Study:
The PG Certificate in Medical Science (Clinical Audit) provides a bespoke introduction to clinical audit at postgraduate level and is a qualification in its own right. However, should students wish to continue their studies, the course has been designed to act as a precursor to further academic study at Keele University and other institutions. Students who successfully complete the PGCertificate can, for example, progress onto the Diploma or Masters in Medical Science within the Faculty of Health at Keele.

Additional Costs

Apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines we do not anticipate any additional costs for this postgraduate programme.

Find information on Scholarships here - http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesscholarships/

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Why this programme

◾This is the first fully online postgraduate qualification designed specifically for RVNs currently being delivered in Scotland. The part-time and online nature of the programme means it is ideally suited to individuals who are in full-time employment.
◾The University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine is ranked 2nd in the UK (Complete University Guide 2016).
◾The University of Glasgow ranked top amongst UK Vet Schools in the National Student Survey (2016) with 98% overall student satisfaction, and the School of Veterinary Medicine combines both teaching excellence and a supportive learning environment.
◾The programme reflects the need for tomorrow’s RVNs to be involved in lifelong self-directed learning. It supports RVNs to become adaptive to the dynamic care environments that they work in, supports their delivery of quality care, and promotes the use of best practice techniques.
◾The programme offers specialist education in veterinary nursing which encompasses a core set of specialised skills, knowledge and competencies, supplemented by a choice of additional specialised areas including research, education, business management, ethics and best practice.
◾Close involvement of experts from different fields of veterinary nursing and the wider veterinary industry in the planning and delivery of courses ensures that the programme is current and relevant.

Programme structure

The MSc Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing comprises three components:

[[Three core courses (Year 1) ]]
◾Introduction to research and evidence based veterinary nursing
◾Clinical governance in veterinary medicine
◾Developing evidence informed practice through independent learning

Three optional courses (Year 2)

◾Promoting best practice in veterinary nursing
◾Animal and veterinary ethics
◾Introduction to teaching and assessment in veterinary nursing
◾Introduction to statistical methods
◾Introduction to veterinary business studies

Dissertation (Year 3)

The programme is delivered fully online using a range of learning and teaching approaches including lectures, seminars, tutorials, work-based learning and project work. You will have the flexibility to tailor the subject of many of your assessments and final dissertation to disciplines or specialisms that are relevant and of interest to you and/or your future career.

The online and part-time nature of this programme, and the flexibility this route offers, makes it ideally suited to individuals in full-time employment.

Core Courses:

Introduction to research and evidence based veterinary nursing

This course will introduce students to the concepts of theoretical and practical research. It will cover what research is and why it is carried out, the basic elements of the research process, different types of research (quantitative and qualitative) using relevant examples from veterinary nursing/medicine. Following on from this, students will be shown how to access research, how to find and evaluate evidence, carry out literature searches, utilise evidence in their own writing / studying and how to develop their own research questions.

Clinical governance in veterinary medicine

This course will enable veterinary nurses to learn from an industry expert to develop their knowledge of the key concepts underlying clinical governance in veterinary practice. Students will learn skills than can be directly applied to practice including how to perform audits and monitor performance and outcomes in their own clinical environments and how these skills can be applied if their practice undergoes accreditation or awards assessment.

Developing evidence informed practice through independent learning

This course enables veterinary nurses to learn theoretical frameworks of reflection and develop practical skills in personal reflection. Such skills allow the student to identify any deficits in an area of individual interest or specialism, which can then be addressed through independent learning using evidence informed practice.

Optional Courses:

Promoting best practice in veterinary nursing

This course allows students to develop best practice in a particular area of interest or specialism through independent learning by reviewing and assimilating the appropriate literature, which will then be disseminated to others using written and verbal techniques. This course will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the different techniques that can be utilised to disseminate best practice. They will also learn skills in how to disseminate best practice such as writing for journal publications and delivering oral presentations.

Animal and veterinary ethics

This course will enable students to develop their knowledge of key concepts underlying animal and veterinary ethics. Participants will also improve their ethical reasoning skills by learning to utilise a logical approach to decision making when faced with ethical dilemmas.

Introduction to teaching and assessment in veterinary nursing

This course aims to provide veterinary nurses with the knowledge and skills to create an effective learning environment for individuals within the veterinary nursing profession. Students will analyse strategic learning theories and models of teaching in order to synthesise knowledge and adapt one's own teaching practice. The course will cover delivery of teaching, evaluation of competencies, and self-reflection allowing for research to be utilised and adapted to create a teaching, learning and assessment plan. Individuals will also cover key transferable skills which will influence teaching practice. A proportion of the course will focus on the teaching and assessment of clinical skills, and how it can be practically implemented and utilised within one’s own practice, and in an academic environment.

Introduction to statistical methods

This course assumes no prior knowledge of statistics. It covers graphical and numerical methods of displaying and summarising data along with the use and interpretation of confidence intervals, significance tests (t tests, chi-square tests, etc.), correlation and linear regression. Students get hands on experience of using appropriate statistical software to carry out these analyses.

Introduction to veterinary business studies

This course will enable students to develop their knowledge of core business concepts and how they apply to the veterinary industry. Participants will learn skills that can be utilised in practice from a variety of areas, including business strategy, marketing, finance and human resources.

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The MSt is part of the Clinical Medicine Programme, a suite of part-time courses designed to enhance the specialist skills of senior healthcare professionals in training and broaden their understanding in healthcare education, research, leadership and management.

The programme has been developed by Cambridge University Health Partners, the academic health sciences centre, in conjunction with the School of Clinical Medicine and the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge.

The Intensive Care pathway will be offered for the first time in October 2016. It is expected that further subspecialties will be available in future and will form a broad panel of routes for training in subspecialty clinical medicine.

Visit the website: http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/mst-clinical-medicine

Course detail

Aims of the programme:

- Create an international cohort of consultants able to pursue and develop their roles in a rapidly-changing and challenging environment of clinical medicine

- Develop the confidence within these consultants to lead service improvement for safe and high quality patient care, with the required knowledge, skills and capability to have a positive personal impact on the work of others in their clinical team and wider service

- Develop consultants with an understanding of teaching, professional development and assessment in the field of clinical medicine

- Develop consultants with an understanding of research methodologies and ethical considerations relevant to clinical medicine

- Encourage participants to develop as reflective practitioners with the emotional intelligence, resilience and astuteness required to be effective clinical leaders

- Encourage a commitment to intellectual challenge and evidence-based clinical practice informed by the latest conceptual and theoretical knowledge of medical education, research methods, ethics and clinical leadership and governance

Format

It is expected that students will be admitted for the MSt degree from the outset and study part-time over two years. You will complete the Postgraduate Certificate modules in year one and the intensive care taught modules in years one and two, with a clinical research project and associated dissertation in year two.

Students will also study the Helmsmanship programme in parallel with the MSt.

Modules

Year 1: Postgraduate Certificate modules:

Module 1: Clinical Research
Teaching dates: 12 – 15 September 2016; 28 November 2016

Module 2: Clinical Education
Teaching dates: 23 – 26 January 2017; 9 February 2017

Module 3: Clinical Leadership
Teaching dates: 25 – 28 April 2017; 8 June 2017

Years 1 and 2: Intensive care modules:

Module 1: Sub-specialty Intensive Care Medicine
Dates to be confirmed.

Module 2: Intensive Care Medicine at Cambridge
Dates to be confirmed.

Module 3: Research in Intensive Care Medicine
Dates to be confirmed.

Helmsmanship

Helmsmanship is a unique, two year, non-award bearing course which will help you to develop the non-clinical skills required for consultant-level appointments at tertiary centres. The course is designed to provide personalised comprehensive training in the attributes required to be an effective senior clinician.

It is delivered by Cambridge University Health Partners together with the Judge Business School. The faculty includes clinicians, senior NHS managers, organisational development consultants, Judge Business School academics, and experts from the wider Cambridge community.

The course is practically focussed, developing advanced skills in education, teamworking, leadership and management in an environment which encourages personal development, organisational intelligence, iconoclasm, and resilience. It is delivered in a variety of formats, using innovative tools to engender skills such as consultant level responsibility, development and improvement of clinical and non-clinical services, change management, and the effective supervision of teams and engagement with colleagues.

Helmsmanship is not delivered in any other environment and is designed to fit within the Clinical Medicine Programme at Cambridge.

Assessment

Students are assessed throughout the taught modules of the programme using a variety of techniques and interrelated strategies including evidence of regular reflection. Demonstration of active participation in the programme will be required. There may also be a requirement for the students to take part in peer review of other students.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding

You may be interested to know that from 2016/17, Student Finance England (SFE) is introducing a postgraduate loans scheme for full-time and part-time Master’s courses. Information on eligibility, the amount of the loan and the level of repayment can be found in SFE’s The Student Room: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=5659-Student-Finance

Please note that SFE is planning to take applications via its main Student finance website, from summer 2016: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance

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Highlights

This course provides a focused programme of practical and academic study to enable healthcare
and health science professionals to acquire the necessary research skills for future careers in clinical research. This interprofessional
programme is suitable for a range of professionals, including nurses, midwives pharmacists, allied health
professionals and health scientists.

The course builds on your existing research skills and introduces you to contemporary professional
research practices employed within health care and health science environments. It aims to develop appropriate knowledge,
skills and attitudes in order to be an effective and productive researcher. Throughout the course you will learn about the
processes and principles associated with good clinical practice research. You will also develop a range of advanced
transferable and applied research skills which enable you to plan, lead and manage clinical research, promote and drive
change in clinical practice, and actively engage with the wider research community. The course encourages you to interact
with researchers working at the cutting edge of specific areas of applied clinical research. You will have opportunities to
undertake a clinical research project and be supported by an academic supervisor as well as a clinical mentor from your own
organisation to help facilitate data collection and negotiation through external and internal Trust research governance
approval processes. There are also opportunities to gain placement experience of research roles and practice, service
improvement and innovation.

Modules

- Compulsory modules: Research methods (15 credits); Critical appraisal (15
credits); Applied Research* (15 credits); Research project on a topic related
to clinical practice (105 credits)
- Optional modules: Statistics (15 credits) OR Data Analysis (15 credits);
Implementation and Improvement Science (15 credits) OR Negotiated
Independent Learning* (15 credits)

Studying

By the end of the course you will be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a specific area of applied clinical research
relevant to your own area of professional practice. You will also be able to:
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of research theory, processes and principles associate with good clinical
practice research
- Critically evaluate, select and apply appropriate research methods and data analysis techniques to investigate
clinical research problems
- Synthesise information from a variety of sources and interpret data accurately
- Critically appraise published research, using appropriate techniques, and appreciate the significance of published
research for professional practice, patient care, healthcare policy and future research
- Critically explore a range of implementation and improvement methodologies and strategies that support
effective integration of research findings in practice
- Independently plan and manage an innovative piece of research in compliance with research ethics, legislative
frameworks and governance procedures
- Effectively use a range of computer packages in order to successfully communicate acquired knowledge and the
results of research, both written and orally to a range of audiences
- Effectively be able to network, support less experienced colleagues, prepare for competitive grant applications
and doctoral fellowships
- Appreciate the broad role of the clinical academic researcher within the current context of health and social care
- Collaboratively engage with others in the process of investigative enquiry, and demonstrate awareness of
resources and networks that can be accessed in order to support research focused activity and promote a
research culture

ASSESSMENT: Research protocol, Oral and poster presentations, examination, critiques, reflective reports, and dissertation

DURATION: Full time over one year or Part-time over two years
Part time attendance of two days a week: Monday and Thursday in year 1. Much of year 2 is devoted to the completion of
the research project module.

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The Postgraduate Certificate is part of the Clinical Medicine Programme, a suite of part-time courses designed to enhance the specialist skills of senior healthcare professionals in training and broaden their understanding in healthcare education, research, leadership and management.

The programme has been developed by Cambridge University Health Partners, the academic health sciences centre, in conjunction with the School of Clinical Medicine and the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge.

Visit the website: http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/pgcert-clinical-medicine

Course detail

Aims of the programme:

- Create an international cohort of consultants able to pursue and develop their roles in a rapidly-changing and challenging environment of clinical medicine

- Develop the confidence within these consultants to lead service improvement for safe and high quality patient care, with the required knowledge, skills and capability to have a positive personal impact on the work of others in their clinical team and wider service

- Develop consultants with an understanding of teaching, professional development and assessment in the field of clinical medicine

- Develop consultants with an understanding of research methodologies and ethical considerations relevant to clinical medicine

Encourage participants to develop as reflective practitioners with the emotional intelligence, resilience and astuteness required to be effective clinical leaders

- Encourage a commitment to intellectual challenge and evidence-based clinical practice informed by the latest conceptual and theoretical knowledge of medical education, research methods, ethics and clinical leadership and governance

Format

Module 1: Clinical Research
Teaching dates: 12 – 15 September 2016; 28 November 2016

Module 2: Clinical Education
Teaching dates: 23 – 26 January 2017; 9 February 2017

Module 3: Clinical Leadership
Teaching dates: 25 – 28 April 2017; 8 June 2017

All teaching takes place at Madingley Hall, a 16th-century manor house on the outskirts of Cambridge, and home to the Institute of Continuing Education.

Assessment

Students are assessed throughout the course using a variety of techniques and interrelated strategies including evidence of regular reflection. Demonstration of active participation in the programme will be required. There may also be a requirement for the students to take part in peer review of other students.

Each module requires submission of work of 3,000 words or equivalent.

How to apply: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying

Funding

Bursaries may be available for qualifications in medical education, some deaneries, for example the Health Education East of England, may offer bursaries and enquiries should be directed to the relevant Postgraduate Centre in your region:

http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/institute-media/ctms/pdfs/east_of_england_postgraduate_centre_addresses_1342.pdf

Health Education East of England website: https://heeoe.hee.nhs.uk/Educator_Applications

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This is an exciting programme designed to offer postgraduate education of nurses in a range of clinical environments and geographical contexts. It meets the needs of both UK based and international nurses and offers a range of clinically relevant named awards at Certificate, Diploma and Master's level. The programme is invaluable for all nurses who want to develop excellence and share good practice.

Why study MSc Nursing with the University of Dundee?

The School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Dundee has an international reputation for providing flexible programmes designed to offer a student-led approach to postgraduate education. Most programmes are offered on a part-time basis and delivered through high quality online distance learning. A small number of modules are also available for locally based students.

Students can choose the generic MSc Nursing award or one of the named awards. These are:
MSc Nursing (Leadership, Quality and Governance)
MSc Nursing (Infection: Prevention and Control)
MSc Nursing (Long Term Conditions)
MSc Nursing (Older Person)
MSc Nursing (Clinical Practice)
MSc Nursing (Global Health and Wellbeing)
MSc Nursing (Research)

The programme is delivered by the School of Nursing and Midwifery which is part of the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing.

Although this award is only available to registered or licensed nurses, the modules are shared with a wide multidisciplinary student body undertaking the MSc Midwifery, MSc Maternal and Infant Health and the MSc Health Studies. This enhances the student experience and makes the learning more appropriate to real practice environments which are rarely unidisciplinary.

What are the aims of this programme?

We aim to provide an intellectual environment within which you are committed and challenged to develop the knowledge and skills required to enhance your own health and social care practice as well as to advance practice in your own profession or role. The aim is also to support multidisciplinary collegiality and create a global community of scholars displaying postgraduate attributes of confidence, complexity, creativity, professionalism, autonomy and the articulation of novel perspectives to problem solving.

How you will be taught

The programme is generally delivered online using the University of Dundee virtual learning environment My Dundee. Some modules are delivered in a blended format and these are limited to students more locally within Scotland.

What you will study

The programme is delivered on a modular basis over a period of 3 and half years. One module is taken per semester and semesters start in September and January. There are two intakes per year.

You are required to take four modules and a dissertation in order to complete the full MSc but can exit with a Postgraduate Certificate after two modules and a Postgraduate Diploma after four modules. In order to exit with a named award the award pre-requisites must be met.

Students undertaking the Diploma or MSc must take one research core, one professional core, the award core requirements and an option module where available. Some awards have two award cores and no option module can be taken.

Modules available

The module portfolio comprises a choice of two research modules, a number of professional modules relating to leadership, quality and clinical governance, and learning, teaching and assessment in practice among others.

A number of clinically relevant modules are also available depending on the chosen award. Some modules are only offered every second year and you will be helped to decide the best portfolio of modules to meet your individual needs.

How you will be assessed

The programme is assessed using a variety of traditional and more innovative approaches. We use essays, portfolios, folders of evidence, research proposals, learning contracts, exams, OSCEs, and assessed online activities such as debates and team work.

Careers

While almost all of our students are already in professional roles, students who have completed our masters programmes in the past have gone on into management and other promoted posts as well as specialist roles such as hospital at night and clinical governance leads.

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This flexible, three-year Master's programme blends online, distance learning with hands-on clinical training and aims to support students' ongoing clinical work at the same time as developing their abilities.

Degree information

Year One provides students with the basic knowledge required in paediatric dentistry and teaches some of the clinical techniques needed in a laboratory setting. Year Two encourages more advanced and complex treatment planning and looks at other aspects of good patient care such as clinical governance. Year Three consolidates the learning to date and provides the theoretical experience required for graduates to understand, critically appraise and potentially carry out research.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of seven core modules (120 credits), and a research project/dissertation (60 credits). The PG Diploma consists of seven core modules (120 credits); two years part-time. The PG Certificate consists of four core modules (60 credits); one year part-time. There are no optional modules for this programme.

Core modules
-Management of Oral Disease
-Trauma
-Behaviour Management
-Planning Treatment in the Developing Child
-Clinical Governance
-Advanced Paediatric Dentistry
-Structured Extramural Clinical Practice

Dissertation/research project
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of approximately 10,000–12,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, online learning and hands-on sessions in our skills laboratory. Assessment will be through written and practical tests, logbook of patients treated in practice, case presentations, essay, and vivas throughout the programme.

Careers

The first cohort of students on the Paediatric Dentistry MSc are due to graduate in 2016, therefore no information on graduate destinations is currently available.

However, destinations of recent graduates of the institute’s Paediatric Dentistry Postgraduate Certificate (which this new programme supersedes) include: specialist registrar; senior dental officer, community dentistry; and clinical lead for dental salaried services.

Employability
As well as enhancing your clinical skills, this programme also supports the development of transferable skills such as the use of electronic resources, giving presentations and academic writing.

This is the only blended learning MSc programme to provide further training in paediatric dentistry, designed to support working dentists. The programme allows students to learn from expert teaching staff including: the BSPD editor for the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry; a committee member for Paediatric Dental Care Pathways and Level II Practitioners in Paediatric Dentistry; MPaedDent examiners; BSPD representative for Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation in Dentistry (IACSD); a member of The Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry (SAAD).

[Why study this degree at UCL?]]
The programme offers excellent skills laboratory facilities including practical experience of inhalation sedation. The unit’s staff have expertise in caring for young patients with behavioural problems, dental trauma, craniofacial anomalies and severe medical conditions. Students will be offered help in the management of their own patients.

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Healthcare professionals wishing to extend their understanding of issues relating to quality, information and safety are encouraged to apply for this specialised pathway. Teaching is delivered by specialists in their field and a student advisor supports students in selecting modules and in reviewing their personal development plan and career goals.

Degree information

Students explore various facets of healthcare quality with an emphasis on the role of information evidence, regulation and safe practice. They develop insights into the challenges of managing high-quality service delivery change, and confidence to tackle the complex job of improving patient care. Implicit in the selection of modules is the acquisition of skills and knowledge relevant to a student’s day-to-day professional life.

Students undertake modules to the value of 60 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), and three optional modules (45 credits).

Core modules
-Healthcare Quality and Evidence Based Practice

Optional modules - choose three from the following:
-Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention, Control and Organisational Aspects
-Information Law and Governance
-Leadership and Professional Development
-Legal and Regulatory Aspects of Healthcare Associated Infection Control
-Litigation, Complaints and Concerns: Raising Clinical Standards
-Patient Safety and Clinical Risk
-Quality Improvement in Healthcare
-Research Methods in Healthcare

Teaching and learning
Some modules are taught by full distance learnnig. Other modules are delivered through blended learning, combining formal contact time with academic staff, research fellows and guest speakers, and interactive online study using the virtual learning environment. The amount and timing of campous attendance varies between modules - see module library for details. Assessment varies according to the modules selected but is primarily via coursework.

Careers

The programme offers practitioners a focused education and training, which chimes with the NHS's commitment to incorporate elements of clinical governance, quality assurance, health informatics, and change management into continuing professional development curricula for both clinicians and managers.

Employability
Increasingly employers are advertising posts with job titles which include the terms 'patient safety', 'risk', 'quality' and 'clinical governance'. This award is aimed at clinical professionals who have taken on a new role in their organisation with a remit for safety and quality or who are seeking to shift their career in this direction. The skills and knowledge acquired from this certificate will assist students in furthering their career in this expanding field.

Why study this degree at UCL?

This new specialised Health and Medical Sciences pathway focuses on key topics relating to quality, information and safety, and equips students with the professional skills needed in modern healthcare settings.

The programme offers the opportunity to study at a time and place convenient to your own circumstances making it feasible to combine study and full-time work.

It provides access to a range of modules relating to quality, governance, information and safety, as well as opportunities to interact with a range of senior academics and professional experts drawn from across UCL and beyond.

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The MSc Health Studies offers postgraduate education of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, paramedics, dieticians, and a wide range of other health and social care professionals in a variety of clinical environments and geographical contexts. It offers clinically relevant named awards at Certificate, Diploma and Master's level, and is invaluable for all those who want to develop excellence and share good practice. The modules are shared with a range of nurses, midwives and health and social care professionals studying our other programmes.

Why study MSc Health Studies with the University of Dundee?

The School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Dundee has an international reputation for providing flexible programmes designed to offer a student-led approach to postgraduate education. Most programmes are offered on a part-time basis and delivered through high quality online distance learning. A small number of modules are also available for locally based students.

Students can choose the generic MSc Health Studies award or one of seven named awards. These are:

MSc Health Studies (Leadership, Quality and Governance)
MSc Health Studies (Infection: Prevention and Control)
MSc Health Studies (Mental Health)
MSc Health Studies (Long Term Conditions)
MSc Health Studies (Older Person)
MSc Health Studies (Clinical Practice)
MSc Health Studies (Physiotherapy)
MSc Health Studies (Global Health and Wellbeing)
MSc Health Studies (Research)

What are the aims of this programme?

We aim to provide an intellectual environment within which you are committed and challenged to develop the knowledge and skills required to enhance your own health and social care practice as well as to advance practice in your own profession or role. The aim is also to support multidisciplinary collegiality and create a global community of scholars displaying postgraduate attributes of confidence, complexity, creativity, professionalism, autonomy and the articulation of novel perspectives to problem solving.

Who should study this course?

This programme will suit any graduate health or social care professional aspiring to advance their own and others' clinical practice, as well as planning for leadership roles, both formal and informal.

How you will be taught

The programme is generally delivered online using the University of Dundee virtual learning environment My Dundee. Some modules are delivered in a blended format and these are limited to students more locally within Scotland.

What you will study

The programme is delivered on a modular basis over a period of 3 and half years. One module is taken per semester and semesters start in September and January. There are two intakes per year.

You are required to take four modules and a dissertation in order to complete the full MSc but can exit with a Postgraduate Certificate after two modules and a Postgraduate Diploma after four modules. In order to exit with a named award the award pre-requisites must be met.

Students undertaking the Diploma or MSc must take one research core, one professional core, the award core requirements and an option module where available. Some awards have two award cores and no option module can be taken.

Modules available

The module portfolio comprises a choice of two research modules, a number of professional modules relating to leadership, quality and clinical governance, and learning, teaching and assessment in practice among others.

A number of clinically relevant modules are also available depending on the chosen award. Some modules are only offered every second year and you will be helped to decide the best portfolio of modules to meet your individual needs.
How you will be assessed

The programme is assessed using a variety of traditional and more innovative approaches. We use essays, portfolios, folders of evidence, research proposals, learning contracts, exams, OSCEs, and assessed online activities such as debates and team work.

Careers

While almost all of our students are already in professional roles, students who have completed our masters programmes in the past have gone on into management and other promoted posts as well as specialist roles such as hospital at night and clinical governance leads.

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Visit our website for more information on funding options to study at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

Swansea University is the only UK university to offer a British Blood Transfusion Society approved degree in Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion.

This is a part-time course that will be delivered via the Work-based Learning (WBL) route with students employed in a variety of heath care settings.

The Master's level course for the Specialist Blood Transfusion has been developed in collaboration with the British Blood Transfusion Society. Members of the British Blood Transfusion Society (BBTS) will work in partnership with colleagues from the College of Human and Health Sciences in providing appropriate support for these students.

The Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion programme team will provide academic support and facilitation of the WBL and the identified work-based mentor will provide guidance clinically.

Students can therefore be working in a setting distinct from the College and able to work at their own pace and react to learning opportunities in a real life setting.

The BBTS is a professional membership body which is committed to supporting transfusion professionals through the provision of career development and learning opportunities, thus assuring ongoing advancement of blood transfusion and its practitioners. It currently has in excess of 1600 members, representing transfusion professionals at all levels and locations.

Course Description

Whilst formal training and education has been available for doctors, clinical scientists and biomedical scientists specialising in transfusion medicine for some years, nurses and transfusion practitioners have had limited access to formal programmes of education in blood transfusion. The educational preparation of nurses and transfusion practitioners is critical to promoting safe and effective transfusion practice. The purpose of this degree in Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion Practice is to prepare the practitioner to achieve the level of expertise that the BBTS has detailed in its curriculum framework for nurses and transfusion practitioners working in UK Blood Services and the wider NHS.

The programme reflects, in part, the content of the original framework for the BBTS Specialist Certificate in Blood Transfusion Science Practice (2008). The framework for the BBTS Specialist Certificate in Transfusion Science Practice for nurses and practitioners working in blood transfusion and associated specialties was compiled by representatives from the BBTS Professional Affairs and Education nursing sub-committee, the UK Blood Services and NHS hospital transfusion team representatives.

The format of work-based learning is well established within the College and concurs with modern learning philosophies, enabling students to learn in their working environment whilst being mentored by experts in their field of practice. This learning enables the employer to support students within their workplace. The student professionally develops whilst continuing to work in their workplace environment.

The CHHS will deliver the Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion Practice programme in partnership with the BBTS, who will provide subject expertise and curriculum guidance.

This programme is offered on a part-time basis, and will normally take three years to complete.

The MSc programme in Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion comprises 6 modules (120 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits). The first year will comprise of three 20-credit core modules and the second year will comprise of two 30-credit composite modules. In the final year, students complete the dissertation module (60 credits).

PGDip students undertake the same first and second year modules, but do not undertake the dissertation.

PGCert students undertake the first year modules only.

Modules

Modules on the Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion programme typically include:

The Work Place Learning Journey

The History, Science and Practice of Blood Transfusion

Clinical Governance and its Impact on Managing Adverse Events in Blood Transfusion

Advanced Specialist Practice in Blood Transfusion

Advanced Clinical Governance and Contemporary Issues

Professional Practice in Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion

Who should take this programme?

Nurses and other allied health care professionals (e.g. ODPs) may be interested in studying for a Master's or postgraduate qualification in Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion Practice.

Staff Expertise

The core team for the College of Human and Health Sciences have professional backgrounds in either haematology and/or work-based learning. The programme manager, Mrs Heulwen Morgan-Samuel, has extensive clinical experience in general medical nursing, and has developed expertise in the care of cancer patients, including palliative care, and teaches on many palliative care and oncology modules. She is also the designated lead for haematology nursing in the College. She has published a number of research studies in peer reviewed journals specifically on infection control for the immune-compromised patient and the role of the nurse lecturer in supporting students. Heulwen Morgan- Samuel’s research interests include factors that enhance learning within the clinical environment, student support, principles of care and education for oncology nurses. She has co-edited a revised edition of the Fundamentals of Nursing book which is aimed at the pre registration nursing curriculum designated.

Teaching and learning is based on the best research evidence available, and the programme manager will work in close collaboration with members of the British Blood Transfusion Society (BBTS). Their membership includes professionals from all levels across the transfusion community, maintaining clinical and academic currency, to support and enhance practice in this field. The aim of BBTS is to “play a leading role in safe and effective transfusion practice by delivering high quality education and training, setting standards and promoting research and development and innovation” (BBTS, 2015).

Employability

Healthcare professionals employed in the field of blood transfusion that require advanced level education in the speciality would benefit from this degree in Advanced Specialist Blood Transfusion.

It is relevant to those wishing to build on their knowledge of blood transfusions within their existing career, but would also be beneficial to those currently working in an environment that manages blood transfusion who wish to focus and develop their career within this field of practice, as well as being a stepping stone for research study. The knowledge, understanding and skills developed would enhance students' expertise and would build on current practice within their own workplaces.

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Within the health and care professions, the demand for evidence-based practice has led to an increasing need for high-quality research to underpin practice. A Master of Clinical Research will provide graduates with the education and experience necessary in order to plan and undertake health-related, or clinically-based research.

This multi-disciplinary course aims to provide a broad, foundational research training for nurses, midwives and other health and care professionals who wish to develop careers in clinical or academic research, as well as those who may wish to continue on to doctoral studies. The course will focus on preparing students to undertake projects relevant to their practice through the development of skills and knowledge in research methodologies, project management, research governance and evidence-based practice.

Teaching, learning and assessment

The course will comprise of two 30-credit taught modules - Research Methods and Applied Research - plus an extended research project. These modules will focus on research methodologies, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, research ethics, patient and public involvement, research governance, project management and disseminating research. The two taught modules will incorporate a range of teaching and learning activities which will be underpinned by the assumption that the adult learners on this course will already possess transferable skills and knowledge related to evidence-based practice. Considerable use will be made of the virtual learning environment through which students will be supported to develop their autonomy and self-direction in terms of learning further. Central to this will be the development of a community of practice through which students will support each other to develop their research skills.

Within this context, students will have the opportunity to engage with diverse teaching and learning activities which can include lectures, tutorials, asynchronous online discussions, collaborative working towards group presentations and/or seminar production, case study analysis, individual presentations and directed study.

A key aspect of course is the research project. Assessment of the project will be staged, providing students with opportunities for formative feedback throughout. The final assessment will focus on the dissemination of the study findings in such a way as to have the maximum possible influence on practice.

Teaching hours and attendance

Research Methods classes run weekly during semester one and may be accessed either face-to-face or by distance learning. Applied Research classes run fortnightly over semesters one and two and are delivered face-to-face. During the research project, you will have up to 20 hours of one-to- one support from your supervisor.

Modules

30 credits: Research Methods / Applied Research

120 credits: Extended Research Project.

Careers

A non-medical clinical academic has been defined as a nurse, midwife or allied health professional who concurrently undertakes both clinical practice and research. A key aspect of their research is that it is focused on providing effective, quality healthcare services. Clinical academics will work within, and contribute to, an environment that will lead the way in achieving excellence in healthcare and health outcomes through evidence-based practice.

The introduction of our Master of Clinical Research, intended to support the development of clinical academics, will contribute to meeting this need. The Non- Medical Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Clinical Academic Research Career Framework recommends this type of MRes education for those in the early stages of a clinical academic career and therefore the course will fit well with identified training needs of the NMAHP professions. Graduates may go on to develop research in their own practice areas, or continue to doctoral level studies.

Quick Facts

• This course provides students with the skills to develop a career in clinical or academic research.
• Students can focus their studies on their own area of clinical interest while working in highly supportive peer groups.
• The extended research project allows students to address questions that are clinically relevant.

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This postgraduate programme integrates the advanced clinical, academic and research components of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy practice. The emphasis is on the management of patients with cardiorespiratory disorders. Flexibility in selection of modules allows for physiotherapists with particular interests to be accommodated.

Degree information

This MSc offers physiotherapy students the opportunity to extend their understanding of key areas in this field, including challenging the foundations of established but poorly justified treatments, developing and undertaking clinical research and practice, learning about new and emerging treatment options, and enjoying the mentorship of recognised experts in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of five core modules (75 credits) three optional modules from 11 choices (45 credits) and the research dissertation (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time 12 months, flexible 2-5 years) is offered. Students take 75 credits of core modules and 45 credits of optional modules. A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits, part-time 12 months) is offered. Students take 60 credits of core modules

Core modules
-Clinical Education in Advanced Physiotherapy Part I
-Respiration through Life, Health and Disease
-Research Methods and Statistics
-Physiotherapy Research and Dissemination
-Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy Skills

Optional modules
-Cardiorespiratory Theory for Physiotherapists
-Clinical Education in Advanced Physiotherapy Part II
-Paediatric Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy
-Physical Activity and Clinical Exercise for Cardiovascular Disease
-Health Management and Clinical Exercise for Pulmonary Disease
-Muscle and Exercise Physiology in Health and Disease
-The Heart Through Life, Health and Disease
-Leadership and Professional Development
-Clinical Knowledge and Decision Making
-Information Law and Governance in Clinical Practice
-Patient Safety and Clinical Risk

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a substantial report and an oral examination.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of teaching and self-directed learning, and includes up to six weeks of clinical placements. Assessment is through clinical assessments, written assignments, oral presentations, multiple choice tests, submission of the literature review and research proposal, assessed coursework, unseen and prior disclosure written examinations, and the dissertation with an oral presentation.

Careers

Recent graduates have pursued careers in academia, research or furthered their clinical practice. For example, acquiring this MSc enabled a student to take up a post as an associate lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and another to be offered a consultant physiotherapy postion at the Royal Free Hospital. Several students have used the MSc as a ‘springboard’ for gaining funding to undertake PhDs at UCL, Great Ormond Street Hospital and King's College London amongst others. Graduates have secured senior positions, such as team lead at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and clinical specialist posts within major London hospitals.

Employability
The programme aims to transform the way students think about expert patient care, and the theoretical foundation for cardiorespiratory physiotherapy clinical practice. Graduates receive rigorous, evidence-based training in best research and clinical practice, which provides them with a competitive advantage when applying for physiotherapy clinical, educational or research posts.

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL is a world class university and this well-established and popular postgraduate Physiotherapy programme is very highly regarded both locally and internationally.

The excellent reputation of this programme is partly due to expert tuition with lectures, tutorials and workshops delivered by recognised experts in physiotherapy practice.

Students on our physiotherapy programmes come to UCL from all over the world. This cross-fertilisation of international clinical experiences and ideas generates a powerful and inspirational platform for postgraduate physiotherapy learning.

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Delivering excellence in health and social care at an individual, team and organisational level is not just desirable but achievable.

Course details

The philosophy of this programme is that for excellence to flourish every member of staff must be committed to, and play their part in, an integrated governance approach. This is where people-centredness and people-centred approaches to care are afforded the same esteem and recognition as finance, performance, risk management, safety and quality.

The programme is designed to develop and equip critical champions and ambassadors for quality, safety and governance in health and social care. It enables you to apply your comprehensive knowledge, understanding, expertise and advanced skills to lead evidence-based enhancement of quality, safety and governance in your health and social care settings and evaluate the impact of this. The programme is suitable for individuals from the public, independent and voluntary sectors from any professional background, including clinical and support services.

What you study

Year 1 focuses on the transition to mastery and explores the context of safety, quality and governance in terms of policy, theory and experience, at a personal, local, national and international level. You also study different types and sources of evidence. You use these to identify a quality, safety or governance issue of relevance to your role based on an in-depth study of the principles, practices and tools of safety and governance in health and social care. You then develop and justify a business case for change based on this.

The modules studied in Year 1 make up the Advancing Quality Improvement in Health and Social Care, PgCert.

In Year 2, you plan and implement a change project based on your business case presented at the end of Year 1. To help you achieve this you study topics such as a human factors approach, strategic change management, action learning and leadership and evaluation methodologies. You then develop and critique an evaluation study proposal in Year 2 which you take forward during your dissertation module in Year 3. The modules studied in Year 2 make up the Advancing Human Factors in Health and Social Care, PgCert.

Year 1 core modules
-Principles and Practice of Safety and Governance in Health and Social Care
-Using Evidence to Advance Quality, Safety and Governance in Health and Social Care

Year 2 core modules
-Leading Person-centred Quality Improvement in Health and Social Care
-Using a Human Factors Approach to Quality Improvement in Health and Social Care

Year 3 core modules
-Dissertation: Evaluating Impact

Modules offered may vary.

Teaching

In Years 1 and 2 the programme is taught in short study blocks spread across the academic year over a total of 14 days. We use a range of teaching methods including lectures and workshops, student-led seminars, action learning, real-life scenarios and case study analysis, interactive and online learning activities, directed and self-directed study activities. Year 3 is mainly guided self-directed study with the support of a dissertation supervisor. You are supported by module tutors with extensive experience in this subject area and the programme leader who is a member of the founding cohort for the NHS England and Health Foundation Q initiative.

We use a range of assessment modes throughout the programme. These include an essay on the nature and use of evidence, analysis of a quality, safety or governance issue using a human factors approach, a business case and the final dissertation evaluating the change you have implemented.

Other modes of assessment include a poster presentation and defence, and an oral presentation with questions and answers.
The programme is supported by a critical friends stakeholder support forum which consists of service users and carers, employer representatives and academic staff. Members of this group participate in student assessment as well as supporting programme design and delivery as a means of ensuring the person-centred approach pervades all aspects of the programme and to maximise employer/organisational benefit.

Employability

On successful completion of this programme you are equipped with a range of knowledge, expertise and experiences such as advanced reasoning and decision-making skills. You are also able to work collaboratively, present and research. And you have strong ICT skills that are highly sought by employers. The programme is relevant for you if you are working in or would like to work in a specialist quality, safety or governance role, or one covering these issues.

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This framework is designed for junior doctors who have been awarded a place as an Academic Clinical Fellow. It meets the requirements set out by NIHR for accredited academic experience, whilst leaving the student free to maintain their primary focus on gaining a fellowship (Wellcome, MRC etc).

Useful academic training links are NHS NIHR Integrated academic training and West Midlands Deanery academic training.

This Academic Clinical Fellows framework will allow you to select academic components which will:

- develop your skills in relation to project management and research governance
- enhance your understanding of the range of available research methods and the selection of appropriate tools for statistical analysis
- inform your particular area of research interest
- maximise your potential for gaining a fellowship

About the College of Medical and Dental Sciences

The College of Medical and Dental Sciences is a major international centre for research and education, make huge strides in finding solutions to major health problems including ageing, cancer, cardiovascular, dental, endocrine, inflammatory diseases, infection (including antibiotic resistance), rare diseases and trauma.
We tackle global healthcare problems through excellence in basic and clinical science, and improve human health by delivering tangible real-life benefits in the fight against acute and chronic disease.
Situated in the largest healthcare region in the country, with access to one of the largest and most diverse populations in Europe, we are positioned to address major global issues and diseases affecting today’s society through our eight specialist research institutes.
With over 1,000 academic staff and around £60 million of new research funding per year, the College of Medical and Dental Sciences is dedicated to performing world-leading research.
We care about our research and teaching and are committed to developing outstanding scientists and healthcare professionals of the future. We offer our postgraduate community a unique learning experience taught by academics who lead the way in research in their field.

Funding and Scholarships

There are many ways to finance your postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. To see what funding and scholarships are available, please visit: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding

Open Days

Explore postgraduate study at Birmingham at our on-campus open days.
Register to attend at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/visit

Virtual Open Days

If you can’t make it to one of our on-campus open days, our virtual open days run regularly throughout the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.pg.bham.ac.uk

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This MSc offers specialised training in biomedical science with exposure to leading research scientists, biotechnologists and the pharmaceutical industry. It provides a foundation for a career in drug development and a comprehensive programme in research methodology, the translation of basic research into therapies and the governance and social implications of health research.

Degree information

Students develop practical understanding of research methods in biomedical science and knowledge of cutting-edge research alongside practical experience in laboratory, clinical or epidemiological research. They develop the ability to evaluate scientific literature and gain an appreciation of ethical and governance requirements of research, including 'Good Clinical Practice' principles. Graduates of this MSc go on to have successful careers in both academia and the industry.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of six core modules (120 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma consisting of six core modules (120 credits) is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate consisting of two core modules (60 credits) is offered. There are no optional modules for this degree.

Core modules
-Drug Discovery I
-Drug Discovery II
-Statistical Methods in Research
-Ethics and Regulation of Research
-Clinical Pharmacology
-Advanced Clinical Pharmacology

Research project/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a report of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, practicals, small-group seminars and laboratory work. Assessment is through presentations, essays, examination and the research project and dissertation.

Careers

The programme provides an ideal foundation for graduates who wish subsequently to undertake a PhD in biomedical science, and provides key transferable skills for those wishing to pursue careers in drug development.

Employability
This programme runs within the School of Life & Medical Sciences, one of the most highly rated medical research organisations in the UK. Close links with clinical colleagues in the UCLH group of hospitals provides cutting-edge medical expertise and links to world-leading clinical research. Graduates of the programme have pursued careers in the pharmaceutical industry and medicine, and a significant proportion go on to study for PhD degrees at UCL and other institutions worldwide.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Division of Medicine has as its mission the performance of innovative, high-quality biomedical research and excellence in graduate teaching.

This MSc programme provides an opportunity for students to develop theoretical knowledge, understanding and practical skills in research methodology. These include statistical methods applied to medical research, drug development in a specific biomedical area or health specialty, and the ethics and governance of applied health research.

Over the course of the year, students will have the opportunity to build a network of contacts from both academia and industry, improving their future career prospects.

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