Masters Degrees (Geriatric Medicine)

IN BRIEF:

• Complies with the core curriculum of the Royal College of Physicians for Geriatric Medicine
• Delivered off-site on a part-time basis
• Identifies there is more to modern practice than technical medicine
• A part-time only course

COURSE SUMMARY

Geriatric medicine is an expanding, acute speciality. With increasing numbers of elderly people the need for specialist training will continue.

This comprehensive course is offered in collaboration with the North Western Postgraduate Medical Deanery and will ensure that the theory underpinning knowledge is delivered alongside and applied to the clinical situation. It meets the needs of clients and physicians and ensures that a quality service is delivered effectively and efficiently. It is a modular course delivered off-site on a part-time, day release basis.

TEACHING

All teaching will endeavour to be evidence-based, holistic and multi-disciplinary, recognising that there is more to modern practice than simply technical medicine. It is a modular course delivered off-site on a part-time, day release basis.

ASSESSMENT

Medical Ethics and Law

• 20 minute presentation – 20%
• 5,000 word assignment – 80%

Medical Teaching and Communication

• 45 minute observed teaching session - 20%
• 3,000 word assignment – 80%

Health Service Management

• 3,500 word Planning Change Management Assignment – 100%

General Principles of Ageing

• 5,000 word assignment – 80%
• 20 minute presentation – 20%

Common Diseases of the Older Adult I

• 5,000 word assignment – 80%
• 20 minute Presentation -  20%

Common Diseases of the Older Adult II

• 5,000 word assignment – 80%
• 20 minute Presentation -  20%

Psychiatry of Old Age

• 5,000 word assignment – 80%
• 20 minute Presentation -  20%

Medicine for the Older Adult

• 5,000 word assignment – 80%
• 20 minute Presentation -  20%

Dissertation

CAREER PROSPECTS

This exciting and innovative course will enable you to gain a critical appreciation and in-depth understanding of the theoretical background underpinning your speciality. It also provides an opportunity to critically evaluate and appraise the current contextual and practice issues involved in the delivery of your specialist field.

Read less

This MSc aims to offer health and social care professionals, and graduates in related fields, the opportunity to explore the complex health and social needs of older individuals living in today’s society. It provides high quality integrated and multidisciplinary education in the field of ageing, health and disease through the teaching and learning opportunities in the modules.

The teaching draws on the latest thinking and research evidence in the field and the course is open to a range of health and social care professionals, mirroring the multidisciplinary nature of gerontology.

You may exit the course early with a Postgraduate Certificate if you successfully complete 60 credits, including the Foundations of Geriatric Medicine module. Alternatively, you may leave with a Postgraduate Diploma if you successfully complete 120 credits, including the Foundations of Geriatric Medicine module.

Distinctive features:

• The modular nature of the course encourages both application and reflection, and our teaching methods develop participants’ skills in problem-solving and critical analysis.

• Group size and composition helps to create optimal interaction and develop skills of problem solving and critical analysis.

Structure

The course can be completed in one year with full-time study or in three years by part-time study.

Core modules:

Foundations of Geriatric Medicine
Physical and Mental Health
The Organisation and Delivery of Care
Dissertation: Ageing, Health and Disease

Teaching

A wide range of teaching methods will be employed, including but not limited to: lectures, structured tutorials, technology enhanced learning, case-studies, small group discussions, student led seminars and presentations, learning visits, discussions, debates and self-directed learning activities.

As well as formal structured teaching and tutor-guided activities, each module incorporates a period of self-directed study. Within this you will be expected to prepare a presentation based on the taught modular content and/or structured formative assessment exercises.

In addition (depending on the module) you will be expected to undertake: assignment preparation, background reading, literature reviews, development of ideas, critical reflection on the subjects being studied, the completion of personal portfolios demonstrating how you are applying the new knowledge, skills and attitudes in your own practice and your professional setting.

Students completing the MSc stage will conduct an extended project under supervision. The choice of projects available embraces activities that are either research-based or non-research-based and clinical or non-clinical in type. They are undertaken in settings that are appropriate to the nature of the project. You will be allocated an appropriate supervisor for the entire duration of the dissertation phase.

Assessment

Each taught stage module is summatively assessed, including through the completion of a written assignment which can take the form of e.g. an essay, a literature review, a critical evaluation of issues in Gerontology, a Research Protocol etc. All assignments are expected to include critical appraisal of the evidence-based literature.

Formative assessment is conducted through methods such as the oral presentation given in the consolidation block and is peer-assessed by the class. The requirements for formative assessment will vary from module to module, but other formative assessment opportunities include the completion of a portfolio and the completion of structured study exercises based around the modular content.

Read less

The study of gerontology at one of the world’s leading centres. Students draw on a wide range of expertise, including geriatricians, clinicians, demographers, policy analysts and sociologists, to gain awareness of cross-national and national perspectives on ageing and the lives of older people.

Key benefits

- Taught by faculty in the Institute of Gerontology, one of the leading centres for the study of ageing and later life worldwide. The Institute is located in the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine, a unique, research-led interdisciplinary social science department directed by internationally recognised scholars.

- Provides a truly interdisciplinary programme drawing on a wide range of professional and disciplinary expertise and experience including geriatrics, demography, policy analysis and sociology.

- Offers close links with, and regular speakers from, social policy and healthcare arenas to give students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of these areas as they affect ageing and older people.

- Offers an awareness of national, cross-national and comparative perspectives of ageing populations, the ageing process and older people in society throughout the programme.

- Provides strong links with King’s Health Partners, one of only six Academic Health Sciences Centres in England bringing together three NHS Trusts (Guy’s and St. Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley).

- Taught in the heart of London, close to government, non-governmental organisations, and policy think tanks.

- Provides education at the cutting edge of current research into ageing and later life, through taught modules and original research.

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/gerontology-msc-pg-dip-pg-cert.aspx

Course detail

- Course purpose -

Aimed at: health professionals including geriatricians, psychiatrists, GPs, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others from the medical and health sciences, as well as students from other disciplines including social and natural sciences, management, policy and politics, economics, law and humanities.

- Course format and assessment -

Lecture and tutorial-based teaching using problem-based tasks and projects, assessed through coursework essays, written examinations and oral presentations. Dissertation based on an independent project.

Career prospects

Students have gone on to pursue a range of careers including consultant positions in geriatric medicine and psychiatry, work as specialist health care practitioners focusing on older people, positions in Government and the public sector, policy positions in public and voluntary organisations, analytical posts, and research and academic posts in universities around the world. Many of our past graduates now work in strategic positions influencing the lives of older people in medicine, social care and policy or within local government, voluntary organisations, or non-governmental organisations.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

About Postgraduate Study at King’s College London:

To study for a postgraduate degree at King’s College London is to study at the city’s most central university and at one of the top 20 universities worldwide (2015/16 QS World Rankings). Graduates will benefit from close connections with the UK’s professional, political, legal, commercial, scientific and cultural life, while the excellent reputation of our MA and MRes programmes ensures our postgraduate alumni are highly sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers. We provide graduates with skills that are highly valued in business, government, academia and the professions.

Scholarships & Funding:

All current PGT offer-holders and new PGT applicants are welcome to apply for the scholarships. For more information and to learn how to apply visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources

Free language tuition with the Modern Language Centre:

If you are studying for any postgraduate taught degree at King’s you can take a module from a choice of over 25 languages without any additional cost. Visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc

Read less

The programme provides a multi-disciplinary advanced education in public policy and ageing studies; specifically how the challenges that arise in economic, social, political and health arenas are perpetuated or remediated by the state, the market, the voluntary sector and the family.

Key benefits

• Led by the Institute of Gerontology, one of the leading centres for the study of ageing and later life worldwide, and run in conjunction with the Department of Political Economy.
• Provides a truly interdisciplinary programme drawing on a wide range of professional and disciplinary expertise and experience including policy analysts, sociologists, demographers, geriatricians, and clinicians.
• Offers close links with, and regular speakers from, social policy and healthcare arenas to give students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of these areas as they affect ageing and older people.
• Offers an awareness of national, cross-national and comparative perspectives of ageing populations, the ageing process and older people in society throughout the programme.
• Provides strong links with King’s Health Partners, one of only six Academic Health Sciences Centres in England bringing together three NHS Trusts (Guy’s and St. Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley).
• Provides internship opportunities with policy and voluntary organisations to enhance students’ employability and career opportunities.
• Programmes are available at PG Certificate, PG Diploma and Masters degree level.

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/public-policy-and-ageing-ma-pg-dip-pg-cert.aspx

Course detail

- Course purpose -

Aimed at students interested in government, policy, politics, NGOs, voluntary sector, development work, comparative studies and ageing who wish to develop specialist understanding of policymaking for old age and ageing populations. It combines theoretical studies of public policy with multidisciplinary studies of ageing and later life.

- Course format and assessment -

Lecture and tutorial-based teaching using problem-based tasks and projects, assessed through coursework essays and written examinations. Dissertation based on an independent project.

Career prospects

Students have gone onto pursue a range of careers including analytical positions in government and the public sector, policy positions in public and voluntary organisations and think tanks, consultant positions in geriatric medicine and psychiatry, specialist health care practice focusing on older people, and research and academic posts in universities internationally. Many of our students now work in strategic positions promoting the well being of older people around the world.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

About Postgraduate Study at King’s College London:

To study for a postgraduate degree at King’s College London is to study at the city’s most central university and at one of the top 20 universities worldwide (2015/16 QS World Rankings). Graduates will benefit from close connections with the UK’s professional, political, legal, commercial, scientific and cultural life, while the excellent reputation of our MA and MRes programmes ensures our postgraduate alumni are highly sought after by some of the world’s most prestigious employers. We provide graduates with skills that are highly valued in business, government, academia and the professions.

Scholarships & Funding:

All current PGT offer-holders and new PGT applicants are welcome to apply for the scholarships. For more information and to learn how to apply visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/funding/sources

Free language tuition with the Modern Language Centre:

If you are studying for any postgraduate taught degree at King’s you can take a module from a choice of over 25 languages without any additional cost. Visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/mlc

Read less

MA/POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN GERONTOLOGY

This course will be of interest to professionals working with older people in the public, independent and voluntary sectors, as well as those wishing to pursue studies or a career in ageing research or practice.

The course presents students with a unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge about ageing and older people, their needs and the services provided for them, and skills necessary for effective health, social and voluntary work. It aims to integrate advances in knowledge about social, psychological and biological aspects of ageing, with an update and review of developments in policy and service delivery. The course provides a critical perspective on growing older and develops students’ skills and awareness of the importance of research and evaluation.

Since 2006, the MA in Gerontology has been taught in conjunction with the MSc in Geriatric Medicine for four of the six course modules. This interdisciplinarity is a key strength of the programme, with students finding the interchange of ideas and perspectives stimulating and educationally rewarding.

The course comprises six one-week modules which can be taken either full-time in one year or part-time over two years. In addition to passing these modules, Masters degree students are required to write a dissertation. Students who pass all the taught modules (120 credits) but do not complete the dissertation may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma. Individual and small group tutorials are used to support students throughout the course.

The modules offered are::

Ageing Societies I
Ageing Societies II

Policies for Ageing Societies I
Policies for Ageing Societies II

Theory to Practice in an Ageing Society I
Theory to Practice in an Ageing Society II

Research Methods
Dissertation

The MA in Gerontology includes the requirement to undertake a 12,000-15,000 word Research Dissertation. The dissertation offers students the opportunity to conduct a substantial piece of research on a relevant topic and to deepen their knowledge of a particular aspect of gerontology. Individual and small group sessions are used to support and problem-solve around the process of undertaking a dissertation in gerontology.

There are no formal examinations. Assessment is continuous and based upon assignments (e.g. essays, project work, presentations) and the dissertation. The pass mark for all modules is 50%.

Read less

This master's in Ageing & Society is aimed at social scientists who wish to develop their knowledge and understanding of the experience of ageing, ageing societies and policies for an ageing world. The MSc pathway focuses on quantitative research methods and data analysis and the MA pathway on qualitative research methods and data analysis.

Key benefits

- Taught by faculty in the Institute of Gerontology, one of the leading centres for the study of ageing and later life worldwide. The Institute is located in the Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine a unique, research-led interdisciplinary social science department directed by internationally recognised scholars.

- Provides a truly interdisciplinary programme drawing on a wide range of professional and disciplinary expertise and experience including geriatric, demographers, policy analysis and sociology.

- Offers close links with, and regular speakers from social, policy and healthcare arenas give students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of these areas as they affect ageing and older people.

- Students gain an awareness of national, cross-national and comparative perspectives of ageing populations, the ageing process and older people in society throughout the programme.

- Provides strong links with King’s Health Partners, one of only six Academic Health Sciences Centres in England bringing together three NHS Trusts (Guy’s and St. Thomas’, King’s College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley).

- Provides internship opportunities with policy and voluntary organisations, and policy think tanks.

- Located in the heart of London.

- Provides education at the cutting edge of current research into ageing and later life, through taught modules and original research.

Visit the website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/ageing-and-society-ma-msc-pg-dip-pg-cert.aspx

Course detail

- Description -

- Be part of one of the leading centres for the study of ageing and later life worldwide.

- Optional Public Policy Internship module.

- Close links and regular speakers from health, social and policy arenas give students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the subject area.

- Course purpose -

While it is broadly aimed at social scientists, students include those in the social and natural sciences, management, policy and politics, law, and humanities as well as those from other disciplines such as allied health and social care professionals including nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and others from health backgrounds.

- Course format and assessment -

Lecture and tutorial-based teaching using problem-based tasks and projects, assessed through coursework essays, written examinations and oral presentations. Dissertation based on an independent project.

Career prospects

Students have gone on to pursue a range of careers including consultant positions in geriatric medicine and psychiatry, work as specialist health care practitioners focusing on older people, positions in Government and the public sector, policy positions in public and voluntary organisations, analytical posts, and research and academic posts in universities around the world. Many of our past graduates now work in strategic positions influencing the lives of older people in medicine, social care and policy or within local government, voluntary organisations, or non-governmental organisations.

How to apply: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

Read less

We live in an ageing society. This course will aim to inform and equip the practitioner with the necessary skills to function in a modern biomedical/clinical environment specialising in caring for the elderly, and will be as relevant to day-to-day NHS hospital and general practice.

Why Study Medicine of Ageing with us?

You will receive training in the skills required in the reading and interpretation of the literature and translating that into evidencebased practice. We aim to develop your research and writing skills so that you will be in a position to contribute to the scientific literature in an eff ective manner.

The course culminates in the Research Dissertation, which will be assessed through your production of two publishable scientific articles.

The content of the course is mapped to The Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board Speciality Training Curriculum for Geriatric Medicine.

If biomedical or clinical research is your interest, successful completion of the MSc will allow you to directly register onto PhD study and join our team of researchers at the Institute of Medicine.

What will I learn?

Medicine of Ageing at Chester is designed to enable you to develop an up-to-date, advanced understanding of the ageing process and how this leads to an increase in certain diseases – such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. We will discuss novel approaches to prevention and treatment, as well as the increasing potential of personalised medicine. You will also carry out a research project in one of these areas.

How will I be taught?

Our course consists of taught modules and a Research Dissertation. We deliver taught modules as three-day intensive courses to facilitate attendance from students in employment. Weekly support sessions and journal club supplement learning – all held in our modern facilities in Bache Hall.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed via clinical reviews, laboratory reports, posters, oral presentations, or data manipulation exercises.

Read less

Doctors need to do more than just heal; they also need to effectively lead and manage teams. In the modern health environment, a proportion of them must lead and manage our complex health service. This course aims to educate doctors in the principles of leadership and management, and is suitable for doctors at all stages of their careers.

Why Study MBA Medical Leadership and Management with us?

You will receive training in the skills required in the reading and interpretation of the literature and translating that into evidencebased practice. We aim to develop your research and writing skills so that you will be in a position to contribute to the scientific literature in an eff ective manner.

The course culminates in the Research Dissertation, which will be assessed through your production of two publishable scientific articles.

The content of the course is mapped to The Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board Speciality Training Curriculum for Geriatric Medicine.

If biomedical or clinical research is your interest, successful completion of the MSc will allow you to directly register onto PhD study and join our team of researchers at the Institute of Medicine.

What will I learn?

The MBA combines a mix of leadership theory with an understanding of healthcare and health systems and practical management skills. From an organisational perspective, participating in teaching and training by providing the work-based elements of the course could only benefit patients. This teaching and training also has the potential to break down organisational barriers and further the integration agenda.

How will I be taught?

Our course consists of taught modules and a Research Dissertation. The taught modules are delivered in weekly afternoon/evening slots to facilitate attendance from students in employment, both nationwide and internationally. You will be assessed via coursework assignments, which will focus on issues relating to your clinical environment.

How will I be assessed?

The Research Dissertation is assessed by the production of a substantial review paper and an academic research article suitable for publication in an appropriate research journal.

Read less

The Department of Oncology and the Department for Continuing Education’s CPD Centre offer a part-time MSc in Experimental Therapeutics that brings together some of Oxford's leading clinicians and scientists to deliver an advanced modular programme designed for those in full-time employment, both in the UK and overseas.

The Programme draws on the world-class research and teaching in experimental therapeutics at Oxford University and offers a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of the principles that underpin clinical research and to translate this into good clinical and research practice.

Visit the website https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/msc-in-experimental-therapeutics

The first deadline for applications is Friday 20 January 2017

If your application is completed by this January deadline and you fulfil the eligibility criteria, you will be automatically considered for a graduate scholarship. For details see: http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/fees-and-funding/graduate-scholarships.

Programme details

The MSc in Experimental Therapeutics is a part-time course consisting of six modules and a research project and dissertation. The programme is normally completed in two to three years. Students are full members of the University of Oxford and are matriculated as members of an Oxford college.

The modules in this programme can also be taken as individual short courses. It is possible to transfer credit from up to three previously completed modules into the MSc programme, if the time elapsed between commencement of the accredited module(s) and registration for the MSc is not more than two years.

Programme modules:

- The Structure of Clinical Trials and Experimental Therapeutics
- Drug Development, Pharmacokinetics and Imaging
- Pharmacodynamics, Biomarkers and Personalised Therapy
- Adverse Drug Reactions, Drug Interactions, and Pharmacovigilance
- How to do Research on Therapeutic Interventions: Protocol Preparation
- Biological Therapeutics

Course aims

The aim of the MSc programme is to provide students with the necessary training and practical experience to enable them to understand the principles that underpin clinical research, and to enable them to translate that understanding into good clinical and research practice.

By the end of the MSc programme, students should understand the following core principles:

- Development, marketing and regulations of drugs
- Pharmaceutical factors that affect drug therapy
- Pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics and pharmacodynamics
- Adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and pharmacovigilance
- Designing phase I, II and III clinical trials for a range of novel therapeutic interventions (and imaging agents).
- Application of statistics to medicine
- Laboratory assays used to support trial end-points
- Use of non-invasive imaging in drug development
- Application of analytical techniques

By the end of the programme, students should be equipped to:

- demonstrate a knowledge of the principles, methods and techniques for solving clinical research problems and translate this into good clinical and research practice
- apply skills gained in techniques and practical experience from across the medical and biological sciences
- develop skills in managing research-based work in experimental therapeutics
- carry out an extended research project involving a literature review, problem specification and analysis in experimental therapeutics and write a short dissertation

Guidance from the UK Royal College of Physician's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine

The Faculty have confirmed that if enrolled for Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training (PMST), trainees may be able to use knowledge provided by Experimental Therapeutics modules to cover aspects of a module of the PMST curriculum. Trainees are advised to discuss this with their Educational Supervisor.

Experimental Therapeutics modules may also be used to provide those pursuing the Faculty's Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (DPM) with the necessary knowledge required to cover the Diploma syllabus. Applicants for the DPM exam are advised to read the DPM syllabus and rules and regulations.

Members of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine who are registered in the Faculty's CPD scheme can count participation in Experimental Therapeutics modules towards their CPD record. Non-members may wish to obtain further advice about CPD credit from their Royal College or Faculty.

Assessment methods

To complete the MSc, students need to:

Attend the six modules and complete an assessed written assignment for each module.
Complete a dissertation on a topic chosen in consultation with a supervisor and the Course Director.

Dissertation:
The dissertation is founded on a research project that builds on material studied in the taught modules. The dissertation should normally not exceed 15,000 words.

The project will normally be supervised by an academic supervisor from the University of Oxford, and an employer-based mentor.

The following are topics of dissertations completed by previous students on the course:

- The outcomes of non-surgical management of tubal pregnancy; a 6 month study of the South East London population

- Analysis of the predictive and prognostic factors of outcome in a cohort of patients prospectively treated with perioperative chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the stomach or of the gastroesophageal junction

- Evolution of mineral and bone disorder in early Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): the role of FGF23 and vitamin D

- Survey of patients' knowledge and perception of the adverse drug reporting scheme (yellow cards) in primary care

- The predictive role of ERCC1 status in oxaliplatin based Neoadjuvant for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) to the liver

- Endothelial Pathophysiology in Dengue - Dextran studies during acute infection

- Literature review of the use of thalidomide in cancer

- An investigation into the phenotypical and functional characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells for clinical application

- Identification of genetic variants that cause capecitabine and bevacizumab toxicity

- Bridging the evidence gap in geriatric medicines via modelling and simulations

Teaching methods

The class-based modules will include a period of preparatory study, a week of intensive face-to-face lectures and tutorials, followed by a period for assignment work. Attendance at modules will be a requirement for study. Some non-classroom activities will be provided at laboratory facilities elsewhere in the University. The course will include taught material on research skills. A virtual learning environment (VLE) will provide between-module support.

The taught modules will include group work, discussions, guest lectures, and interaction and feedback with tutors and lecturers. Practical work aims to develop the students' knowledge and understanding of the subject.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford

Read less