Masters Degrees (Primary Care)

This course has run since 2011, previously being integrated with the MPhil TMAT courses and taken part-time over two years. It is being re-launched in 2015 as a full-time one year course, based in the Cambridge Institute of Public Health’s Department of Public Health and Primary Care. More than half of the curriculum is shared with the MPhils in Public Health and Epidemiology. The aim of the course is to provide students with theoretical knowledge and skills as well as practical research experience to launch an academic clinical career in primary care.

The course draws on local strengths in working with large databases, primary care-based clinical trials and a wide range of other appropriate methods of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analyses. Throughout the course students are able to draw on the research expertise within the Institute of Public Health and wider expertise in the University.

See the website http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/cvphmppcr

Course detail

The aim of the course is to provide students with theoretical knowledge and skills as well as practical research experience to launch an academic clinical career in primary care. Specifically, the course aims to:

1. Contribute to the commitment of the Cambridge University Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust (CUHNHSFT), Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust/ Clinical Commissioning Group and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to continuing professional development of NHS staff in an integrated academic and clinical environment;
2. Develop a cadre of primary care clinical research leaders who will pursue clinical Academic careers within academia, the NHS and industry;
3. Contribute to the commitment of the Health Education East of England to continuing professional development of GP Specialty Trainees in an integrated academic and clinical environment;
4. Expand critical and current knowledge of research methodologies through an academically vigorous education programme offered in a world-leading primary care clinical research environment;
5. Equip clinical researchers with knowledge about the complex issues associated with conducting sound translational research in general practice and community settings.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete this programme successfully will have gained an understanding of the primary care research context, including the distinctive nature and contribution of primary care research, and the contribution of key underpinning methods. Specifically, graduates will possess a grounding in primary care-relevant epidemiological, psychological, sociological and health services research methods, statistical methods and data analyses including surveys, trials and evidence synthesis. Upon successful completion each student will be able to apply contemporary research tools to clinically relevant areas of investigation in primary care.

Successful completion of the MPhil will also equip students with the skills and knowledge defined by the Academy of Medical Sciences’ Supplementary Guidelines for the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) for Specialty Registrars undertaking joint clinical and academic training programmes (September 2011).

Michaelmas Term

This term focuses on epidemiological and biostatistical principles and procedures. Teaching sessions during this term will be shared with students from the MPhils in Epidemiology and Public Health course. The teaching in this term also includes training in basic data handling and analysis using the statistical package Stata.

The three modules are:

- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Data handling and appraisal

During this term you will also complete an essay on the epidemiology of a chosen condition in a primary care population. This essay is a formal part of the MPhil examination and will contribute to your final mark. You should also begin to research an appropriate topic for your MPhil thesis. You should discuss this proposal with you Course Supervisor to assess the suitability of the topic and the availability of relevant data.

There will also be an assessment based on the epidemiological component of the first term. This assessment is informal and does not count towards your degree. The assessment provides your Course Supervisor and Course Directors with a guide to your progress. A guideline answer sheet will be provided at the end of the assessment.

Lent Term

This term includes modular-based lectures and seminars in more advanced aspects of epidemiological research and public health which are shared with students from the MPhils in Epidemiology and Public Health, and specific modules on Primary Care Research not shared with other MPhil students.

Modules shared with the MPhils in Epidemiology and Public Health:

- Health Policy
- Social Science
- Chronic disease epidemiology
- Genetic epidemiology and Public health genomics
- Health Promotion

Primary Care Research modules:

- Introduction to Primary Care Research
- Use of routine data in Primary Care
- Designing, delivering and analysing surveys in primary care
- Qualitative research

Please note some modules may move from term to term.

During this term you will also complete a second essay which should take the form of a protocol for your thesis research. This essay is a formal part of the MPhil examination and will contribute to your final mark. Before starting your protocol, the title of your thesis should be agreed with you Course and Thesis Supervisor. Both you Course and Thesis Supervisor should sign the thesis title form confirming the title. All students must have a designated Thesis Supervisor (in some cases this individual may also be the Course Supervisor).

Easter Term

This term includes a small number of modular-based lectures and seminars again shared with students from the MPhils in Epidemiology and Publich Health.

- Clinical Trials
- Health Economics
- Ethics and Law

The remainder of the term is dedicated to revision for the written examinations in June and thesis work. The term ends on the last business day of July 2016 with the hand-in of the thesis. If you leave the UK, you must be prepared to travel back to Cambridge for an oral examination, if required.

Assessment

A thesis not exceeding 20,000 words in length, including footnotes, but excluding tables, appendices, and bibliography, on a subject approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculties of Clinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

Two essays, each not exceeding 3,000 words in length, on subjects approved by the Degree Committee

Two written papers, each of which may cover all the areas of study prescribed in the syllabus.

The course components are completed by the end of July. However, to complete the course, students will be required to attend a viva in person on a date (to be announced) in late August or early September.

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

Funding Opportunities

There are no specific funding opportunities advertised for this course. For information on more general funding opportunities, please follow the link below.

General Funding Opportunities http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding

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Duration:
1 year (full-time)
MSc/PG Dip Primary Care
MSc/PG Dip Primary Care (District Nursing)

Up to 6 years (part-time):
MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert Primary Care
Up to 5 years (part-time):
MSc/PG Dip Primary Care (District Nursing)

Non-standard entry requirements:
A diploma of higher education or equivalent, with a minimum of 60 credits in relevant subject areas. It is expected that students completing these awards will spend at least part of their working experience in a primary care setting. Many of the units within the scheme have a practice component and students will need the support of their employer to enable them to meet the practice competencies and be assessed as competent. Some units require students to be registered health care professionals.

Course units:
Awards comprise of core and optional units to provide maximum flexibility. A wide range of units are available for students to include within their individualised programme of study. For further information, please contact the Scheme Co-ordinator, Sue Boran.

Course description:
These awards are for nurses and other health care staff working predominantly in primary care settings. This could include delivering care within patient’s homes, general practice, walk-in centres, polyclinics, urgent care centres, intermediate care centres etc. The Primary Care Scheme also offers a Nursing and Midwifery Council accredited Specialist Practice Qualification for District Nursing and V100 Prescribing from the Community Practitioner Formulary, where the principles of the Primary Care Scheme apply but students follow a prescribed pathway.

Career opportunities;
The National Health Service is promoting a secondary to primary care shift with more services being provided within a broader range of primary care settings. Working within primary care requires a different set of skills and knowledge to those learned in secondary care. The Primary Care Scheme has been designed to facilitate participants to design programmes of study that are pertinent to their needs and those of the service, recognising that this is a rapidly changing service environment. Students gaining these awards would be equipped to deliver care in a range of primary care settings such as within patient’s homes, general practice, walk-in centres, polyclinics, urgent care centres, intermediate care centres.

Professional Contact / Industry links:
Guest speakers are invited with specialist expertise across the units to support the teaching team, for example practice-based commissioning, diabetes, mental health, service user involvement.

The MSc/PG Dip Primary Care (District Nursing) is a recordable qualification with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and incorporates the V100 Prescribing form the Community Practitioners Formulary.

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Healthcare across the world faces major challenges from the increasing demands of ageing populations and the rise in non-communicable diseases. Strong and effective primary care (also known as family medicine or community medicine) is a major part of the solution. This MSc in Primary Care will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to make a difference to primary healthcare in the 21st century.

Why this programme

-A unique programme to enable students to identify and implement strategies to enhance quality in primary care globally.
-Taught by outstanding, high profile primary care researchers and practitioners in the UK, you can follow a flexible curriculum - studying full-time or part-time, and work towards the full MSc degree or a postgraduate diploma or certificate.
-Internationally renowned guest speakers feature alongside University of Glasgow staff.
-Research interests are focussed on health inequalities, multimorbidity, chronic disease, treatment burden and migrant health, which are reflected in our teaching.
-Research project opportunities in novel and relevant areas of research for primary care, under the supervision of an academic.
-Students come from a wide range of primary care, family, community, and internal medicine disciplines, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, podiatrists, managers and those working in healthcare and health policy.
-It is delivered within the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, one of the foremost research institutes in the UK focused on improving population health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities in health.
-The online programme has the potential to attract students from across the globe. Our on-campus course has attracted successful students from the UK and a wide range of other countries including Indonesia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Japan, Pakistan and Oman.

Programme structure

This online MSc programme is modular in structure, with all teaching and interactions delivered online through our virtual learning environment (Moodle). During a course, from week to week you will interact with your teachers and fellow students using online discussion boards. Your teachers will direct and observe the discussion, and respond to student questions about the course content. A variety of teaching approaches will be used including lectures, group based activities, presentations and discussions.
-Three compulsory courses
-Three optional courses
-Research project.

The taught courses are delivered in 11-week blocks, running from September to November, January to March, and April to June. The research project runs across the academic year. Full-time students will complete the majority of their research project work when they have completed their taught components.

The selection of optional courses and the research project can be tailored to meet students’ own interests and career needs.

The postgraduate diploma and certificate require six (120 credits) and three (60 credits) successfully completed courses, respectively.

Core and optional courses

Core courses
-International Primary care principles and systems
-Epidemiology, evidence and statistics for primary care
-Research methods

Optional courses - Having the freedom to choose three optional courses gives you the opportunity to tailor your programme of study to your own special interests. Further optional courses are planned for 2017/18.
-Understanding Evidence for the Real World: Critical Appraisal for Healthcare
-Cardiovascular Disease Management in Primary Care
-Management of Long-term Conditions

Studying online

Online distance learning at the University of Glasgow allows you to benefit from the outstanding educational experience that we are renowned for -without having to relocate to our campus.
You do not need to have experience of studying online as you will be guided through how to access and use all of our online resources.

Virtual learning
You will connect with your fellow students and tutors through our virtual learning environment where you will have access to a multitude of learning resources including:
-Recorded lectures
-Live seminars
-Videos
-Interactive quizzes
-Journal articles
-Electronic books and other web resources

A global community
As an online student at the University you will become part of a global community of learners. Community building and collaborative learning is a key focus of our online delivery and you will be encouraged and supported to interact with your fellow classmates and tutors in a number of ways. For example, through the discussions areas on our virtual learning environment, by skype, during live seminars and in our virtual campus on Second Life.

Supported
Great emphasis is placed on making sure you feel well supported in your learning and that you have good interactions with everyone on the programme. Support is available in a number of ways and you will find out more about this during orientation. All you need to participate in our online programmes is a computer and internet access.

Career prospects

Graduates will have the capacity to take a lead role in primary care and family medicine development, whether in Scotland, the UK or internationally. Post-award opportunities include further study, leadership roles in primary care teams, secondment to positions within government, teaching positions, and sitting on editorial boards of academic journals.

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The Education in Primary Care PGCert is for health professionals working and teaching in primary care in the UK. It will suit any primary care educator, including nurse practitioners, GPs, community pharmacists and practice nurses, intending GP trainers and training programme directors.

The programme offers a deep understanding of education in primary care and equips you to succeed in learning and teaching at a wide range of levels and primary care disciplines, as demonstrated by our alumni.

All facilitators on the programme are GP trainers, undergraduate tutors or training programme directors. You’ll benefit from links with current practitioners and expert researchers working at the Academic Unit of Primary Care at the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences. You’ll also have the opportunity for one-to-one support from a mentor throughout the programme.

Funding for is available from Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber for those on the Intending GP Training Pathway.

You can study this programme over one or two years, so you can fit your study time around the clinical environment and other commitments.

To study this programme over one year, see the Education in Primary Care PGCert – 12 months.

Course content

You’ll study four modules, all focused on primary care. Each module consists of two teaching days alongside online activities and discussions.

You’ll reflect on education in primary care, critically examine key aspects of your work and gain skills and ideas for your own development and the development of others. Students also have the opportunity to critically evaluate current research and contribute to the evidence base in education in primary healthcare.

The programme aims to develop the skills to implement and evaluate a curriculum, as well as critically evaluate consultation models and personal consultation skills. This is the only programme approved by Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber that offers teaching on consultation skills.

Learning and teaching

The programme is taught through a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face learning (at teaching days) with online activities.

Teaching is mostly in small groups with a facilitator, ensuring a personalised learning approach. You’ll learn through lectures, practical classes, tutorials, seminars and supervised research projects. We make extensive use of IT and a wide range of materials is available to enable you to study at your own pace and to enhance and extend on the material taught formally. Besides access to online materials, the Virtual Learning Environment offers continued peer and tutor support.

Assessment

Assessment for all four modules is through written assignments, submitted approximately six weeks after the end of the module.

Career opportunities

This programme is one of the steps in the process to become a GP trainer with Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber. Many successful local educators have completed this programme.

Graduates of this programme have become GP trainers, vocational training programme directors and gone on to work in Health Education Yorkshire and Humber, in roles such as Locality Lead for GP Education and GP School Lead for Trainer Quality Management.

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Healthcare across the world faces major challenges from the increasing demands of ageing populations and the rise in non-communicable diseases. Strong and effective primary care (also known as family medicine or community medicine) is a major part of the solution. This MSc in Primary Care will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to make a difference to primary healthcare in the 21st century.

Why this programme

-A unique programme to enable students to identify and implement strategies to enhance quality in primary care globally.
-Taught by outstanding, high profile primary care researchers and practitioners in the UK, you can follow a flexible curriculum - studying full-time or part-time, and work towards the full MSc degree or a postgraduate diploma or certificate.
Internationally renowned guest speakers feature alongside University of Glasgow staff.
-Research interests are focussed on health inequalities, multimorbidity, chronic disease, treatment burden and migrant health, which are reflected in our teaching.
-Research project opportunities in novel and relevant areas of research for primary care, under the supervision of an academic.
-Students come from a wide range of primary care, family, community, and internal medicine disciplines, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, podiatrists, managers and those working in healthcare and health policy.
-It is delivered within the Institute of Health and Wellbeing, one of the foremost research institutes in the UK focused on improving population health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities in health.
-The online programme has the potential to attract students from across the globe. Our on-campus course has attracted successful students from the UK and a wide range of other countries including Indonesia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Japan, Pakistan and Oman.

Programme structure

This online MSc programme is modular in structure, with all teaching and interactions delivered online through our virtual learning environment (Moodle). During a course, from week to week you will interact with your teachers and fellow students using online discussion boards. Your teachers will direct and observe the discussion, and respond to student questions about the course content. A variety of teaching approaches will be used including lectures, group based activities, presentations and discussions.
-Three compulsory courses
-Three optional courses
-Research project.

The taught courses are delivered in 11-week blocks, running from September to November, January to March, and April to June. The research project runs across the academic year. Full-time students will complete the majority of their research project work when they have completed their taught components.

The selection of optional courses and the research project can be tailored to meet students’ own interests and career needs.

The postgraduate diploma and certificate require six (120 credits) and three (60 credits) successfully completed courses, respectively.

Career prospects

Graduates will have the capacity to take a lead role in primary care and family medicine development, whether in Scotland, the UK or internationally. Post-award opportunities include further study, leadership roles in primary care teams, secondment to positions within government, teaching positions, and sitting on editorial boards of academic journals.

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This 12-month course has a strong but not exclusive emphasis on cognitive behavioural therapy and on the application of scientific methods to health care and assessment. On completion of the course, and following agreed and appropriate supervision and continuing professional development, graduates will be competent in the assessment and treatment of adult patients suffering from a range of common mental health disorders typically presenting in primary care settings.

Why study Psychological Therapy and Primary Care?

The growing demand for psychological interventions for adults presenting with common mental health disorders (e.g. anxiety and depression) in NHS Primary care has been identified in a variety of studies by central government and professional bodies.

Following consultation with NHS stakeholders, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has supported the development of a new role for psychology graduates in NHS Scotland as Clinical Associates in Applied Psychology.

The Masters level training for this new role is designed to equip psychology graduates with the competence required to deliver the evidence-based psychological interventions required in circumscribed areas of practice defined by service need. The delivery of training involves a partnership, brokered by NES, between the Universities providing the academic components of the training programmes, the Universities of Stirling and Dundee, and the NHS which supports trainees in supervised clinical practice in the workplace.

Aims of the course

Specifically the course aims to:

create knowledge of the prevalence, diagnostic criteria, presentation and current psychological theories of common mental health disorders in adults.
create the ability to assess common mental health disorders by means of standardised scales, interviews techniques and observation.
foster the ability to develop clinical formulation based on information obtained from case notes, interviews, standardised scales and observation.
foster the therapeutic skills to deliver appropriate psychological treatments for common mental health disorders in Primary Care and evaluate progress and outcome of treatment.

Teaching & Assessment

This course is taught by staff from the University of Dundee and the University of Stirling. Students attend one or other of the universities for 3/4 days each month.

This course begins in January and runs until the following December.

How you will be taught

Modules will be taught via a combination of clinical workshops, seminars and distance-learning lectures delivered via the internet. NHS employers provide appropriate study facilities including computers and internet connection to allow you to carry out academic work on-site. Clinical activities and delivery of therapeutic interventions will be supervised and guided by an NHS clinical supervisor in the NHS setting, who will provide guidance on all aspects of clinical competence according to agreed guidelines. Ratings of clinical competence will be based on taped evidence of practice in the NHS setting and observations of the trainees’ clinical interaction with patients.

What you will study

The course comprises five taught modules and a sixth research module. The first three modules are University of Dundee supervised while the second three are University of Stirling supervised. All modules are core and there are no optional modules:

Assessment, Diagnosis and Formulation: This overview of the assessment process enables you to conduct clinical assessment and formulation of common mental health disorders in primary care

Professional and Ethical Issues: This module develops your understanding of the principles and practice of appropriate professional conduct in the National Health Service (NHS)

Research Project: A supervised empirical investigation, including critical literature review, conducted and reported to publishable standard

Principles and Methods of Psychological Therapy: This module helps you develop and maintain collaborative working alliances and deliver a range of psychological interventions appropriate to common mental health disorders

Common Mental health Disorders in Primary Care: This module develops understanding of use of theoretical and clinical knowledge of the presentation and evidence-based treatment interventions for common mental health disorders

Research, Evaluation and Outcome: This module equips you with the knowledge and skills to conduct clinical research

You are allocated an NHS clinical supervisor who oversees and provides guidance on your clinical activity. You are also allocated an University based supervisor from the course team (who reviews clinical performance) and a University based research supervisor.

How you will be assessed

The course will comprise 50 percent academic study and 50 percent practical clinical placement work. Academic assessment will be by case reports based on NHS clinical work, examinations and a dissertation. In addition, the successful completion of the first three modules listed above depends on the receipt of a satisfactory assessment of clinical competence from your NHS clinical supervisor.

Assessments of clinical competence are made six months and nine months into the course. At these points, any unsatisfactory clinical competence will be highlighted and a programme of remedial action provided that must be undertaken successfully by the end of the modules.

Careers

Since the inception of the course in 2005, the majority of graduates have been employed by the NHS in Scotland as CAAPs. However, the job situation for CAAPs is currently more competitive, as it is for almost all workers at the moment. Some graduates have gone into the private sector as therapists and some have been employed in other NHS posts that are related but have different job titles. Some graduates have gone on to work in England under the IAPT programme. It is impossible to make predictions about vacancies for 2014, however the requirement for all NHS Boards to provide psychological therapies within 14 weeks from referral by 2014 will require some services to consider their skill mix.

Students are funded by NHS Education for Scotland and are employed by the NHS.

Fees

Trainees’ fees and travel expenses will be covered, and salaries paid at agreed
national levels (A4C Band 6, first spine point, currently £26,041)

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Overview

The future of a successful health service must lie with an extensive provision in primary care and the community. To enable this success higher numbers of nurses will be required to work and lead in this area as autonomous and confident practitioners. If you are a nurse working in, or about to work in General Practice and diverse Community and Primary Care settings, this course is specially tailored to your needs.

Our Primary Care Nursing course aims to meet the training and educational needs of nurses working at an advanced level in General Practice and a multitude of other creative primary and community healthcare settings. The PG Dip and Masters in Primary Care nursing will be delivered from Cambridge, Peterborough or Chelmsford and you can select which campus you attend.

If you are a nurse currently working in community settings, you can access a wide variety of specialist modules to update, upskill and embed your practice. You will build practical skills with an array of specialist and more general modules to expand and progress your professional direction. If you are new to primary and community care, you will find a variety of modules supporting you to become quickly established in the provision of care and services in this area.

Primary care and community settings will be brought to life and you will benefit from ongoing support from the University, which will include visits at your personal practice environment. Close contact and support from your personal tutor will help you manage your modules to gain the best possible learning experience throughout this course. Your personal tutor will be one of a number of highly experienced lecturers selected specifically to match your learning needs.

As you progress through your course you will meet nurses from a variety of practice areas and in several modules other health professionals may attend. This multi professional element adds opportunities for debate and discussion and will enable you to explore different perspectives in medical and healthcare provision. You will be able to develop new skills in our state of the art skills laboratories and experience exciting new ways of learning which support a variety of learning styles.

This course will provide an exciting chance to undertake new, contemporary learning opportunities where practice and theory merge. The theory and policy underpinning contemporary service delivery will be explored in order to for you to clearly understand how they influence practice provision. Guidance and support will be given to help you gather information and evidence with which to strengthen your practice.

Careers

Nurses wishing to start a career in general practice, primary or community care nursing will find this course tailored to their needs. Those nurses already working in these areas will find that this course is the partner learning experience to support their current and progressive practice.

There is a wide variety of settings existing in the community where you may wish to start or develop your career pathway. Minor injury units, General Practice, District nursing, Health visiting or Paediatric teams, working in nursing homes, Integrated Care, community hospitals, Sexual Health, Drug and Alcohol, dermatology, Cardiac and Respiratory clinics, ‘out of hours’ and outreach services to mention just a few.

Our programme will enable you to emerge as an autonomous practitioner able to lead and manage yourself, individuals and teams. You may decide to specialise further in practice and or undertake a higher level degree such as a Professional Doctorate. Your promotion prospects will be greatly enhanced as will your opportunities to apply for more senior roles. This course provides further steps on the ladder of your progressing career in primary and community nursing.

Assessment

The assessment strategies are designed to challenge your critical thinking and enable you to demonstrate your ability to advance theory and practice through the critique of existing and new knowledge. As part of the learning process the focus of the assignments is on the application of theoretical knowledge to practice issues. Assessments vary according to modules and include written essays, reports, case studies, presentations, patchwork assessment, a research proposal and dissertation.

Fundamentals of Practice Nursing and Fundamentals of Community and Primary Care Nursing are assessed with the completion of a Practice Assessment Document (pass/fail) and a summative assessed presentation of 20 minutes.

Where you'll study

Your faculty -

The Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education is the largest provider of health, social care and education courses in the East of England, with over 6,000 students from more than 20 countries.

With 95% of our students finding full-time employment within six months of graduating, you can be sure that our courses have been designed with your career in mind. We’ve been educating nurses, midwives and social workers for over 25 years.

At the cutting edge of research, we offer a range of internationally recognised undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses taught by friendly and experienced staff.

Designed to enhance your learning experience, our facilities include state-of-the-art simulated skills laboratories that mirror real-life clinical situations and UK hospital wards. Our students also benefit from our Early Childhood Research and Resource Centre; a space in which they can experiment with equipment and play activities.

You’ll study in an exciting, modern faculty which has strong links with regional, national and international organisations, including healthcare trusts, schools and academic institutions.

Your enthusiasm. Our passion. Your best foot forward.

Visit your faculty - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/health-social-care-and-education

Where can I study?

Chelmsford - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/chelmsford-campus

Peterborough - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/guild-house-peterborough

Cambridge - http://www.anglia.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/cambridge-campus

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This course offers an exciting and rewarding opportunity to develop your skills in evidence based low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) interventions for common mental health problems and to gain the accreditation you need to practice as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP).

The Postgraduate Certificate Primary Care Mental Health Practice and Graduate Certificate Promoting Psychological Wellbeing are fully accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) on behalf of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) National Programme. It is nationally recognised for its high quality training provision and highly skilled teaching team in the field of Low Intensity CBT interventions.

INDUSTRY LINKS

Accredited by The British Psychological Society.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

Learning takes place in both academic and clinical environments. In university you will be involved in lectures, small group work, role plays, video taped sessions and seminars. You will also be working under supervision with a client group in a primary care setting.

The course is assessed via a variety of methods. Clinical and academic work is integrated through the production of case study presentations and seminar presentations. Role plays are recorded and critiqued and clinical practice documents provide an opportunity to assess practice.

FURTHER INFORMATION

You will develop your competence in psychological clinical assessment and low-intensity CBT interventions, including behavioural activation, exposure and habituation, panic management, cognitive restructuring, sleep management, problem solving and medication concordance. The course is heavily focused upon the development of clinical skills in the IAPT approved clinical methods.

Most mental health problems are managed in primary care. Improving access to services which can effectively treat people experiencing common mental health problems will have a major impact on the health and well-being of the population. Primary care is now the cornerstone of the NHS and needs to be able to meet the growing demands placed upon it. By offering practitioners the opportunity to develop and enhance skills in low intensity interventions and guided self-help for common mental health problems this course hopes to support a work force that can effectively meet the changing needs in primary mental healthcare.

Students will critically examine the history and development of primary care services and the impact that this has had on the developing culture of services and the roles and responsibilities of individuals in contemporary primary care mental health practice. You will also be introduced to concepts of mental health philosophies, models and frameworks for safe and competent mental health care. Collaborative skills in engagement, patient-centred interviewing, problem formulation, goal setting, clinical implementation and routine measurement, the promotion of medication concordance, co-ordination and referral will provide the focus of the course.

Individuals working for health and social care organisations should initially discuss their application with their employer as arrangements may be in place for financial and study leave support. Individuals can purchase this course as an independent student and should obtain an application form from the contact details below.

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Primary care is central to the health and well-being of individuals and communities. This course develops student’s critical and clinical skills to use in general practice.

Who is it for?

The course is for NMC registered nurses, who are currently working as practice nurses and wish to develop their skills and progress their career with a Postgraduate Diploma qualification.

Objectives

Throughout the world, the provision of preventive, treatment and rehabilitation services is rooted increasingly in primary care. City’s Primary Care (Practice Nursing) course supports students in developing new skills for use in the general practices in which they work. The course is focused on practice and practical application, and is relevant to the varied communities from which our students are drawn.

The Post Graduate Diploma (PgDip) consists of 120 credits. Three of the modules are core or compulsory, with 5 optional modules. The choice of optional modules from our Continuing Personal and Professional Development portfolio will allow you to choose modules that are relevant to your work as a practice nurse within the general practice environment.

Academic facilities

The Clinical Skills Centre at City offers excellent facilities for you to rehearse practical caring skills prior to your practice placement. You will have access to a simulated 6-bedded high dependency unit (HDU) with realistic equipment including piped oxygen, call bells, medicines and emergency equipment. In addition, medium fidelity simulators and laboratories, including a biology laboratory, allow students to rehearse skills in preparation for practice in a range of placements, including clinics and people's homes.

The School of Health Science is one of the first health schools in the UK to open a Technology Enabled Care Studio, City TECS. City TECS is specially designed studio flat at our Northampton Square campus, fully equipped with the latest telehelath and telecare technologies providing City students with the unique opportunity to learn how to use the latest and future healthcare technologies whilst they study.

Teaching and learning

The Programme Director and other members of the practice nursing team have considerable experience and expertise in the field of practice nursing and advanced practice.

Members of the team have published research, books, as well as peer reviewed professional journals relevant to practice nursing and advanced practice.

Assessments are designed to assess students ability to:
-Grasp taught theory and research.
-Analyse and interpret theory and research critically.
-Apply the theory and evidence base to the clinical setting.
-Present the relevant points clearly and concisely.

Both formative and summative assessments will be transparent throughout the practice nursing course. Formative feedback will be available on group/individual presentations and/or tutorial support.

Summative assessment will integrate a variety of assessments, which will be dependent on your choice of optional modules including:
-Essays
-Skills schedule, including a multiple choice questionnaire and problem based scenario
-Exams
-Case study
-Audit and supporting paper
-Protocol development and a supporting paper
-Poster development and supporting paper
-A research proposal

Modules

The course is made up of both core and optional modules, with the structure depending on whether students study on a full or part-time basis.

Core modules
-Key Concepts in Practice Nursing
-Research methods
-Health Policy and Politics

Elective modules - you can choose from a wide range of optional modules, including:
-Cervical Cytology
-An introduction to Long Term Conditions
-Key Concepts in Practice Nursing – Module 2
-Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
-Clinical assessment in Primary Care
-Contraception and sexual health - theory
-Diabetes care
-Supporting and assessing in clinical practice (mentorship module)

Students have the option of exiting with 60 credits to receive the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert). In order to receive this award, students must have successfully completed 60 credits, which must include one of the core modules – Key Concepts in practice nursing and 3 other optional modules.

Career prospects

The PgDip Primary Care (Practice Nursing) will give you greater opportunities to deliver diverse services within general practice. The range of services can be tailored to your individual practice needs due to the selection of modules that can be taken as part of your continuing professional development.

Successful completion of the PgDip is achieved when you have completed 8 x 15 credit modules [120 credits]. Students also have the option of gaining a PgCert by completing 4 modules [60 credits} one of which includes the core module – Key Concepts of Practice Nursing.

You will graduate with a substantial understanding of the field of practice nursing, together with enhanced clinical and analytical skills. These attributes will enable you to make a substantial contribution within the general practice environment.

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Are you a registered health or social care professional looking to develop your advanced practitioner knowledge and skills within community and primary care? This specialist pathway has been designed to prepare and support nurses, midwives and allied health professionals working in a community environment for the service delivery changes taking place in this area. You will be equipped to meet these changes and to thrive in the new service configurations as well as learning to work in new ways.

Key features

-Developed in response to the policy context of integrated care (Five Year Forward View, 2014), this pathway promotes partnership working, the management of complexity and the need to address health inequalities.
-Critically examine new service delivery models as they are developed and enhance your clinical skills to meet the integrated workforce agenda including holistic assessment, problem solving and single assessment processes.
-Deliver health promotion to a range of people and contribute to reducing health inequalities.
-Gain the necessary generic practice skills to function within the community/primary care environment and to analyse integrated practice whilst critically examining the nature, purposes and practice of public health.
-Flexibly respond to the transformation of services and working across professional and organisational boundaries.
-Opportunities to study in an inter-professional setting with inter-professional core and optional modules delivered by an academic team with extensive experience as well as a close relationship with clinicians contributing to teaching.
-Research informed teaching is embedded throughout the curriculum and you will be given the chance to design and undertake your own research to enhance and develop patient care and/or service provision.
-Embed independent and supplementary prescribing into your masters degree (subject to profession).
-Be equipped to take on lead roles in management, clinical practice and/or education
-Part time programme offering flexible delivery and exit points to support a learner centred approach.

Course details

Postgraduate certificate - to achieve a postgraduate certificate, you will need to earn 60 credits by undertaking three core modules.

Postgraduate diploma - to achieve a postgraduate diploma, you will need to earn 120 credits by undertaking up to six modules: three core, one pathway specific and up to two optional.

Master of Science - for a full masters degree, you will need to earn a total of 180 credits. You will study the same core modules as the postgraduate diploma, with two further core modules in the final year.

Year 1
-APP714 Integrated Community and Primary Care in Context
-APP701 Advancing Practice in Context
-APP702 Advancing Research Knowledge in Practice 1

Year 2
You must gain 40 credits from optional modules in Year 2 to gain a postgraduate diploma

Core modules
-APP715 – Integrated community and primary care practice

Examples of the optional modules available
-APP716 – Clinical skills in community and primary care
-APP718 – The fundamentals of health assessment
-APP736 – Leadership and innovation
-HEA577 – Supplementary prescribing
-HEAD709 – Non-medical prescribing: Independent and supplementary prescribing for designated allied health professionals (physiotherapists and podiatrists)
-NMP702 - Non-medical prescribing: Independent and supplementary prescribing for nurses and midwives

Final year
-APP703 - Advancing research knowledge in practice 2
-SPP701 – Substantive professional project

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This course has been designed to provide advanced professional education in diabetes care for a wide range of practitioners working in primary care including: general practitioners, nurses from primary care, podiatrists and pharmacists.

Practitioners gain knowledge of current best practice in the diagnosis and management of diabetes; the epidemiology of diabetes type 1 and type 2 and pathophysiology; diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle modification. Clinical learning is blended with teaching in organisational and policy context to enable clinicians to contribute more effectively to improving the design, delivery, outcomes and cost-effectiveness of services and to inform evidence-based practice.

KEY AREAS OF STUDY

• Complications of diabetes and their management
• Epidemiology
• Lifestyle interventions and up-to-date treatment options
• Self-management and the patient perspective
• Evidence-based practice in diabetes care
• Clinical commissioning for quality care in diabetes services
• Principles and practice of quality care and treatment

COURSE STRUCTURE

Modules are assessed by 2,000 or 3,000 word written assignments which are centred on case studies or an agreed relevant topic and presentations.

PGCert:

MDM59 Diabetes Practice in Primary Care (20 credits)*
MDM34 Evidence Based Practice (20 credits)

AND

MDM76 Quality, Safety and Service Improvement in Clinical Services (20 credits)

OR

MDM111 Clinical Commissioning for Quality Care (20 credits)

* MDM59 Diabetes Practice in Primary Care may also be taken as a standalone module.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

The course provides an accessible and achievable postgraduate qualification for professionals who provide care and support for people with diabetes in the community.

Practitioners will gain clinical and professional knowledge which will enhance their ability to practice, commission and promote state of the art evidence-based care.

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This Master's degree seeks to offer a mix of theoretical and practical skills in assessing, diagnosing, referring and managing musculoskeletal problems presenting to primary health care teams.

MSc Musculoskeletal Management in Primary Care will provide practitioners with the knowledge and skills to assess, triage and care for patients with musculoskeletal conditions in the community and to apply evidence-based practice. It will focus on multidisciplinary assessment and management and will promote biopsychosocial approaches to musculoskeletal assessment and management.

This postgraduate course believes in the importance of life-long learning and endeavours to provide the practitioner with an educational framework that promotes independent learning and is both professionally relevant and appropriate for applying theory to practice. It aims to develop competent, reflective and analytical practitioners, who can contribute effectively to practice delivery and to commissioning and who are responsive to evolutionary changes in the structure and provision of health care.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

A variety of learning and teaching strategies are utilised on the programme from eLearning to lectures, tutorials, workshops and clinical skills sessions. Student will produce a portfolio and personal development plan to help facilitate their approach to learning whilst undertaking the programme.

Assessment will be dependent on the module but will include written essays, presentations, written tests, observed structured clinical examinations, skills logs and reflective portfolio.

FURTHER INFORMATION

This Master's aims to provide students with a critical understanding of musculoskeletal conditions and the knowledge, skills and judgement required to contribute to and influence the development of these approaches within primary care. This course aims to allow students to:
-Critically engage with the contemporary issues in this area
-Develop a critical understanding of clinical practice in this topic within their working context
-Develop effective research utilisation and evaluation of evidence based practice
-Share, challenge and analyse specialist skills and practice of their own and related professional groups in order to foster collaborative working.
-Develop a broader and more informed understanding of musculoskeletal health within primary care
-Critically challenge the evidence base relevant to their working context
-Develop effective decision making skills for primary care practice and commissioning
-Demonstrate self awareness within personal and professional development through reflective practice

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intended to promote:
- Exploration and evaluation of issues and application of appropriate principles, diagnosis and mangagement of headache in a primary care setting.
- Exploration and evaluation of the treatments of differing types of headaches in the primary care setting.
- Independant critical exploration into an aspect within professional practice for the purpose of enhancing or further developing the management of headache in Primary Care.

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This distance learning programme is designed to enhance your ability to practice as an expert clinician, adviser and leader/manager within your own particular area of expertise.

The focus is on providing a critical understanding of frameworks for primary health care and health promotion, epidemiology and the ethical principles underpinning practice. The programme will be particularly relevant to general practitioners, community healthcare nurses/health visitors, community pharmacists, practice managers, professionals allied to medicine, social workers, and researchers in primary care or public health.

The programme is one of few that allows practitioners to develop an in-depth understanding of the developments in primary care globally putting them into context locally, whilst developing research expertise under the guidance of expert researchers and scholars

Modules:
• Advanced research methods
• Commissioning, leadership and management
• Evidence informed healthcare
• Knowledge and decision making for practice

Optional:
• Contemporary issues in general practice
• Contemporary issues in primary care
• General practice special interest module
• Promoting public health

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The Primary Care MRes programme provides you with an innovative distance learning research degree that meets the needs of health service researchers both in the UK and worldwide.

The modular nature enables you to design the taught component around your own training needs, and to study this at a distance.

This MRes programme provides an introduction to research development, mainly for those currently in the healthcare workforce who wish to become researchers or pursue a research pathway within their profession.

This is done through a combination of coursework and research training.

After completing the taught component, you will be supported in carrying out your own research project or a full systematic review.

Most of the staff teaching and/or supervising on this programme are from the Institute of Population Health, giving you the opportunity to work alongside international experts in this area.

We offer two MRes programmes, one in Primary Care and one in Public Health. Distinction between the two is based on the course units taken and the research topics chosen.

This programme is ideal for Academic Clinical Fellows (ACFs) who wish to gain research experience in the field of primary care.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered online, allowing you to study flexibly at a pace that suits your own requirements. A learning structure with a recommended pace is in place to ensure your progression, both within an individual unit and across the programme as a whole.
You will use a number of assessed and non-assessed activities to develop key skills and expand your knowledge base. There are no written exams; assessment is based on assignments and other activities such as moderated discussion boards and group work.

Career opportunities

Many of the UK students taking an MRes are pursuing an academic pathway within their own profession, usually medicine, dentistry or nursing.

The MRes is often a stepping stone, providing skills, experience and a qualification that often leads to a PhD.

Some students take the programme to consolidate their existing work as a researcher, or to help them gain access to that profession.

UK intercalating students study for an MRes if they are applying for a research foundation post or are looking ahead at the potential of pursuing a PhD in the future.

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