Pain Management MSc

The MSc Degree in Pain Management is an inter-professional, e-learning programme intended for health care professionals who want to specialise in the field of pain management. It is also aimed at educationalists to provide the appropriate knowledge and expertise on pain to teach others from various disciplines.

Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon and as such needs to be managed through multidisciplinary initiatives. These initiatives must be based on specialist knowledge, rigorous research and an advanced understanding of the physiological and behavioural concepts involved.

This two-year course begins by introducing you to the multifaceted nature of caring for patients who have pain. The modules are designed to provide you with the ability to understand the biopsychosocial aspects of pain and to evaluate the various approaches to assessing and managing patients in pain. Professional issues, including clinical governance and inter-professional practice, will be covered. The course is suitable for the needs of primary, secondary and tertiary care professionals.

E-learning assessment strategies enable students to focus on their areas of interest and are structured to allow students to evaluate the topic in relation to their practice and professional base.

Approximately 40 places are offered each year and the majority of students are self-funded, though some obtain awards from charities and trusts.  The course takes two years to complete inclusive of the dissertation component (nine months for the postgraduate certificate stage; nine months for the postgraduate diploma stage and a further six months for the dissertation stage).

There are no residential components in this course as it is purely e-learning - so there is no requirement to travel to Cardiff for course purposes. 

Distinctive features

• Inter-professional plus e-learning.

• The first postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Pain Management course to be developed.

• Emphasis on a biopsychosocial approach.

• Suitable for primary, secondary and tertiary care.

• A new primary care pathway is available within the MSc Pain Management to reflect the move of chronic pain services closer to people’s homes and this is facilitated and managed by an inter-professional, expert primary care faculty including leading GPs with a special interest in pain within the UK.

Structure

This part-time MSc consists of three stages – stage T1 (3 x 20 credit modules), stage T2 (3 x 20 credit modules) and stage R (60 credit research dissertation).

The total normal duration to complete the full MSc programme is two years (stages T1, T2 and R), from the date of initial registration on the MSc.

You may leave at the end of stage T1 with a postgraduate certificate, if you have obtained a minimum of 60 credits and have completed any required modules.

You may leave at the end of stage T2 with a postgraduate diploma, if you have obtained a minimum of 120 credits and have completed any required modules.

The dissertation is normally not more than 20,000 words. The subject of each student’s dissertation shall be approved by the Chair of the Board of Studies concerned or his/her nominee.

Core modules:

Fundamentals of Pain Management
Biopsychosocial Principles in Pain Management
Research, Statistics & Evidence Based Medicine
Patient Case Studies - Options
Clinical Management - Options
Professional Issues - Options
Dissertation: Pain Management

Assessment

The assessments have been chosen to ensure that the learning outcomes are appropriately tested and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate they have met them. Specific module assessment methods for each module shall be determined by the relevant Board of Studies and are detailed within the relevant Module Description.

There are a variety of formative and summative assessment methods used, such as:

Assignments
Wiki development
Blogs
Multiple choice questions
Group work
Development of guidelines / PowerPoint presentations.

The MSc dissertation stage will be assessed based on the final dissertation. Expectations for the format, submission and marking of the dissertation will follow the current Senate Assessment Regulations, supplemented where appropriate with additional requirements of the Programme/School/College and any specific requirements arising from the nature of the project undertaken.

Career Prospects

Many students have reported that attainment or current participation on the MSc led directly to promotion.  Many students were also stimulated to pursue academic careers via further study up to PhD.