Medical Science

Postgraduate

In Keele

£ 4,200 + VAT

Description

  • Type

    Postgraduate

  • Location

    Keele

  • Start date

    Different dates available

This award has been designed to facilitate the learning of the generic skills and knowledge essential to successful higher clinical practice. These areas include an understanding of medical education, ability to appraise research and assess clinical effectiveness, an appreciation of medical ethics and management and leadership skills in the health care setting.
Each module consists of a mixture of types of delivery, some online learning and some face-to-face blocks of teaching, utilising a mixture of seminars, group work and short lectures.
There are a number of core modules and then a wide range of modules that are optional. We have designed the award to be as flexible as possible, including enabling students to study some modules from other Keele awards. This award has been mapped against the revised Good Medical Practice from the General Medical Council and can help you demonstrate your commitment to maintaining your fitness to practice for when recertification is introduced as part of medical relicensing.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Keele (Staffordshire)
See map
Keele University, ST5 5BG

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

This programme is intended for medical graduates, currently engaged in medical practice or intercalating medical students. Some modules are available to other health professionals, as short courses or as part of other Masters programmes within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

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Subjects

  • Medical training
  • Medical
  • Medical Science
  • Leadership
  • Approach
  • Teaching
  • Communication Skills
  • Mental Health
  • Statistics
  • Healthcare
  • Communication Training
  • Primary
  • Medical Education
  • Appreciation
  • Ethics

Course programme

Each module (subject to availability) is given a credit rating within the national Masters framework. These may be transferable from or to other institutions where the learning outcomes are comparable.
Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Science: 60 credits
Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Science: 120 credits
Masters in Medical Science: total 180 credits
The Masters degree must be completed within five years of registration, the Diploma within four years and the Certificate within three years. It will be possible to complete a Masters Degree in Medical Science in two years.
Course Modules
Clinical Geriatric Medicine I & II - (15 credits each) - The aim of these two modules is to advance knowledge of common clinical conditions that affect the health of older people and their appropriate management. The modules comprise themed multidisciplinary study days, and topics are considered in a framework which covers the stages of frailty (early, moderate, and advanced) and phases of care (proactive, routine, responsive). There is emphasis in a patient-centred, multi-professional, multi-organisational approach and illustrated by case studies to enable achievement of learning objectives in relation to disease management and integration of care.
Communication Skills for Health Professionals in Clinical Practice (15 credits) – The module aims to develop excellent communication skills through an approach based on skills and values, to explore the theory and evidence underpinning communication skills teaching and to enable participants to use a skills-based approach to teach others.
Contemporary Challenges in Healthcare Ethics and Law (15 credits) – In this module students will gain a high quality introduction to ethical and legal issues in health care and the knowledge and skills for further work in the subject.
Contemporary Mental Health Issues in Primary Care (15 credits) – Mental health remains one of the biggest and most challenging areas in primary care practice. There can be significant gaps in the training of new GPs in psychiatric issues and very few universities offer courses in mental health for updating and continuing professional development. This module aims to help reduce the stigma of mental illness amongst clinicians by increasing awareness, knowledge and skills.
Evidence Based Medicine – (15 credits) – This module aims to familiarise students with the methods and processes of critical evaluation of the professional literature and applying this clinically and as a self-learning model.
Following the Money: Finance in the National Health Service (15 credits) - This module aims to develop a practical insight into how money flows in the NHS, from Government to NHS England, onto Clinical Commissioning Groups and other purchasers of care. The module will look at the provider level - both primary and secondary care - and examine how it is managed and develop an insight into current and developing financial management techniques that will strengthen participants' ability to secure resources for their services.
Leadership and Management for Healthcare Professionals (15 credits) – Within this module participants will explore both the theoretical background to leadership and management and the practical skills which are required to be an effective leader in the present, challenging, healthcare environment. Participants will leave with greater insight into their own leadership style and impact on others, together with a deeper understanding of how the new commissioning arrangements will affect their service.
Leadership for Patient Safety (15 or 30 credits) - This module addresses the need for health and social care professionals to engage more effectively with the factors that fundamentally affect the provision of safe, effective and compassionate health care for patients. This is an online module comprised of activities, discussions, collaboration and assessments, so making combining work, home and study easier.
Medical Education (15 credits) – Much of a doctor’s professional life is concerned with facilitating the learning of junior medical staff, as well as contributing to the education of other health professionals and patients. This module blends active learning on a teaching the teachers course with a virtual learning environment online – to enable you to study at a time and place more convenient to you.
Rational Prescribing (15 credits) - This module, delivered in association with the School of Pharmacy, explores the clinical decision making behind prescribing and offers a framework for evaluating new treatments. The challenges of achieving optimal prescribing in frail older people with comorbidities will be addressed.
Reflective Practice (15 credits) – This module explores the nature of professional practice, using the paradigm of ‘The Reflective Practitioner’. It uses a variety of methods and participants’ current clinical practice to develop skills of ‘reflection in action’.
Research Methods in Health (15 credits) – This module aims to develop students' understanding of the philosophical and methodological bases of health and social research; to enable students to make an informed and appropriate choice of research design and methods; to equip students with critical appraisal skills; and, to provide students with the methodological foundation for a research dissertation.
Statistics and Epidemiology (15 credits) – A basic appreciation of epidemiology and statistics is invaluable in understanding published literature and in designing studies, both research and audit studies.
Strategic Management of Patients with Long-Term Conditions (15 credits) – The module aims to provide participants with an effective framework for planning, delivering and evaluating care packages for patients with chronic conditions, based on the National Service Frameworks and the principles of clinical governance It explores the natural history, impact and outcomes of chronic disease, using cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and epilepsy as models.
Strategic Management of Frailty as a Long-term Condition (15 credits) - The aim of this module is to provide a comprehensive understanding of current frailty concepts and to introduce a range of important themes that will be further developed throughout the course. Using the framework of the British Geriatrics Society’s ‘Fit for Frailty’ guidance, it will address both key clinical issues concerning the identification and management of frailty and leadership and management themes essential for the development, commissioning and management of integrated services for older people with frailty. The multi-professional and interactive approach is designed to maximise achievement of learning objectives in relation to frailty and integration.
Dissertation
The award of a Masters in Medical Science follows successful completion of the taught modules which make up the Diploma in Medical Science and submission of a further 60 credits worth of learning. This latter may be a research dissertation in a subject related to the individual’s speciality, in which case all candidates will also be expected to have completed the Research Methods and usually the Statistics and Epidemiology modules. A practice-based project is another possibility such as evaluation of changes implemented in a clinical setting, educational projects, or exploration of ethical dilemmas. It is expected to be a significant piece of work and we encourage all students to consider aiming for publication of their findings.
All candidates will be expected to have a local clinical supervisor for their project and educational supervision will continue to be provided by the award team. Previous experience has shown us that this is an extremely popular component of the Degree. Candidates have often published or presented their dissertation at Regional and National meetings.

Medical Science

£ 4,200 + VAT