Course description
Course Summary
Currently, NHS Trusts provide continuing care to patients who require treatment for either a minor injury or minor illness, or urgent or unscheduled care. In future, patients requiring urgent or unscheduled care will be managed by a General Practitioner (GP) in an Emergency Care Centre. This change in practice requires commitment from GPs to undertake further education and training in urgent care practice. The range of subject disciplines is designed to prepare professionals with the knowledge, skills and professional competencies to prepare them to attend to patients requiring medical assistance for minor injury/ minor illness or urgent / unscheduled care.
Course Details
Modules (All core)
* Management of Urgent Care 1
* Clinical Practice
* Principles and Application of Evidence-based Health Care
* Research Methods
* Management of Urgent Care II
* Dissertation
Degree Stages
Students can study for the course in stages over a period of 2.5 to 5 years, eg Post Graduate Certificate 1 academic year, Post Graduate Diploma , 1 academic year and Master's dissertation 6 months to 1 academic year.
Students interested in studying for a PG certificate will study 2 modules over a period of 1 academic year. These include Management of Urgent Care 1 and Clinical Practice.
Management of Urgent Care 1 explores the legal and ethical issues related to urgent care practice, risk assessment, operational management, interpersonal psychology and patient modifying behaviour. This module is taught over a period of 12 weeks with one day attendance per week. The module is assessed by the exploration of a case study which examines issues taught on the module, namely, legal and ethical issues related to urgent care practice, risk assessment, operational management, interpersonal psychology and patient modifying behaviour. The assignment is 4,000 words in length. Students will be provided with the necessary support and guidance to complete the assignment.
Clinical Practice is a practice-based learning module where students will undertake up to 200 hours of clinical learning in an accident and emergency clinic of their choice. The module is assessed in two ways. Firstly by the completion of a portfolio of professional competencies and secondly by the preparation of two, 3,000 word case studies. There is no formal teaching for this module, however students will receive guidance and tutorial support to prepare the portfolio and develop their case studies. Students are expected to complete the portfolio of clinically based competencies which will be assessed by an appointed supervisor. It is the student’s responsibility to organise the clinical placement and an appropriate clinical supervisor.
Students who successfully complete both modules will be awarded a PG certificate in Urgent Care.
Students who wish to continue their studies to gain a PG Diploma in Urgent Care will study three additional modules: Research Methods, Management of Urgent Care II and Principles and Practice of Evidence-based Health Care. These three modules can be studied in one academic year.
Research Methods introduces the student to the principles of qualitative and
quantitative research, research design, hypothesis testing, methods of analysis, and common research approaches. The module is assessed by a 3 hour examination.
Principles and Practice of Evidence-based Health Care introduces the student to the principles of using and applying evidence to health care, research study designs, ways in which numerical data are presented and analysed, systematic reviews and the importance of evidence for professional practice. The module is assessed by the analysis of two seen research papers under examination conditions.
Management of Urgent Care II introduces the student to the concepts of organisation and management theory as it applies to the management of strategic planning in primary and urgent care settings. The module also examines health care policy documents and the impact of policy on health care needs. The module is assessed by a 6,000 word project that examines a selection of the content that is taught on the module.
Students who successfully complete the three modules will be awarded a PG Diploma Urgent Care.
Dissertation
The dissertation will take the form of an extensive literature review and a journal article.
Students who wish to continue to study for a Masters in Urgent Care are required to study for a dissertation and undertake an empirical study in an aspect of urgent care practice and submit a 15,000-18,000 word thesis.
