MSc/PgDip/PgCert Healthcare Education
Previously known as clinical educationAttendance
Full-time, Part-time, Distance learning
Full-time – typically 8 months
Part-time – typically 24 months
Starts September
The distance learning route begins in 2014
At a glance
If training or teaching is part of your role as a healthcare professional and you want to develop these skills, this course is designed for you. You learn how to design and develop high-quality learning packages that have an evidence-based approach. You can apply and test what you learn with observed teaching practice in your workplace and teaching small groups of students at the University.
Key points
• Suited to a range of practitioners including dental, nursing, midwifery or medical consultants and GPs and allied health practitioners.
• Learn from a knowledgeable and interprofessional committed team.
• Develop your understanding of the links between your professional disciplines, education and improving services for the public.
• Study with an interprofessional group of students to share and discuss your ideas in a collaborative environment.
About this course
This course is for healthcare professionals involved in a teaching or training role who want to develop their skills and expertise in clinical and educational practice. You study the teaching skills needed to support and assess learners in the workplace.
It helps you to meet your organisation's training needs, aiming to ensure better educational experiences for all staff. The healthcare educator has a lead role in developing a flexible workforce that can address future challenges in healthcare delivery. By providing a clear link to patient outcomes, educators can help to address the variation in standards of healthcare education and training currently delivered.
As a dentist, doctor or allied health professional you can demonstrate your revalidation and continuing professional development as the course is mapped to recognised professional standards.
If you are a nurse, midwife or specialist community public health nurse you can gain registration as a nurse teacher with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. If you work in higher education settings then you can also apply for fellowship with the Higher Education Academy after successfully completing the course.
You are introduced to contemporary issues in healthcare education that place the educator at the heart of service enhancement and better patient care. We explore with you your role as educational leader and interprofessional educator.
Action learning sets with your peers enable you to explore key theories and strategies and then apply them critically to your practice. You have opportunities to rehearse skills and explore a variety of learning teaching and assessment strategies. Face-to-face or online workshops allow you to explore contemporary issues and instigate new educational opportunities in your workplace.
You develop teaching and learning skills applicable to various clinical settings. You also draw on current work-based teaching and learning to strengthen links between your professional practice and educational role.
During the course you design and develop learning packages that have an evidence-based approach. You evaluate yours and others learning and teaching strategies and develop your personal teaching style, in line with your educational and specialist expertise.
Observed teaching practice is available where you teach small groups of students in the workplace or at the University. We encourage you to film your teaching practice and receive feedback on your performance. This helps inform your teaching practice and identify your strengths and weaknesses. You also develop on-going action plans to address these issues in the form of portfolios.
Both full-time and part-time students are taught alongside each other on the course. This ensures that you are part of a larger group and will be able to share ideas and discuss issues with a range of different professionals.
The distance learning route uses collaboration tools via the universities virtual learning environment Blackboard. You learn in action learning groups with your peers and use discussion forums and web portfolios to demonstrate your new knowledge.
We provide tailored support to ensure you get the most out of your course including one-to-one tutorial support. You are taught by an enthusiastic and interprofessional course team passionate about high quality education for better patient care.
Associated careers
This course helps your career path in education and clinical practice. The ability to facilitate learning in others is an essential part of professional practice in modern healthcare settings.
Students from the medical professions use this course as part of their preparation for consultant posts. The course allows you to evidence and demonstrate educational leadership.
Nurse educators use this to gain recognition with the NMC as a nurse teacher. Others choose to enhance their career as part of a higher education team providing pre-registration nursing and midwifery education.
Dental trainers have used this course to enhance their eligibility in the support of dental trainees.
Professional recognition
When you successfully complete the postgraduate certificate you may receive Higher Education Agency (HEA) accreditation, which qualifies you to teach in higher education.
If you are an allied health professional then by completing a module in year one you can gain accreditation as a practice educator
The course is mapped to AoME standards and COPDEND standards for doctors and dentists to use as evidence for continuing professional development
Course content
Postgraduate certificate
You complete two work-based learning modules related to your education practice and development that draw on the theoretical underpinning and evidence base of education theory and how this influences your education practice today.
Postgraduate diploma
You
• study and develop interprofessional learning experiences that have a direct impact on quality enhancement
• study and develop your skills and design your own materials using technology enhanced learning
• you explore the use of simulation and human factors education in your workplace
• explore your understanding or management and leadership in a workplace context
• develop your research skills and research awareness
MSc
You complete a dissertation choosing your own methodology with the support of an academic tutor.
Assessment
Includes • work based learning • conference presentations • reflections • evaluations • assignments such as creation of simulations, online learning assets, observed teaching assessments • portfolio development
Entry requirements
You must have a
• health-related professional qualification witha minimum of three years post qualifying experience and experience in working alongside students
• an honours degree or equivalent
You must have an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
Nursing and Midwifery Council registration requirements
For registration as a nurse teacher with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, you must
• be on the NMC professional register
• have a recognised qualification in a specific field of practice
• hold a mentor qualification or suitable previous experience
• an honours degree or equivalent
• have support from your employer and access to a practice assessor
Course enrolment – professional requirements
Before enrolling, you must fully declare during the admissions process any
• unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings. For further information on convictions that must be declared see the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) website.
• disciplinary proceedings during paid or voluntary employment or educational establishments
• involvement with safeguarding proceedings, social services or related organisations
You also need to complete
• a DBS Enhanced Disclosure, and provide us with a copy of your DBS Enhanced Disclosure Certificate if requested. Enrolment also depends on the DBS check being deemed suitable for professional training.
• occupational health screening to determine your suitability to undertake the course and an approved programme of immunisation, as recommended by the Department of Health. Health screening and immunisation are provided by the University.
If your personal circumstances change in relation to any of the professional requirements – from when you apply to the end of your course – you must tell the Professional Issues Team immediately by calling 0114 225 3995 or 0114 225 5786.
Fees
Home and EU students
2013/14 academic year
Full-time – typically £4,590
Part-time – typically £1,530 a stage for PgCert, PgDip and MSc stages
International students
2013/14 academic year
Typically £10,980 for the course
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,250 for the course
How to apply
Complete the application form available at www.shu.ac.uk/study/form
Contact details
For further details, please contact our Post-experience and Postgraduate Office, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB. Phone +44 (0)114 225 2373, fax +44 (0)114 225 2394 or email AlliedHealth@shu.ac.uk