Health Professions' Education - Online

Course Outline
Our Postgraduate Certificate in Health Professions' Education is a part-time, fully online programme. It is designed to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to be effective educators. Students who have completed the PG Certificate and wish to further their education and development in the area of Health Professions' Education can progress to the Postgraduate Diploma and subsequently the Masters in Health Professions' Education (MSc) also offered by the School of Medicine.

Postgraduate Certificate
The Postgraduate Certificate, delivered entirely online, consisting of 3 x 10-credit modules, introduces the student to the theory behind delivering education to health professionals and develops knowledge of teaching, assessment, feedback and instructional design.

Students who complete the PG Certificate may progress to the PG Diploma (additional 3 x 10-credit modules) which builds on the knowledge base gained in the PG Certificate with emphasis on professional development, advanced methods for teaching and assessment as well as the management and development of academic programmes in Health Professions' Education (HPE).

Why Choose This Course
Our UCC Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Health Professions' Education are designed for busy healthcare professionals, including those working full time, who want flexible access to learning. UCC has a strong tradition in the education of educators and the Medical Education Unit is specifically dedicated to the development of teachers in the health professions. The course team includes faculty from the Medical Education Unit, the Schools of Nursing & Midwifery and Pharmacy, and the Department of General Practice who have a broad range of experience and expertise in the area.

The Postgraduate Certificate comprises 3 online modules:

MH6020 Teaching, Assessment and Feedback: Teaching and Learning in Health Professions' Education I (10 credits)
MH6021 Theory in Health Professions' Education (10 credits)
MH6022 Instructional Design: Teaching and Learning in Health Professions' Education II (10 credits
Postgraduate Diploma

The Postgraduate Diploma is delivered primarily online with a campus-based component (requiring attendance in UCC) of approximately 4 days. Students complete a further 3 x 10-credit modules from the following list:

MH6023 Scholarship and Professional Development in Health Professions' Education (10 credits)
MH6024 Advanced Assessment in Health Professions' Education (10 credits)
MH6025 Leadership and Academic Programme Development (10 credits)
MH6021 Online and Simulation-based Approaches to Health Professions' Education (10 credits)

On successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma (including module MH6023), students may progress to the Masters in Health Professions' Education.

Masters
In addition to 60 credits from the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma, students complete a research dissertation (MH6027) to the value of 30 credits. Successful completion of MH6023 is essential for those wishing to progress to the Masters in Health Professions' Education. The MSc can be completed in the same year as the Postgraduate Diploma.

In accordance with UCC's Policy for Recognition of Prior Learning, students who have completed relevant university postgraduate modules in a cognate area at a similar NFQ level may apply for exemptions for modules taken within the last five years.

See the University Calendar (Certificate/Diploma HPE) for further course and module content.

Modules
Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our book of modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar
You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

Requirements
Candidates must have the following:

- An undergraduate degree (NFQ 8) or equivalent qualification in an appropriate healthcare-related subject, such as (but not restricted to) medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, psychology, social science;

- Access to teaching opportunities to allow completion of compulsory assignments;

- Applicants who do not meet these requirements may also be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) on a case by case basis following a review of their individual qualifications and experience by the programme board.

Technical Requirements
To access and interact with the course content, assignments and assessments etc., students will require access to a PC/Laptop running at least Windows 7 or later or a recent version of Mac OSX. Common plug-ins such as Microsoft Silverlight, Java and Flash will also be required. Students must have access to MS Office or an equivalent suite of applications such as Open Office.

Students must also have access to a modern standards-compliant web browser. UCC recommends either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. A minimum of 1MB download speed and 500KB upload speed is required. To engage productively and successfully with the content, basic technical computer skills such as familiarity with word processing, web browsing and email is recommended.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland:
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, please find our grades comparison by country here.

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.

How Do I Apply

1. Choose Course
Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to two courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online
Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a non-refundable €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

3. Gather Supporting Documents
Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

- Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC

- Any supplementary items requested for your course.

Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline
Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details.

5. Rounds
For courses that are in the rounds system (Irish and EU applicants), please check the rounds closing dates.

Questions on how to apply?
Please use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning, and professional training relevant to this programme.

Students accepted on the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Professions' Education are required to have access to teaching opportunities to allow the completion of compulsory assignments. Please download and upload a signed copy of the Health Professions' Education - Confirmation of Opportunities to Teach doc to confirm that you will have access to teaching opportunities.

Those who have previously completed the PG Cert or PG Dip in Health Professions' Education and wish to progress to the PG Dip or MSc in Health Professions' Education should email Dr Catherine Sweeney c.sweeney@ucc.ie with an expression of interest before May 31st, 2022.

1 year part-time Online.

Start Date: 7 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
What can I do after I graduate with a qualification in Health Professions' Education?

The Postgraduate Certificate will provide you with the knowledge and skills to to be an effective educator. The Postgraduate Diploma will allow you to develop yourself in the areas of scholarship and leadership in HPE. Completion of the Masters programme will give you:

• Critical skills to evaluate education methods and courses, and the evidence base for current practices in HPE;
• Knowledge of the theoretical and practical aspects of key topics required to be a health professions' educator;
• Knowledge and skills required to design, undertake and evaluate research in HPE;
• Skills to act as a leader and innovator in HPE.
• NURSES, Please note: Successful completion of this MSc does not provide a recognised NMBI Nurse Tutor qualification.

Occupations associated with Health Professions' Education
Occupations include but are not limited to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychology and social care professionals.

What are our graduates doing?
The programme is relevant to individuals involved or interested in teaching in clinical or academic settings. In addition, it is relevant to those working in postgraduate training bodies. Graduates could utilise knowledge and skills acquired in this course for teaching, research, and leadership roles relating to Health Professions' Education in any of these settings.