Medico-Legal Aspects of Healthcare

The course will provide training for clinical and managerial healthcare professionals and lawyers involved in the medico-legal aspects of healthcare and in the areas of clinical risk management - leading to the award of a Professional Certificate in Medico-legal Aspects of Healthcare. This is an appropriate qualification for professionals practising in the medico-legal fields of healthcare, clinical risk management and patient safety in addition to, or as part of, their work.



The skills learned will provide the basis for participation in claims for healthcare and legal professionals and clinical risk management, risk management and patient safety committees and for further training as a risk / patient safety advisor/manager. The knowledge acquired will be applied to the improvement of patient safety and care, to the prevention and management of legal claims and to healthcare delivery in general. The qualification may also be suitable to those in the fields of claims management and those specialising in healthcare law.

Stage 1 Core Modules

FLME40040 Risk Management and Quality: Semester 1 Taught (SMED40040) Autumn 15

Eligibility criteria:

- Doctors, nurses, dentists, physiotherapists and radiographers must have a minimum of three years’ post qualification experience.

- Other healthcare personnel and professionals must have a basic qualification in one of the health sciences or hold such other qualifications as approved by the School of Medicine and Medical Science and have a minimum of three years’ clinical or healthcare managerial experience or other relevant experience.

- Anyone outside this criteria will be considered on an individual basis by examining qualifications, work experience and suitability



You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

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Teaching, learning Assessment Approach


The Teaching approach is to utilise substantive, case-study and an interactive style to learning with as practical as possible input from lecturers who are specifically required to draw from their professional expertise in the fields of litigation, claims handling and other areas of medical law and ethics.


Learning is acquired through open discussion of professional topics, case study analysis and also on-line interaction and discussion boards.


Examinations


The Professional Certificate consists of 1 Module of 15 ECTS.


The teaching is combined with 3 assessments: (I) an on-line / essay-type project (II) a Group Presentation and (III) an end of module written exam designed to ensure the acquiring of knowledge of the core medico-legal issues discussed in the programme.


Students must pass the module to be eligible for entry onto the Graduate Diploma in Healthcare (Risk Management and Quality), if they wish to transfer / continue to the Diploma programme. Students who successfully complete the Diploma, are eligible for entry onto the MSc in Healthcare (Risk Management and Quality) programme (which is by competitive entry only).


Otherwise, a default exit option exists for students who enter the Professional Certificate and successfully complete this module but do not wish to continue to the Graduate Diploma Programme, in which case students are eligible for the award of the Professional Certificate in Medico-legal Aspects of Healthcare.


This Module is Assessed in 3 Stages during the term (September to December):

By an online essay / exercise in term;

By a Group Oral Presentation;

By Written exam in December.

4 Months part-time.

Delivery: On Campus

X673 Medico-Legal Aspects of Healthcare Professional Certificate Part-Time

Commencing September 2025

Graduate Taught