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Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Human Factors in Patient Safety

Masters (MSc.) in Human Factors in Patient Safety
Improve the safety and quality of patient care

The Masters (MSc) in Human Factors in Patient Safety is a unique Masters programme for healthcare professionals who are responsible for the care of acute hospital patients. The programme is relevant to all healthcare professionals including, Surgeons, Emergency Medicine Physicians, Anaesthetists, Obstetricians, Radiologists, Acute Care Nurses, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Radiographers, Social Workers, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, other allied health care professionals, quality managers and others with responsibility for patient safety.

Accredited by the National University of Ireland (NUI) and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), this qualification is positioned at Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications. The MSc is designed to expand participants' knowledge of error, risk and safety in healthcare, to advance their personal and interpersonal skills and to develop their practical skills and expertise to drive safety initiatives and quality improvement in the acute hospital setting. Using state-of-the-art training and simulation facilities participants will enhance their professional profile with a programme that is unique and extremely relevant to healthcare in the 21st century.

Course content
The programme is designed to suit the busy schedules of all health professionals. It is delivered over two-years and is a part-time programme of study of blended learning - online and face-to-face. Students attend RCSI for face-to-face teaching for three days per module, structured as one full day per month. This is supplemented with online content and individual/ group-based learning activities. The Research Methods module, offered in Year 2, involves a 5 day workshop plus online content.

There are five taught modules which are delivered by experts in human factors in patient safety plus a research dissertation. Taught modules are:
1.Error and Safety in Surgical Healthcare
2.Personal Effectiveness and Non-Technical Skills
3.Leadership of Process and Quality Improvement
4.Professionalism and Advanced Communication
5.Research Methods

Participants can exit with a Postgraduate Certificate following the successful completion of 30 credits, and with a Postgraduate Diploma following the successful completion of 60 credits.

Formative assessment will include participation in classroom activities and group work. Summative assessment will involve:
•A 2,000 word written assignment per module.
•Participation in a group project and presentation, per module.
•A 300 word submission to a weekly discussion forum, (6-8) per module.

For those progressing to the Masters programme a research protocol, a literature review and a publication-ready research article will be submitted for assessment.

Entry requirements

Entry criteria and application
This is an inter-professional programme. The course is open to healthcare professionals involved in the care of acute patients in a hospital setting. This includes: Consultant Surgeons, Emergency Medicine Physicians, Anaesthetists, Obstetricians, Radiologists, Acute Care Nurses, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Radiographers, Social Workers, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, other allied health care professionals and quality managers.

Candidates must hold either:
1.An MB and be registered with the Irish Medical Council or the General Medical Council in the UK, or;
2.A primary degree in a health sciences field with a qualification achieved at the level of 2.2 Honours.

All candidates must have evidence of two years' work experience in acute hospital care and must be currently working in the acute hospital setting and involved in the care of surgical patients.

Before accessing the online application system it is important that you read the instruction guide for users, privacy statement and terms of use.

Duration

Course length: Two years, part-time
Mode of attendance: Blended learning online and face-to-face

Further enquiries

Please direct any enquiries about online applications to: emerpyke@rcsi.ie

Subjects taught

The Masters in Human Factors in Patient Safety is a two-year part-time programme of study. There are seven modules of study including a research dissertation. Students will complete 3x12 week modules in year one and 3x12 week modules in year two. In addition students will undertake a Research Methods module and submit a research proposal for approval before commencing their research dissertation, which will consist of a submission-ready journal article for a suitable journal. The MSc. can be completed in two years but must be completed within five years of commencement.

Students may opt for the following exits:

The Postgraduate Certificate: 30 ECTS credits

Students may exit following successful completion of year one modules with a RCSI/NUI Certificate in Human Factors in Patient Safety.

The Postgraduate Diploma: 60 ECTS credits

Students may exit following the successful completion of six modules with a RCSI/NUI Postgraduate Diploma in Human Factors in Patient Safety.

Mode of study

The course is part-time and is delivered via face-to-face and online teaching modalities. The course is structured into 3x12 week terms, one module is taught per term. Students will attend RCSI for face-to-face teaching for three days per module structured as one full day per month. This will be supplemented with online content and individual and group based learning activities. Students undertaking the Masters programme are required to undertake a research methods module involving face-to-face and online instruction.

How is the programme assessed?

Formative assessment will include participation in classroom activities and group work. Summative assessment will involve

A 2,000 word written assignment per module.

Participation in a group project and presentation, per module.

A 300 word submission to a weekly discussion forum.

For those progressing to the Masters programme a research protocol and a research thesis will be submitted for assessment.

Application date

Applications for the MSc in Human Factors in Patient Safety, must be made through the online application link.

Please note that candidates must have four years of experience caring for surgical patients in acute hospital settings and be currently employed in the Irish hospital system.

Please ensure to attach the following supporting documents with your application:

A recent passport-sized photograph

A scanned copy of the award certificates for all relevant third level qualifications listed in the online application.

A scanned copy of the award certificates for all other relevant professional qualifications listed in the online application.

A scanned copy of your curriculum vitae or résumé.

A personal statement (between 800 to 1,000 words in length) outlining your reasons for applying to this course and your knowledge and interest in Human Factors in Healthcare.

Proof of your current employment. Please upload a scanned copy of a letter signed by your current employer or with a recognised stamp from the HR department in your hospital on headed paper stating your current employment status, your job title and the date of commencement of your employment. If you have worked in more than one hospital in the last four years you will require multiple letters or if you have been on a training programme, which meant that you worked in different hospitals, please upload a stamped letter on headed paper from the training body to indicate this.

Before accessing the online application system it is important that you read the instruction guide for users, privacy statement and terms of use.

Please direct any enquiries about online applications to: humanfactors@rcsi.ie

Course fee

The current fee is 12,500 for the Masters programme. This equates to 5,000 per annum for year one and two plus 2,500 to complete the Masters (MSc.) programme. The balance of the annual fee may be paid in two installments. The first installment of fees must be paid prior to registration. A non-refundable deposit of 500 is required within two weeks of acceptance of a place on the programme. This deposit will be deducted from the overall fee.

Students who are being sponsored or part funded by their employer should complete a sponsorship form and submit it to the administration office.

Students with outstanding fees at the end of the year will not have grades brought forward to the Examination Board and will not be permitted to progress or graduate.

Year 1 Postgraduate Certificate 5,000
Year 2 Postgraduate Diploma 5,000
Masters (MSc.) 2,500