Faculty of Health

In an increasingly aging population, issues surrounding the care of patients who are dying or terminally ill are affecting different groups of healthcare professionals. These multidisciplinary team members may be working across old professional boundaries and finding themselves in new situations requiring them to reflect and build on their existing
knowledge, skills and attitudes. Not all patients die in hospitals or hospices and with an increasing drive towards 'care closer to home' there is a need for educational opportunities for relatively isolated practitioners who may not have access to specialist palliative care teams.  

The emphasis of this course is to stretch participants – to develop further, scholarly knowledge and competence over and above important clinical and professional teaching.
Participants will be in a training programme such as the Consultants with a Special Interest (CwaSI) programme run by the West Midlands Deanery. The teaching and clinical practice that is accredited through this award will be provided within the Deanery Programme, not by Keele.

The academic programme will allow participants to:
1. Demonstrate how they have reflected on their clinical experiences and teaching opportunities to extend the breadth and depth of learning.
2. Demonstrate a proactive approach to planning and consolidating learning activities.
3. Show how they have synthesised all sources of learning and transferred this into their professional practice to impact on patient care.

Students must be a graduate healthcare professional or equivalent, in active practice or eligible to be so, with access to patient care settings.

The taught component is delivered by both clinicians and academic teaching staff in the workplace. The added element for students enrolling on this award will be a private study, reflective learning component to the existing teaching and learning activities without requiring any more time out of practice.

Additional study skills support and some teaching will be given in small groups, with one or two facilitators. Most teaching is based on interactive small group methods, interspersed with practical tasks. Students are asked to contribute their own views and experiences, either informally during group discussions or by giving short presentations to the group.

Learning activities will be based around the design, implementation and evaluation of a practice-based service improvement project. A programme of masterclasses, case based discussions in action learning sets, attendance at ward rounds, clinics and multidisciplinary meetings as appropriate to help support and develop project ideas will be augmented by private study, and an emphasis on wider reading including the humanities literature.

Assessment of this module is by portfolio. This will be a personal document, exhibiting variation in form and content. It will include as a minimum: a report reflecting on the teaching programme as a reflective journal including evidence of reading; significant events and critical incidents in practice; evidence of peer discussions and involvement in teamwork which may be based around case reviews.

This may be organised under the headings of good medical practice to assist in preparation for appraisal and revalidation. Participants are free to submit elements from all aspects of their role in end of life care.