Postgraduate Taught

This award has been designed to facilitate the learning of the generic skills and knowledge essential to successful higher clinical practice. The emphasis is on the health needs of older people, the way services are developed and delivered as well as the present state of knowledge about the management of disease in later life.  The tutorial staff comprises geriatricians and other practitioners, academics from other relevant Schools at Keele and outside experts.

The Geriatric Medicine Group forms part of the Institute of Ageing within the Institute for Life Course Studies. The group’s research focuses on stroke, dementia and other diseases of later life, as well as the social construction of ageing from a critical perspective. There is expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and there are a number of full and part-time research students.

The course is aimed at both medical practitioners and non-medical entrants. Specialist registrars and staff grades will normally require 3 years post-qualification relevant clinical experience. Non-medical entrants must have a first or second class honours degree and/or other professional qualification acceptable to the University together with at least 3 years’ clinical experience in their own discipline.

This is a modular part-time programme, designed to meet the needs of full-time health professionals, able to take study leave in short blocks of five days. Regional training committees recommend the course to specialist trainees because of the breadth of subjects studied and the combination of taught components and a dissertation.

Each module is given a credit rating within the national Masters framework. These may be transferable from or to other institutions where the learning outcomes are comparable.

• Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Science: 60 credits 
• Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Science: 120 credits
• Masters in Medical Science: total 180 credits

(The Masters Degree must be completed within five years of registration, the Diploma within four years and the Certificate within three years. It will be possible to complete a Masters Degree in Medical Science in two years.)

There are a number of core modules and then a wide range of modules that are optional. We have designed the award to be as flexible as possible, including enabling students to study some modules from other Keele awards. This award has been mapped against the revised Good Medical Practice from the General Medical Council.

Each module consists of a mixture of different types of delivery, with some online learning and some face-to-face blocks of teaching, utilising a mixture of seminars, group work and short lectures.  Each module has a designated leader assisted by course lecturers, drawing on the teaching and research expertise of staff within Postgraduate Medicine and in the Centre for Social Gerontology and Institute of Ageing.

Course Modules

Core Modules (each 15 credits)

• Clinical Geriatric Medicine 1

• Clinical Geriatric Medicine 2

• Ageing Societies 1*

• Policies for Ageing Societies 1*

• Research Methods

Optional Modules (each 15 credits)

• Ageing Societies 2*

• Policies for Ageing Societies 2*

• Research Methods (Ageing Societies)

• Communication Skills for Health Professionals in Clinical Practice

• Contemporary Challenges in Healthcare Ethics and Law

• Medical Education

• Clinical Effectiveness

• Health Services Management

• Statistics and Epidemiology

• Rational Prescribing – Theory and Practice

• Reflective Practice

• Teaching Ethics and Professionalism

• Ethical Values in Health Policy

* Modules housed in School of Public Policy and Professional Practice, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Assessment is designed to demonstrate a balance between an understanding of theoretical approaches and their application to the practical situations likely to be encountered in the normal work environment. Evaluation of progress is by continuous assessment, although the methods used will vary between modules and will include a written assignment, a written research proposal, a written report and a clinical audit. The research-based dissertation is for a maximum of 20,000 words. The pass mark for all modules, including the dissertation, is 50%.