Study at Cardiff | Postgraduate

Pain Management (MSc/PgDip/PgCert)

Course Aims

The MSc Degree in Pain Management is an interprofessional, e-Learning course intended for health care professionals who want to specialise in the field of pain management. It is also aimed at educationalists to provide the appropriate knowledge and expertise on pain to teach others from various disciplines.

The course is designed to achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Develop a critical approach to pain management in the health setting
• Integrate knowledge of pain from different discipline areas such as the biological, psychological, sociological, pharmacological sciences
• Challenge traditional approaches to conceptualising pain
• Challenge traditional treatments regarding pain
• Develop a multidisciplinary knowledge based on pain
• Encourage research activity to both consolidate and extend current theories, approaches and treatments regarding pain

Special Features

• Inter-professional plus e-Learning
• The first PgDip/MSc in Pain Management course to be developed
• Emphasis on a biopsychosocial approach
• Pathways for primary, secondary and tertiary care
• A new primary care pathway is available within the MSc Pain Management to reflect the move of chronic pain services closer to peoples’ homes and this is facilitated and managed by an inter-professional, expert primary care faculty including leading GPs with a Special Interest in pain within the UK

Course Description

Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon and as such needs to be managed through multidisciplinary initiatives. These initiatives must be based on specialist knowledge, rigorous research and an advanced understanding of the physiological and behavioural concepts involved.

The course is an e-Learning, interprofessional course. The taught component introduces the student to the multifaceted nature of caring for patients who have pain. The modules provide the student with the ability to understand the biopsychosocial aspects of pain and to evaluate the various approaches to assessing and managing patients in pain. Professional issues, including clinical governance and inter-professional practice, will be covered.

There are pathways available to suit the needs of primary, secondary and tertiary care professionals.

Some of the modules are core; others allow student choice. E-Learning assessment strategies enable students to focus on their areas of interest and are structured to allow students to evaluate the topic in relation to their practice and professional base.

Approximately forty places are offered each year and the majority of students are self-funded, though some obtain awards from charities and trusts. The course takes two years to complete inclusive of the dissertation component (9 months for the Postgraduate Certificate level; 9 months for the Postgraduate Diploma level and a further six months for the dissertation stage) spanning just over two academic years.

There are no residential components in this course as it is purely e-Learning - so there is no requirement to travel to Cardiff for course purposes. In order to undertake the course the applicant must have constant and reliable internet access (preferably broadband) and have basic computer literacy skills. The IT knowledge or ability required to undertake the course is by no means advanced but applicants must be comfortable with using the internet and Microsoft Word at a basic level and with this method of learning (e-Learning).

Students will access the modules through the medium of Learning Central which is Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment (or VLE) which delivers the course materials. This is accessible via all forms of computer (desk top / lap top / tablet), smart phones and iPads; via a dedicated Learning Central application (downloadable from the Apple App. Store).

Course Structure

Students will access the modules through the medium of Learning Central which is Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment (or VLE) which delivers the course materials. This is accessible via all forms of computer (desk top / lap top / tablet), smart phones.

Approximately 10-15 hours per week required on independent learning and assessment. As the programme is purely e-Learning there are no direct contact hours with the programme team. To support students in their learning, the course team are available 09.00-17.00 Monday-Friday (excluding certain holiday periods) and we guarantee to respond to student queries within two working days.

Assessment

Students will be expected to submit and pass:

• Three modular assessments for the Postgraduate Certificate:
• A further three modular assessments for the Postgraduate Diploma:
• Successful completion of the Diploma and a 20,000-word dissertation for the Master of Science Degree.

Available Modules

• Module 1: Research, Statistics and Evidence Based Practice
• Module 2: Biopsychosocial Principles in Pain Management
• Module 3:Fundamentals of Pain Management
• Module 4: Patient Case Study – Options
• Module 5: Clinical Management – Options
• Module 6: Professional Issues – Options
• Module 7: DISSERTATION

Entry Requirements

Suitable for healthcare professionals with an interest or practice base in acute, chronic and palliative pain management.

Suitable applicants should also:

• Hold a UK higher education qualification, minimum of a BSc (Hons) or BA (Hons) grade 2:2 or above, from a UK institution with relevant degree awarding powers as detailed by the Department of Education and Skills;
• OR Hold a non-UK qualification equivalent to CQFW credit level 6 or above as defined and detailed by the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (NARIC);
• OR Be able to demonstrate equivalent skills that are sufficient to meet the demands of the programme of study in question and be approved as such by the Head of School;
• AND have held for a minimum of two years a position of responsibility of relevance to the proposed programme, i.e. have been a qualified health care professional for a minimum of two years before entry into the programme;
• AND satisfy any applicable University language competency requirements as detailed in the Cardiff University Senate regulations – please see the Cardiff University website Senate Regulations for further detail (briefly detailed below).

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PLEASE NOTE: all students enrolling for this programme must be in relevant paid employment, i.e. in a relevant clinical area. If you are unsure of the required detail of this specification please contact the programme team for advice.

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English language requirements

Applicants must satisfy the Cardiff University General Entrance Requirements including the English Language requirements*.

*Applicants who do not meet the qualification criteria listed under the English language requirements in the above link should contact the course team to discuss whether alternative evidence of English language competence may be sufficient (e.g. evidence of successful completion of a first or subsequent degree entirely in the medium of English, for a minimum of one year).

Please note: Students should have taken either the TOEFL or the IETLS no more than two years before the proposed date of entry to the University. For more information, please visit the English Language Programmes website.

There is no formal application deadline, however it is advised that applications are submitted before the end of July in the year of entry (e.g. 31 July 2013).

Available Funding

There are limited scholarships available for international/overseas students through the International Office. Please refer to the information on this page for further detail.

Foundation in Primary Care Management - Stand Alone Module

A stand alone 20 credit module for GPs and Pharmacists with a special interest in pain and primary and community health care professionals will be available for entry on two occasions in the 2012/13 academic year. This module costs an additional £800. Please see the module page for more information.

Next intake: September 2013

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