Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice

Course Introduction

The Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice is an academic and clinical education training program for rural health professionals. It provides an opportunity for the health professional to develop a comprehensive knowledge and skills base to facilitate better practice in generalist and paediatric practice and has been developed specifically for rural health professionals.

The Course will provide:

A conceptual understanding of rural health practice and insight into multidisciplinary generalist and specialist approaches
Deeper understanding and knowledge of the typically developing infant, child and adolescent including some developmental variations
Communication, assessment and presentation skills in paediatrics, including working with families and multidisciplinary health professionals
Developing skills and competency in the management of selected paediatric conditions in family centred paediatric practice
Clinical placements in general and profession specific workplaces

This course will be delivered at the School of Rural Health, Shepparton, Victoria.

Who should attend?

This course is for health professionals who:

Regularly work with children and their families in a rural setting, or are preparing for this role
Want to improve their clinical management of infant, child and adolescent patients

About the School of Rural Health

Our School provides professional health education and research training in a rural context. Based at Shepparton in the Goulburn Valley, we have major nodes at Ballarat and Wangaratta and associations with nearly 40 smaller towns in rural Victoria.

We offer an exciting range of multidisciplinary opportunities for undergraduate, postgraduate students and practising health professionals.

We aim to make our students' time at the School rich in academic, social and cultural experiences, providing a real sense of the many opportunities in rural Victoria for community involvement and service.

Our success depends on support from our local community, especially the health care sector. Partnership with many agencies in the Shepparton and Ballarat regions underpin our teaching and research.

For more information visit: www.ruralhealth.unimelb.edu.au

2010 Registration

Closing date for applications is TBC 2010

Course Objectives

The course aims to enable participants to:

Improve their skills for understanding and working with paediatric patients and their families
Understand the complex nature of rural practice & the interdependence of the clinical services
Develop a sound clinical decision making process for paediatric patients
Communicate clearly and effectively with all age groups and with indigenous and ethnic populations
Be able to develop a management plan for their patients

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirements of this course are:

A Bachelor degree or equivalent in a health profession, science or social science.
Documented evidence of at least two years full-time relevant health professional work experience in a rural or paediatric environment

There are limited places in this course and in the event that there insufficient places for all applicants, a Selection Committee, chaired by the Academic Coordinator, will evaluate all applications for this course before making an offer to successful applicants. This evaluation will be based on the entry requirements, plus the applicant?s demonstrated health professional experience in a rural or paediatric environment and the relevance of the course to their current working environment.

Note: Prospective students are advised that they will be required to obtain, and pay for, both:

a Victorian Working With Children (WWC) check and
a police check prior to commencing the course.

Victoria Police (for "Police Checks in Australia" information)
Victorian Department of Justice (for "Working with Children Check? information)

Course Fee

The total cost of the course in 2010 is $6,220 (GST exempt).

Fee-Help

Fee-Help is available to Australian Citizens only. For information regarding Fee-Help, please visit the government website http://www.goingtouni.gov.au

Course Structure

To satisfy the requirements of the Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice, students must successfully complete two subjects, a total of 25 points of study.

The subjects offered are:

Rural Paediatric Theory and Context (12.5 points)
Rural Paediatric Practice (12.5 points)

Course Coordinator

Liz Williams

Senior Lecturer Physiotherapy

School of Rural Health

University of Melbourne

PO Box 6500

49 Graham Street

Shepparton, Vic 3632

T: +61 3 5823 4541

F: +61 3 5823 4555

E: e.williams@unimelb.edu.au

W: www.ruralhealth.unimelb.edu.au

Venue

The course will be delivered from the School of Rural Health at the University's Shepparton campus.

49 Graham Street

SHEPPARTON VIC 3632

Ph: 03 5823 4500

Information on the School of Rural Health and the Shepparton campus can be found at:

http://www.ruralhealth.unimelb.edu.au/

The location of clinical placements will be discussed and selected in consultation with individual students and will be based on their professional needs.

2010 Delivery Dates

TBC Semester 2, 2010 - Rural Paediatric Theory and Context

TBC Semester 2, 2010 - Rural Paediatric Practice

Note: actual dates and venues for clinical placements may be arranged individually with students. Students should discuss any requests for alternate dates with the Academic Coordinator.

Accommodation

The Shepparton Campus includes accommodation facilities for students for a nominal fee. If you would like to find out more about accommodation options, please contact the School of Rural Health directly:

http://www.ruralhealth.unimelb.edu.au/for%20students/accommodation

email: srh-info@unimelb.edu.au

Course Materials

Students will be provided with course materials for the program which will include presentations delivered throughout the course.

Libraries

The University of Melbourne holds one of the most significant academic libraries and archive collections in the southern hemisphere. It has one of the largest collections, providing three million volumes on paper and University Archives, including collections of international significance on many subjects.

Online Database

Award students will be issued a University of Melbourne email username and password. This email username and password will allow you to access an extensive online resource library via the internet. This electronic database provides reference material for assignments and is a valuable tool to assist in your study.

Please find following web address for the University of Melbourne's online resource library: http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/

For further information contact

Danielle Boardman
Project Manager

Melbourne Consulting and Custom Programs
The University of Melbourne
Level 3, 442 Auburn Road
Hawthorn, Vic 3122 Australia

T: +61 3 9810 3250
F: +61 3 9810 3149
E: rural@mccp.unimelb.edu.au
W: www.mccp.unimelb.edu.au

Application Process

New Applications are managed by the Student Services Team. Click here for the Application Form and further instructions.

The following documents must be submitted with the application form:

i. Curriculum vitae outlining your tertiary education and relevant professional experience

ii. Certified copies or original academic transcripts (for more information see Academic Transcripts)

iii. Personal statement outlining reasons for applying. Include relevance of the course to your current employment / health service needs and your career goals. Please limit statement to 500 words and provide your name at the top of the page.

Melbourne Consulting and Custom Programs

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