Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice
Course Introduction
The Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice (SCiPP) is an academic and clinical education training program for rural and community 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 and community health professionals.
The Course will provide:
- A conceptual understanding of rural and community paediatric 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 either the Echuca Regional Health Education Centre or Rural Health Academic Centre in Shepparton. Both venues are in rural Victoria and will be confirmed closer to delivery.
Who should attend?
This course is for Allied health professionals who:
- Regularly work with children and their families in a rural and community setting, or are preparing for this role
- Want to improve their clinical management of infant, child and adolescent patients
About the Rural Health Academic Centre
The Rural Health Academic Centre (RHAC) provides professional health education and research training in 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 including Echuca.
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
About University of Melbourne Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy, in the School of Health Sciences promotes excellence in learning, teaching and research, and has been recognised for both our undergraduate and post graduate programs. Students can expect dynamic and interactive learning through the structure of our academic programmes that are informed by current best clinical practise and exposure to the best teachers and clinicians.
Registration
Expression of Interest for the course can be emailed to the project manager.
The next scheduled delivery wil run in Semester One, 2013.
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 or part-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
- Victoria Police (for "Police Checks in Australia" information)
Victorian Department of Justice (for "Working with Children Check" information)
This paperwork must be obtained and certified copies sent to the University of Melbourne prior to week one delivery.
Course Fee
The total cost of the course is $6,800 (GST exempt). This may increase for the 2013 delivery.
Scholarships
Through the generous support of the Joanne Tubb Foundation, a part scholarship of $3000 is available to one Physiotherapist who meets the relevant selection criterion.
For further information on scholarship eligibility and the application process please refer to the JTF scholarship information pack.
A number of scholarships are available through the Nursing and Allied Health Support Scheme (NAHSSS). The NAHSSS Scholarship scheme covers two separate components, Nursing and Allied Health. NAHSSS is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
The Nursing component is administered through the Royal College of Nursing (RCNA) with more information available on the RCNA website.
The Allied Health component is administered through Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) with more information available on the SARRAH website. SARRAH Scholarships are now open, closing date is generally late October.
Scholarship funding may also be available through the Victorian Healthcare Association. More information can be found on the VHA website.
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
Lecturer Physiotherapy
School of Rural Health
University of Melbourne
PO Box 6500
49 Graham Street
Shepparton, Vic 3632
T: +61 (0)419 309 724
F: +61 3 5823 4555
W: www.ruralhealth.unimelb.edu.au
Venue
The course will be delivered at the Echuca Regional Health Education Centre at the Echuca Regional Hospital.
The location of clinical placements will be discussed and selected in consultation with individual students and will be based on their professional needs.
2013 Delivery Dates
Semester 1, 2012
-
Rural Paediatric Theory and Context (PAED90024)
Yet to be set
Semester 2, 2012
-
Rural Paediatric Practice (PAED90025)
Yet to be set
Note: actual dates and venues for clinical placements may be arranged individually with students enrolled in PAED90025 Rural Paediatric Practice. Students should discuss any requests for alternate dates with the Academic Coordinator.
Accommodation
Student accommodation may be available at Echuca Regional Health Education Centre for a nominal fee. This is subject to availability. Please contact the project manager to discuss further.
Course Materials
All week one course material, which will include presentations delivered throughout the course, will be provided on day one of delivery.
Post delivery, students may be required to download reading material from an online learning system.
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 below the University of Melbourne's online resource library: http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/
For further information contact
Sharnee Chislett
Project Manager
University of Melbourne Commercial
The University of Melbourne
Level 3, 442 Auburn Road
Hawthorn, Vic 3122 Australia
T: +61 3 9810 3146
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, supported by 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.