Clinical Education PDip

Course Overview

This Online-Course is ineligible for student study visa or ILEP, but international students may undertake this programme remotely.

The Diploma and Masters in Clinical Education have been designed to equip all health professionals, regardless of disciplinary background, with the knowledge and skills required to be effective clinical educators. When the courses commenced in 2005 they were the first multidisciplinary programmes for clinical education in Ireland, and among the first worldwide. Over the intervening number of years, the programmes have grown, developed and evolved to continue to help participants to become effective clinical supervisors and motivators of student learning in various roles, disciplines and settings, both nationally and internationally. The Diploma and Masters programmes are delivered entirely online, thus making it possible for applicants in full-time work, based in Ireland or abroad, to participate.

The Diploma Course:
The Diploma in Clinical Education is a Level 8 course designed for health professionals who are interested in devoting a dedicating part of their working life to teaching and learning. The diploma qualification requires you to complete six modules comprising four core modules which cover the essence of clinical education and two optional modules that you can select from a suite of seven optional modules. The diploma may be completed over one academic year from September to June, or over two academic years, whereby students take three modules in the first year and three modules in the second year.

The Masters Course:
The Masters in Clinical Education is a one-year Level 9 course designed to support health professionals who are interested in taking on leadership or scholarship roles within health professions education. NB. Applicants need to complete the Diploma in Clinical Education course before being deemed eligible to apply for the Masters course. Alternatively applicants can present evidence or recognition of prior learning of having achieved a graduate diploma level qualification in a programme dedicated to health professions education, taken elsewhere.

(Note: the programs have been designed to fit in with the working and home life of candidates who are in full-time employment

Continuous Professional Development (CPD
Students are provided with a certificate of participation for course component modules which they can present to their individual professional training and regulatory bodies as proof of engagement with external Continuous Professional Development.

For more information on the course content download our Clinical Education handbook.

What makes this course unique ...

• We were one of the first Masters in Clinical Education established anywhere in the world and are focused largely on supporting health professional educators who teach in clinical settings.
• Whilst our courses are delivered wholly online, we are unique in offering teaching skills workshops, (also online develop teaching skills, not just educational knowledge.
• Diploma and Masters courses in clinical education have provided a vital step in the advancement of many of our past students into careers as senior clinician educators, academics and educational leaders in their professional disciplines

Scholarships available
Find out about our Postgraduate Scholarships here.

The Diploma and Masters in Clinical Education are long established and popular courses in health professions education. We have ceased to offer the Certificate in Clinical Education option because all of our applicants change to the full Diploma once the programme had started. We have therefore ceased taking applications for the certificate program. Thus, please ignore any reference to a Certificate in Clinical Education in the hard-copy or soft-copy prospectus.

Applicants must be registered healthcare professionals with at least two years’ post-registration experience and be actively involved in clinical education. General computer literacy is essential as parts of the programme are delivered via distance-learning. In addition, for the Master’s, at least 60% in the PDip in Clinical Education or equivalent is required. Selection is based on ability/opportunity to apply learning to your daily work, relevant experience and academic record.

Educational benefits

This course will help you to design, implement and evaluate effective learning in your clinical discipline. As part of the programme you will study:

• teaching small and large groups
• giving constructive feedback
• using questions appropriately
• assessment design and implementation
• individual and group supervision techniques
• designing and managing effective continuing professional development
• self-evaluation

The course is founded on a practical application of the essential psychological and sociological theories in education and is also suitable for those who teach in classroom or simulated settings.

Career opportunities

Our clinical education focus leads to major changes in how you will be able to facilitate the learning and development of your students in clinical settings. You will know more about how learners learn, how to create safe and effective learning environments, how to assess learners and how to support their professional development. These courses will help you create new pedagogical approaches and improve the clinical education experience for learners. The Masters Programme represents an opportunity to develop an area of specialist expertise, as well as answer research questions of importance to Irish healthcare education. Our unique 4,000-word 'ready-for-publication' thesis design increases the likelihood of publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Personal and professional development

The genuinely multidisciplinary nature of the programme allows students to cultivate educational liaisons with other healthcare practitioners involved in education, both within their own professional discipline and other disciplines. Students enjoy expert leadership and mentorship from tutors with experience in diverse professional and educational fields throughout the programmes, with the possibility of engagement with a wide-reaching programme alumni network beyond graduation.