9 months of self-guided learning leading to an RCPI Professional Diploma in Geriatric Medicine

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About this diploma

The Professional Diploma in Geriatric Medicine, delivered in collaboration with iheed, is a 9-month online learning programme designed specifically to provide a supportive, richly informative, and accessible educational opportunity for healthcare professionals wishing to upskill or refresh their understanding of how common geriatric conditions present and are managed.

According to WHO data, the number and proportion of people aged 60 years and older in the population is increasing. This means that there is a fast-growing need for healthcare staff to have relevant up-to-date training and knowledge within care for older people to meet the needs of an ageing society.

This programme reviews a wide range of issues affecting older people and covers clinical and non-clinical challenges faced as the global population ages. The expanding role of the multidisciplinary team and the importance of expert communication and teamwork between clinicians across clinical sites and settings is emphasised throughout this programme.

 The programme aims to develop clinically focused diagnostic skills using interactive patient cases and allows for opportunities to practice and develop diagnostic skills in a highly engaging format. It enhances the skills required to identify important clinical features to develop a diagnosis and formulate effective management plans for patients, while emphasising a patient-centred approach to clinical decision making in caring for the older person.

Drawing on the expertise of national and international experts in geriatric care, this programme provides learners with advanced knowledge and skills to ensure patients live a fulfilled later life.

Who is this programme aimed at?

 This programme is aimed at healthcare professionals holding a clinical bachelor qualification from a recognised institution.

Programme entry requirements:

Applicants must:

• Be a qualified doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or physiotherapist
• Have attained an honours clinical degree or equivalent from a recognised institution
• Provide evidence of proficiency in the English language

What you will learn

This programme covers a wide range of topics in medicine for the older person, such as ageing and the individual and society, frailty, bone health, brain health, syncope, rehabilitation, long-term care, palliative care, ethics, care planning.

These will be covered across three modules; Module 1: Aging and frailty, Module 2: Neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders, and Module 3: Rehabilitation and community care.

On completion of this programme, you will be able to:

• Apply current international evidence and best-practice principles in the treatment and management of concurrent physical and cognitive conditions in acute, primary care and community care settings, employing both multi and intra-disciplinary models of care
• Explain the management of chronic diseases in the older person
• Communicate effectively with the older patient and their families
• Identify risks and consequences of falls and syncope
• Explain the diagnosis and management/care pathways of stroke and other neurological disorders
• Describe the common psychiatric and behavioural issues that present in older age
• Explain rehabilitation, end of life care, palliative medicine, safeguarding against abuse and the legal aspects of caring for older people
• Design an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) age friendly healthcare system

What to expect

Programme duration: 9 months

The programme is delivered via a blend of self-directed learning with tutor-led team-based learning. The programme learning material has been designed by RCPI and a team of leading experts and specialists and is delivered online by iheed.

Throughout the programme, you will engage in:

• •Online self-guided content
• •Weekly online live tutorials
• •Tutor-moderated discussion forums
• •Interactive case studies
• •Refective exercises
• •Online assessments

On successful completion of the full programme, you will be awarded a Professional Diploma in Geriatric Medicine by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

Programme benefits

• Graduates receive a diploma from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
• Graduates are tutored by internationally renowned experts in geriatrics
• Designed and delivered by world-leading experts in geriatrics
• No need to take time away from work or travel to a classroom
• Weekly interactive online tutorials with our expert faculty
• Available anytime, anywhere, on any device

About iheed

iheed is a division of Cambridge Education Group and is headquartered in Dublin. iheed is a successful medical education technology organisation that partners with medical universities and postgraduate training bodies to reach doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals all around the world. It delivers postgraduate medical qualifications for healthcare professionals that improve their ability to deliver healthcare while enhancing their career prospects and global mobility.

How to register your interest

To register your interest, please contact iheed at geriatricmedicine@iheed.org