Postgraduate: Course rule and topic information

Master of Palliative Care

(MPallC)

Program of Study

INTRODUCTION

The Master of Palliative Care is a 54-unit coursework program which is offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences on a Commonwealth Supported basis.

The course articulates with Graduate Certificate in Health (Palliative Care); Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Palliative Care; Graduate Certificate: Palliative Care in Aged Care; Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care; Graduate Diploma: Palliative Care in Aged Care; Master of Palliative Care in Aged Care; Master of Science (Palliative Care); and the sequentially developed topics allow progression through the awards.

Students who hold the graduate certificate or graduate diploma receive credit for topics already taken.

The course comprises three streams:

• Stream A - Master of Palliative Care by coursework and practicum
• Stream B - Master of Palliative Care by coursework and research project
• Stream C - Master of Palliative Care by research thesis

The research methods topic component of each stream increases incrementally: 6 units in Stream A; 12 units in Stream B; and 18 units in Stream C.

COURSE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Master of Palliative Care is a coursework degree designed for professionals who are working in the area of palliative and supportive care. It aims to deepen and extend the knowledge and skills that are required and to provide an opportunity for students to reflect critically on their practice in the light of current evidence and of the experience of other students and faculty.

This broad aim is achieved through the following:

• catering primarily for professionals, the course provides the opportunity to build a knowledge base to improve their care for people living with a life limiting illness;
• encouraging professional carers from a wide variety of backgrounds to enter the course and study together, to improve the communication between and understanding of one another's skills and knowledge;
• utilising a range of lecturers and discipline backgrounds, to challenge students to be more creative in their practice;
• providing opportunities for students to critique their own and others' practice, to develop practitioners who will have the skills and knowledge to change palliative care in line with changes in society and medicine; and
• providing further education to students who have completed the graduate certificate and who intend to continue to develop in palliative care.

At the completion of this course, students will have:

• further developed their knowledge and skills in palliative care theory and practice;
• critically reflected on their own practice;
• applied theory to practice;
• critically appraised theory, research and professional literature;
• written a piece of independent intellectual work which adds to existing knowledge; and
• published within the professional palliative care literature.

COURSE RULE

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants who do not hold the Graduate Certificate in Health (Palliative Care); the Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Palliative Care, the Graduate Certificate: Palliative Care in Aged Care, or the Graduate Diploma in Palliative Care or the Graduate Diploma: Palliative Care in Aged Care, must normally hold an approved degree or an equivalent qualification from an approved tertiary institution and have not less than two years' work experience in palliative care. However, the Faculty Board may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.

Credit may be granted, on application, for comparable prior studies.

PROGRAM OF STUDY [November, 2008]

To qualify for the Master of Palliative Care, a student must complete 54 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the program of study below.

Except with permission of the Faculty Board the program must be completed full-time within four consecutive semesters or part-time within ten consecutive semesters.

A lesser period may be set for students granted credit for previous studies.

STREAM A

All students must complete 54 units of study comprising: 18 units of core topics; 24-30 units of electives; and 6 units of PALL8405 Practicum plus optional additional 3 or 6 units of PALL8420 Extended Practicum.

Core topics

Students must study the following core topics:

PALL8411	Palliative Clinical Management A	3
PALL8412	Palliative Clinical Management B	3
PALL8413	Communication at the End of Life A	3
PALL8414	Communication at the End of Life B	3
	plus
MMED8901	Clinical Research Methods, OR	6
PHCA8007	Research Methods for Social Epidemiology	6

Or other appropriate research methodology topic approved by the course coordinator.

Elective topics

24-30 units of electives from the following, depending on size of practicum, but excluding any topics already taken as core:

or other elective topics from other departments, faculties or universities in related fields

Note: PHCA8007 and MMED8901 are not both to be undertaken as they cover comparable content.

Practicum: 6, 9 or 12 units

PALL8405	Practicum	6
PALL8420	Extended Practicum	3/6

STREAM B

All students must complete 54 units of study comprising: 24 units of core topics; 12 units of electives; and 18 units of PALL8417 Research Project.

Core topics

Students must study all the following core topics:

PALL8411	Palliative Clinical Management A	3
PALL8412	Palliative Clinical Management B	3
PALL8413	Communication at the End of Life A	3
PALL8414	Communication at the End of Life B	3
	plus 12 units from the following research methodology topics:
AGES8005	Research and Evaluation in Ageing Studies	3
AGES8006	Demography and Epidemiology of Ageing	3
MMED8901	Clinical Research Methods	6
PHCA8005	Designing Questionnaires and Surveys	6
PHCA8006	Qualitative Research Methods	6
PHCA8007	Research Methods for Social Epidemiology	6

Or other appropriate research methodology topic approved by the course coordinator.

Note: PHCA8007 and MMED8901 are not both to be undertaken as they cover comparable content.

Elective topics

12 units of electives from the following, but excluding any topics already taken as core:

or other elective topics from other departments, faculties or universities in related fields

Note: PHCA8007 and MMED8901 are not both to be undertaken as they cover comparable content.

Research Project

PALL8417

Research Project

18

STREAM C

All students must complete 54 units of study comprising: 18 units of research metholdogy topics; and a 36-unit thesis PALL9000.

Research methodology topics

Students must study 18 units from the following topics:

AGES8005	Research and Evaluation in Ageing Studies	3
AGES8006	Demography and Epidemiology of Ageing	3
MMED8901	Clinical Research Methods	6
PHCA8005	Designing Questionnaires and Surveys	6
PHCA8006	Qualitative Research Methods	6
PHCA8007	Research Methods for Social Epidemiology	6

Or other appropriate research methodology topic approved by the course coordinator.

Note: PHCA8007 and MMED8901 are not both to be undertaken as they cover comparable content.

Thesis

PALL9000

Thesis

36