The postgraduate certificate, or PGCert, in Professional Education in Clinical Settings will be offered at the University from September 2008, subject to validation, and has been put together by a team of highly experienced clinical practitioners and educators.

The team includes Professor Della Fish, a well-known and reputable leader in the field; Ruth Roberts, Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching at the School of Medicine; Dr Clive Weston, Reader in Clinical Medicine and Director of Clinical Teaching in the School of Medicine; Ian Pallister, Consultant and Reader in Trauma and Orthopaedics at the School of Medicine; and Faye Kinsella, Head of Postgraduate Studies at the School of Health Science.

Professor Fish said: "It is very likely that new legislation from the General Medical Council is going to demand that all health care professionals involved in educating doctors and students have a teaching qualification. The School of Health Science and the School of Medicine have produced an ideal and timely response to this change.

"The PGCert at Swansea will provide a clear, concise and structured programme that is much needed in healthcare – developing the teaching skills of those who educate others in practise, giving them greater insight into the role of the educator and how inter-professional collaboration and understanding can add to their student’s experience and progression." 

The only clinically-based programme of its kind in Wales, the PGCert offers course members the opportunity to receive expert observation and critique of their practice on three occasions, and will be taught in the School of Medicine's superb facilities at Morriston Hospital.

Ian Pallister, Consultant and Reader in Trauma and Orthopaedics at the School of Medicine, said: "We hope to recruit experienced health care professionals in senior positions who have teaching roles in clinical settings, so that this pioneering education programme benefits as many new doctors and students as possible, resulting in better health care for all."

The programme consists of three modules and the first, entitled Key issues in teaching, learning and assessing in clinical settings, starts on September 16, 2008. It is taught on a part-time basis – where course members will attend approximately one study day every fortnight, over 10 weeks.

And there is more exciting news afoot, with plans for further development, as Faye Kinsella, Head of Postgraduate Studies at the School of Health Science, explains.

"The team working on the PGCert is keen to develop the programme further, and to offer it at Postgraduate Diploma and Master’s Award level, and this is what we are concentrating on at the moment," she said.

"We anticipate that it will be ready for recruitment in September 2009, ideal for those just completing the PGCert, and for those wishing to enrol with other commitments up until this time."

The programme is now open for applications and for further information on the programme or to discuss your eligibility to apply, please email Ruth Roberts on r.roberts@swansea.ac.uk or Faye Kinsella on f.e.kinsella@swansea.ac.uk.

For more information about Swansea University's School of Health Science visit their website, and for more information about the School of Medicine visit their website.