Respiratory Medicine (Taught)

This taught programme provides you with an overview of common conditions in respiratory medicine, their diagnosis and management, and the balance of public health, community and secondary care input to the overall service delivery in the speciality. It is taught using a mixture of lectures, tutorials, hands on practical sessions and workplace based elements. It will provide speciality training for budding respiratory specialists in primary or secondary care, either medical or allied healthcare professional.

This programme can be accessed through the 60 credit PG Certificate; 120 credit PG Diploma or the 180 credit Masters. If you wish to study this programme to Postgraduate Diploma level then you will need to complete additional modules of the programme but will not need to complete a dissertation, which is only available to those studying for the Masters.

The specific aims of the programme are to:

1. Provide an in-depth understanding of the common conditions and concepts relevant to community based respiratory medicine including:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Asthma

• Cough

• Sleep apnoea

2. Equip you with a comprehensive understanding and practical knowledge of acute respiratory problems, and complex lung conditions managed in a secondary care setting including:

• TB and other respiratory infections

• Non-invasive ventilation

• Interstitial lung disease

• Lung cancer

• Cystic fibrosis

3. Provide you with the knowledge and practical skills to plan and deliver efficient and successful clinical services through case based learning and supervised clinical protocol design.

Core modules
There are 2 compulsory core modules, both of 20 credits:
Respiratory Medicine in Secondary Care:
This module comprises three face-to-face training days, plus case based learning in clinical practice, a written assessment which focuses on case based presentations allied to evidence review OR may be a service delivery plan, plus an SAQ examination

Respiratory Medicine in the Community:
This is also available as part of the MSc in Primary and Community Care, thus is a great opportunity to meet colleagues from other disciplines. Face-to-face training occurs on the following topics: COPD, lung cancer, ILD, TB, NIV, service design and management. Case based learning and assessment similar to the other core module, except with MCQ rather than SAQ assessment.

Optional modules
1 x 20 credit module (or 2 x 10 credit) chosen from a list as follows of existing modules (below). If 10 credit modules are changed to 20 credit by the parent programmes this will not alter their suitability for use in this PGCert.

Respiratory medicine in secondary care:
2 hour SAQ examination
Written assignment of 3000 words covering a case based discussion and evidence review OR a service design plan.

Respiratory medicine in the community:
35 minute MCQ examination
Written assignment of 3000 words comprising cases and evidence review
Pass/fail assignment in practice of case discussions