MSc in Health Sciences

MSc IN HEALTH SCIENCES — 2008-2010

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

Introduction

This course is a two-year part-time day-release course, appropriate for all health professionals, which leads to an MSc qualification of the University of London. It is located at St George's, University of London which received the highest rating of any London medical school (23/24) in the last Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency subject review of medicine and has excellent research ratings.

About the course

This course has been running successfully for fifteen years and has built up a reputation for itself. Many current students are now sponsored by managers who are former students. The course has a number of unique elements.

It is very multi-disciplinary with staff and students taken from a range of professions. Students have come from all branches of nursing and midwifery, all allied health professions, medicine, pharmacy, health promotion, management, audit, counselling, residential and social care. Surveys of graduates show that participants value this mixing of professions very highly.

It is designed to be applied to specific health care environments with a large number of assignments related to issues raised in students' places of work. Many students complete research projects that are of direct relevance to their work and some lead to publication in professional journals.

It admits both graduates and non-graduates who demonstrate potential to work at this level. Experience has shown that there is no difference in the achievement of the two groups, with a number of non-graduates obtaining distinctions.

It encourages an integrated approach to the subjects covered. Students are expected to become familiar with quantitative and qualitative research methods and with biological, psychological, social and population perspectives on health care.

Health Sciences

For the purposes of the course health sciences concern the avoidance of illness, the prevention of disease, the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health, and the limitation of disability. A number of different disciplines are involved including biological, social, psychological and population sciences. Students will develop skill in evaluating and critically appraising a wide range of evidence which underpins health care. The course content focuses on understanding of principles and methods and can be applied to a wide range of health care environments.

By the end of the course

Former participants on the course have found the course helpful in improving understanding of their work, managing their work more effectively, and contributing to improvements in policy and practice. Many have moved on to more senior positions in their various specialties or have been successful in moving into jobs in research, management or teaching. Some have continued on to study for doctoral degrees. Most report an increase in confidence associated with greater understanding of the research basis relevant to their work.

Objectives

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

Structure of the course

The course is divided into a number of modules and you may be studying more than one module at a time. Most core modules are taught in the first year while elective modules are taught in the second year.

Core modules are compulsory and are taken by all students. These are:

There are currently seven elective modules and you will be asked to choose at least one to complete during the course. The programme of electives changes from time to time but those likely to be available for 2008 entry are:

(If you have successfully completed a relevant 15 credit module at level M within the last five years, you may offer this as APL instead of an elective. Alternatively you may take any other M level module from those available at SGUL or Kingston University instead of an elective if you wish.)

Teaching

Teaching staff are drawn from a number of departments and include those with clinical (medical, nursing and midwifery) backgrounds, bioscientists, sociologists, psychologists, epidemiologists, and statisticians. Clinical and management staff from a number of trusts also take part, as do outside experts on a range of subjects.

Teaching methods include a focus on small group work with group facilitators allocated to support each group. Students are expected to undertake a wide range of reading and private study in addition to the taught sessions and to contribute to the latter by sharing their expertise. Supervisors are allocated for the research project element during the first year and additional staff are available for general support with project work. A number of students have subsequently published their research projects while others have undertaken collaborative work with their supervisors.

Facilities

St George’s has excellent library and computing facilities with a number of specialist library and information technology staff available to support students. All students have e.mail addresses and this is an important means of communication with staff and other students.

Student support

We aim to provide a supportive learning environment for mature students which takes into account the demands of their professional and personal lives. We understand that many students have busy and complicated lives and a flexible approach is taken to deadlines where these create hardship. Past students have described our student support as "excellent" and it was specifically commended by the Higher Education Quality Council in their subject review.

Assessment

There is an emphasis on course work which can be applied to students' work experience. Assignments are set across the whole two years of the course and deadlines published in advance of the course start date so that students can plan their work. Assignments cover both core and elective modules and course work makes up 75% (135 credits) of the assessment. There is a short examination as part of the Statistics module during the summer term in year 1. The research project completed during the second year is worth 25% (45 credits). Oral examinations may be conducted in borderline cases at the end of the course.

Research

St George's has a strong research focus and opportunities to continue to MPhil or PhD study are available on completion of the MSc course. St George’s achieved excellent ratings in the last Research Assessment Exercise and has research grants from the Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, charities, pharmaceutical companies and industrial sponsors. Income from research was about £16 million last year and there are around 200 full- and part-time research students. Particular areas of research strength include infectious diseases, cardiovascular sciences, epidemiology, cell signalling in medicine, cancer and mental health. More details of the research conducted at St George’s can be found on our web site (www.sgul.ac.uk/research) and information about the research conducted by individual departments can also be accessed on this site (www.sgul.ac.uk/departments).

Timing

The taught elements are scheduled across two calendar years with attendance from 0930-1630 in term time on Thursdays. The start date for the course in 2008 will be 2 October.

Fees

Fees for 2008/9 will be £2150 for home and EC students (£ 6899 for overseas students) and are expected to rise by inflation for 2009/10. Students are expected to receive study leave from their employers. Some students also receive financial support from employers. Those who pay their own fees may do so in termly instalments.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have either a first degree in an appropriate subject plus a minimum of two years' health service experience or a health professional qualification and a minimum of three years' health service experience. Non-graduates will be asked to write a qualifying essay as part of the admissions process. Applicants who meet the minimum criteria will be interviewed by members of the course team.

Places

Places are limited to a maximum of 36 per year and offers are made on a first-come first served basis. Early application is therefore advised although no official closing date is set and late applicants will be considered until mid September 2008. Click   MSC Health Sciences 2008 entry to download application form.

Further information

The Course Director is happy to discuss individual queries about the course and can be contacted on 0208 725 2629/2630 or by e.mail at cdacey@sgul.ac.uk. A number of current and former students are also willing to discuss their experiences with applicants and we can put you in touch with them if you wish.

Location

St George’s is located in Tooting, SW London. It can be reached by underground (Northern Line — Tooting Broadway), rail (Tooting Graveney) and bus (numbers 44, 57, 77, 127, 133, 135, 155, 219, 264, 270, 280, 355, G1 and 493). There is a pay car park on site and meter parking in surrounding streets.

1.1 The Life Cycle (15 credits)

This will provide the central spine on which other core and elective modules are built. The module sets out to offer a psycho-social perspective to the biological processes of the life cycle with an emphasis on health rather than disease, and on prevention rather than cure. It will offer the opportunity to revisit and develop familiar areas of human biology, physiology, pathology and genetics. All stages of the life cycle will be covered, starting with foetal development and ending with death and dying. The lecture programme given by subject experts will be complemented by small group work. These will develop and integrate knowledge and provide opportunities for student-led presentations.

This module introduces students to the sociology of health and illness and aims to enable them to apply sociological ideas and methods to their own work and research. The sociology of health and illness is concerned with the ways in which people strive to maintain their health and the features of the environment (social, political and economic) that form the circumstances in which people act. The module will address the challenges that such a perspective holds for health care. Topics will include inequalities in health, medical knowledge and certainty, health professions, lay health beliefs, and the politics of health care systems. Students can pursue the subject further in the elective module (see below).

This module will provide the basis for understanding the ways in which health is measured at both national and local levels. It will cover the principles of analysing trends and variations. Influences on levels of health and the role of specific factors relating to major diseases will be considered. It will provide the basis for understanding the epidemiological techniques required to investigate the causes of disease. Practical exercises and groups will be included.

This will introduce students to models of theory and practice related to individual interactions such as those found in clinical practice or management and to broader communication with other professionals, publishers and the general public. Content will cover group dynamics, principles of persuasion, transactional analysis, personal constructs, client-centred work, problem solving approaches, interprofessional relationships, and presentation skills. Students will be expected to give a short presentation related to a communication challenge faced in their work.

This module will familiarise students with quantitative and qualitative approaches to research and enable them to select appropriate methods to use when conducting their own research. The module includes development of relevant IT skills, including techniques for searching the literature. It also covers ethical issues and the development of research proposals. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of study design and approaches to collecting, recording and interpreting data will be discussed. Participants will prepare a research protocol for their dissertation project as part of this module.

This module will enable participants to perform simple statistical analyses on their own data and to understand and critically assess the statistical analyses presented in published papers. No previous knowledge is assumed. Lectures presenting statistical concepts will be complemented by small group work. Practical sessions will develop skills in using SPSS for statistical analysis. There will be a short examination at the end of the module which tests ability to apply the concepts covered in the module to real data.

The modules will introduce the principles of critical appraisal and enable participants to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of published papers and assess their relative contributions to the current state of knowledge in the field. Participants will work through papers relating to other core modules (Life Cycle, Sociology, Population Health) to develop their critical appraisal skills in a series of practical sessions. Foundations laid in this module will also develop skills required for the literature review section of the dissertation.

This module runs through both years of the course and supports work undertaken on the dissertation. Lectures on key issues in the planning, management and writing-up of research will be supported by small group work in which participants have an opportunity to discuss the development of their own research. Participants will give a presentation on their progress in the project as part of the assessment for the module.

These will run in the second year and you will need to choose one from the following:

2.1 Modern Management and Decision Making (15 credits)

This will enable participants to broaden their understanding of management practice at a strategic level and its impact on the provision of health care in the UK. It will enable students to use the political and managerial environment of the health service to promote health gain. Participants will explore tensions between purchasing and providing appropriate care for identified health needs and the effective use of available resources. The constraints of organisations and professional boundaries will be considered. Students will explore the management of change and the impact of the rate and intensity of change on clinical decision making and performance. Major theoretical frameworks underpinning management approaches in health will be taught.

This aims to prepare health care professionals to work within the framework of the NHS information strategy. It will also cover the design and evaluation of health information systems, information management, electronic health records, hospital information systems, Internet sources and consumer health information. The emphasis here will be on the uses of technology (including the problems) rather than on technical details.

2.3 Ethics and Law (15 credits)

This module will take a case study approach with students preparing and debating a case each week. It will introduce students to the essential principles of health care law and ethical thinking. Subjects covered will include consent, confidentiality, negligence, rationing, screening, human fertilisation, organ transplantation, euthanasia, mental health and human rights, research and experimentation. The teaching will be based on real clinical dilemmas and accepted professional codes of practice.

2.4 Evidence-informed Decision Making in Health Care (15 credits)

Decision making in health care is increasingly adopting an evidence based approach. This module will consider five key criteria for evaluating evidence for use in health care decision making: effectiveness, efficiency, acceptability, quality and equity. It will provide a sound grounding in evidence-based practice and will adopt a holistic approach to evidence-informed decision making which takes into account needs of service users, costs, and feasibility. It will explore the professional values and structural constraints which limit the scope of decision-making and will demonstrate how practical issues can be addressed in a systematic fashion. Teaching will be based on workshops which develop practical decision-making skills.

2.5 Interprofessional Work in Health and Social Care (15 credits)

This module is offered jointly to students on a range of postgraduate programmes (midwifery, radiography, social work, health and social care management as well as health sciences). Its central aim is to foster the benefits of working interprofessionally in health and social care and to explore barriers to successful co-operation. The module will cover relevant health and social care policies, organisational frameworks, and interprofessional practice. Issues such as risk management, interagency collaboration, collaborative outcomes and interprofessional ethical decision making will be covered. Students are expected to reflect on individual practice in group sessions and the work place in order to develop strategies to improve collaborative practice.

2.6 Methods of Behaviour Change (15 credits)

This module will provide participants with an understanding of the principles and practice of behaviour change, with particular reference to the analysis and modification of behaviours that are prejudicial to health, and the development of strategies for coping with stress and other problems. The basic theme of the module is the problem solving approach to behaviour change. The module will outline the theoretical background to behaviour change, introduce the requisite skills, and describe the application of these skills to specific problem behaviours. Topics will include applications to chronic illness, disturbed and difficult behaviour in children and elderly people, and preparation for stressful medical procedures. Students will undertake a small project looking at an area of stress in their own lives.

2.7 Critical Perspectives on Health and Health Care (15 credits)

This module builds on the foundations of the core module in the Sociology of Health and Illness to enable students to achieve a critical understanding of sociological approaches to the analysis of health policy and to gain a deeper understanding of changing perspectives on health and illness. Topics will include gender, race and ethnicity, social class, chronic illness, governmentality, power, and health care policy. Sociological research methods will also be considered in relation to these topics.