MSc

(Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Collaborative Partnership with Sheffield HallamUniversity)

Total Cost: £5600

Yrs 1 & 2: £1950

Yr 3: Currently £1700 but reviewed each year by Sheffield Hallam University

Who is the course for?

  • Specialist Registrars who are aiming at a consultant post in which neurodisability is a major component
  • Staff grade and associate specialists who have, or are planning to have neurodisability as their main interest
  • Newly appointed consultants who are looking for Continuing Medical Education in this area or who may want to make it a condition of taking up a post
  • Consultants who find themselves with a significant neurodisability responsibility and would like to refresh their knowledge

How is the course planned?

  • It is designed to be interactive in nature. The student will need to interact with the course material itself and also with local services, an appointed local tutor and other students.
  • All aspects of disability in childhood are covered – principles, terminology, diagnosis, management – both in hospital and the community setting. Common specific conditions are covered as well as general topics such as talking to parents, educational issues.
  • The course includes 4 clinical modules studied over 2 years. Assessment of these will include 3 written assignments per study module.
  • A fifth module runs alongside the clinical ones. This comprises an audit with a related literature review. These lead into the third year of the course, which incorporates a dissertation and a Research Methods for Practice Module undertaken through SHU.
  • Each Module is expected to take 300 hours, including reading, doing the written exercises and practical sessions and the residentials.
  • It is essential that you make plans to set aside time to do the course and have this agreed with your colleagues. It cannot be done in ‘spare time’.
  • You will be helped with critical reading and use of Internet resources
  • It is essential that you have regular and frequent access to email and Internet. Communication is largely by email and some material is posted on a special web site. You are also guided to material on the web.

What is the content?

  • The course material comprises text, written exercises, practical exercises (including suggested visits locally), articles, assessment tasks and other material appropriate for that particular unit such as DVDs. This material can be accessed on the internet or on CDs.
  • The ‘residential’ components will bring all the students together. They will comprise
  • ‘state of the art’ lectures from specialists,
  • discussions about topical issues,
  • practical sessions such as developmental assessment & communication skills,
  • opportunities for discussion about the course with Sheffield Course Team including the SHU Link Tutor..
  • a chance to meet and share issues with the other students
  • Students will need to have access to children with neurodisability and their families for exercises in all of the Units. You should be doing a post that includes neurodisability for at least part of the duration of the course or you will not be able to undertake set tasks

Supervision

  • A local neurodisability consultant will be needed to oversee the day to day work and to support you in accessing local services. This person will be chosen by you.
  • A Course Tutor, if possible within easy travelling distancewill be chosen by us or at least approved by us. This will sometimes be the same person as the supervisor. The tutor will offer
  • regular telephone, email or face to face contact
  • local meetings, at least once per Unit, for feedback, discussion and signing-off the reflection forms as part of the assessment process
  • The core team based in Sheffield is available to support tutors and students
  • In year 3 you will be supported by a supervisor from SHU and a Clinical supervisor with expertise in Paediatric Neurodisability.

Assessment

  • A written assessment task for each unit. These must all be completed. They are practical topics rather than academic ones designed to help you in your work as a neurodisability paediatrician
  • A reflection exercise combined with tutor feedback and discussion for each unit. Again these must all be completed
  • The third year of the course will be assessed separately.

3rd Year – via SheffieldHallamUniversity

AIM OF THIS MODULE

Critical reading and audit are essential tools for the leaders of a service. The aims of this module are to gain an understanding of the process of critical reading and audit and to be able to apply this in daily work. A second aim is to be able to present findings in verbal and written form.

This module initially runs alongside modules 1 to 4. This is so that the audit cycle can be completed. In the third year of your Course you will build on this work to write a dissertation.

You must start thinking about this at the start of the course. The longer you have, the easier it will be to follow the audit through a cycle. If you leave it to the end you will be very limited in what you can do and there will be a lot of work all at once. We will discuss Module 5 at first Residential.

Choose any topic related to neurodisability.

Literature review

This should be part of the preparation for your audit.

  • It is usually better to choose a well defined topic so that you are not overwhelmed by the information available
  • Discuss your choice of subject with your tutor. Val Harpin takes the lead for the course team on audit and is always happy to discuss potential topics.
  • We will expect you to appraise the key published literature on the topic.
  • It needs to be fully referenced with key references on the subject
  • Submit one copy to your tutor and send by email to Sarah Butler.

Audit

Ask at work what audit project would be useful. If you can make it relevant to the local situation you are more likely to get help with it, perhaps from your local audit department.

  • It can be an audit that you are already doing providing that it is substantially your own work or you are leading the audit and it relates to disability
  • Choose a relatively well defined topic and one that you can complete in the time with the resources that you have access to
  • Discuss the choice of audit with your supervisor, tutor and/or Val or Sue
  • You will be expected to submit
  • A description of the planning stage of the audit
  • A progress review
  • A short oral presentation at the last residential.
  • A final written report

Dissertation.

This can be built upon the process above.or if you are taking a relevant research project it may also be possible to use as the core of a dissertation. The third year is held at Sheffield Hallam University.

If you have any administrative queries please contact:

Sarah Butler, tel: 0114 226 0613 or email:

Other enquiries to:

or

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SHEFFIELD DISTANCE LEARNING - MSc IN PAEDIATRIC DISABILITY

OUTLINE PROGRAMME

MODULE 1
/
MODULE 2
UNIT 1
Setting the Scene / UNIT 2
Working with families / UNIT 3
The statutory services network / UNIT 4
Epilepsy and funny turns / UNIT 5
Cerebral palsies / UNIT 6
Motor disorders
  • Terminology
  • Cultural issues
  • Normal development
  • Practical aspects of development
  • Examination
  • Screening
/
  • talking to parents
  • breaking the news
  • written communication
  • genetic counseling
  • needs of families
  • information
  • voluntary sector
/
  • health services
  • disability teams
  • social services
  • financial help
  • respite care
  • leisure
  • education
  • identification of needs
  • provision
  • service co-ordination
  • care planning
  • key working
/
  • epidemiology
  • causes
  • differential diagnosis
  • history taking
  • classification
  • epilepsy syndromes
  • investigation
  • management
/
  • Terminology
  • Epidemiology
  • Aetiology
  • Management
  • Therapy
  • Drugs
  • Surgery
  • Associated problems
  • education
/
  • spinal disorders
  • neural tube defects
  • neuromuscular disorders
  • muscular dystrophies

MODULE 3
/
MODULE 4
UNIT 7
Learning disabilities / UNIT 8
Specific learning disorders, DCD, ADHD / UNIT 9
Communication disorders / UNIT 10
Hearing & vision / UNIT 11
Wider aspects of disability / UNIT 12
Links
  • psychometric assessment
  • aetiology
  • assessment
  • neurodegenerative disorders
  • management
  • syndromes
/
  • reading, writing mathematics disorders
  • management
  • developmental coordination disorders
  • management
  • ADHD
  • management
/
  • normal development of language
  • assessment
  • screening
  • language disorders
  • management
  • autism, assessment and management
/
  • normal hearing
  • hearing loss
  • early identification
  • assessment and management
  • development of vision
  • visual impairment
  • early identification
  • assessment and management
  • multi-sensory impairment
/
  • head injury
  • chronic disease
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • chronic pain
  • palliative care
  • behaviour in disability
/
  • adoption and fostering
  • children looked after
  • child protection
  • transition to adult care
  • advocacy

MODULE 5
Critical Appraisal & Audit
  • audit planning & presentation
  • literature searching & writing a review
  • critical reading
  • statistics

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