Masters in Health Sciences (Primary Care)

Course details

This programme is currently under review and applications for entry 2015 are on hold.

This programme is designed for multidisciplinary professionals working in Irish primary health care. Against a background of ongoing changes in primary care policy as well as advances in approaches to disease management, it is crucial for practitioners to keep up to date with rapid developments in this sector.

Our flexible approach to learning makes it possible for you to pursue your studies while working full time. The taught component of the course is delivered via blended learning, an innovative educational strategy combining online and face-to-face learning and teaching. A menu of optional modules allows you to tailor the course to your individual learning needs.

Key facts

Entry requirements

This course is open to qualified health professionals (doctor, midwife, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist, physiotherapist, podiatrist, speech & language therapist, other) currently registered with their relevant professional body and actively involved in community-based clinical practice in Ireland. Applicants with other primary care backgrounds/experience may also be considered (e.g. administrators, policy makers, psychologists, social workers). Candidates must have secured a final grade of at least second class honours in their primary degree, or hold a relevant Postgraduate Diploma (Level 9).

Students must complete the taught element of the programme to second class honours standard (i.e. 60%) before proceeding to complete the dissertation element.

Parts of the programme are delivered in distance learning format and general computer literacy is essential for this.

Course outline

The programme is delivered mostly by distance learning, with an average of two non-consecutive days of skills workshops in Galway per module. Students complete six modules in total (three core and three optional) as well as a research dissertation. (Credit may be awarded for modules previously completed as part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Primary Care).

Core Modules

• Concepts and Principles of Primary Care
• Literature Based Research Skills
• Health Research Methods

Optional Modules

Students choose three optional modules from a menu that will include most or all of the following:

• Advanced Wound Care Management
• Cardiovascular Disease in Primary Care
• Collaboration and Interagency Working
• Critical Issues in Chronic Disease Management
• Diabetes in Primary Care
• Effective Chronic Disease Management Strategies for Healthcare Professionals
• Ethics of Health Research
• Infectious Disease in Primary Care
• Mental Health in Primary Care
• Minor Surgery and Related Dermatology in General Practice
• Respiratory Disease in Primary Care
• Women’s Health in Primary Care

Dissertation

• Students complete a minor research dissertation in the form of a 4,000/5,000-word ready-for-publication research paper.