MSC in Critical Care and Medical Informatics at Glasgow University

New medical postgraduate programme available in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Glasgow in the UK. This twelve-month, full-time postgraduate programme is designed to meet the needs of those experienced anaesthetists or critical care physicians who wish to develop skills in evidence-based practice and related audit or research in the critical care field. It gives you a solid base in research methodology that will be useful in any further academic work undertaken. The content is particularly aimed at students coming from overseas and who will return to their home country to apply the knowledge acquired on this programme. The programme starts each year at the end of September and continues full-time for the next 12 months. It may be available on a part-time basis. Core Course: Evidence-based Medicine and Research (60 credits) This course teaches core skills in critical review, communications, medical ethics, statistics and data handling, research methods and the principles of evidenced-based medicine, good clinical practice and clinical governance in order to equip you for your own medical practice and to prepare you for specialist courses in the MSc (Clin Sci) Critical Care and Medical Informatics. This course will provide knowledge important in performing and understanding research. Most of this training takes place in the first term. Subspecialty: Critical Care and Medical Informatics (60 credits) This course aims to consolidate clinical and basic science knowledge within the area of critical care medicine by way of tutorials, observation and discussion during ward rounds. The observation in clinical areas will enable you to gain a deeper understanding of the type and amount of data that is routinely recorded in the critical care environment. Teaching in Medical Informatics by Clinical Physicists, will help you to understand the best way to collect, store and utilise different types of data so that maximum benefit is derived. It will also allow you to critically appraise the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to analysing data and to appreciate the medico legal and ethical issues involved in utilising medical data Dissertation Project (60 credits) The research project or audit is a means of getting you to engage, in detail, with one topic or issue relevant to critical care medicine. The research project will be a means of you seeing how medical informatics is useful in carrying out research in the critical care environment. It requires you to draw on your knowledge of key concepts and theories gained from other parts of the programme, in order to present a coherent, masters-level dissertation. The project must be an original completed piece of work, completed in the relevant time frame. Course entrance requirements: This programme is only open to medical graduates. You are expected to have at least 3 years postgraduate and at least 6 months experience of Critical Care Medicine and possess basic computing skills. Ideally students would possess the FRCA or equivalent. Awarding institutions must be recognised by the University Court. A British Council IELTS Test (academic version) score of 7.0 with minimum score of 7.0 in speaking and no component less than 6.0 (or equivalent qualification) in listening, reading and writing and these scores were obtained in a single sitting of the test is required for overseas students who do not have English as their first language. An optional 5 week course “International Pre-Masters/Pre-Doctorate in Medical Science” is available (http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/languagecentre/englishasaforeignlanguage/pre-sessionalcourses/pre-masterspre-doctorateinmedicalscience/) to prepare students for study within the Faculty of Medicine Graduate School in clinical, social or laboratory aspects of medical science is recommended. This will incur additional fees. Student Visas: If you are an international student we will automatically send you a visa acceptance letter once you have formally accepted your unconditional offer. Ideally, applications should be formally received no later than the beginning of May to enable processing of VISA applications. This should allow the student to commence their studies in September. Course Fees: The MSc fees for the next academic year are set each April. Fees for 2010-2011 are £19,000. (Equivalent costs estimated in US dollars are $31,334 for tuition. This price may vary according to current exchange rates.) In addition you will need sufficient funds for your accommodation, food, travel and other expenses in this country. Please note that is possible these fees may increase from 2011.