Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Medicine 2022-23

Who is the course designed for?

This one-year course is open to all healthcare staff and includes units on healthcare informatics; advanced clinical leadership and quality improvement; and healthcare law. It is suited for doctors, dentists, nurses and allied health professionals.

The course is taught part-time and is designed to be flexible and accessible to working healthcare professionals contributing towards research and professional development through reinforcement of Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

The PGDip is part of the Clinical Medicine programme and is only open to those who have successfully completed the PgCert in Clinical Research, Education and Leadership (formerly known as the PGCert in Clinical Medicine) at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge. (Courses undertaken in other universities will not count as credits towards this PGDip). Students who complete their PGDip in Clinical Medicine may apply to the MSt in Clinical Medicine.

Aims of the programme

• Provide professionally relevant teaching and learning informed by research in an integrated clinical and teaching environment.
• Create an international cohort of consultants, GPs, dentists and other healthcare professionals able to pursue and develop their roles in a rapidly-changing and challenging environment of clinical medicine.
• Develop the confidence within this cohort to lead service improvement for safe and high quality patient care, with the required knowledge, skills and capability to have a positive personal impact on the work of others in their clinical team and wider service.
• Develop clinicians with an understanding of teaching, professional development and assessment in the field of clinical medicine.
• Develop clinicians with an understanding of research methodologies and ethical considerations relevant to clinical medicine.
• Encourage participants to develop as reflective practitioners with the emotional intelligence, resilience and astuteness required to be effective clinical leaders.
• Encourage a commitment to intellectual challenge and evidence-based clinical practice informed by the latest conceptual and theoretical knowledge of medical education, research methods, ethics and clinical leadership and governance.

Teaching team

Programme and Course Director: Dr Arun Gupta, Director of Postgraduate Medical Education, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Academic Director: Dr Tom Monie, protein biochemist, assistant director of academic centres (Academic) and the Academic Director for STEM (Biological) Sciences at the Institute of Continuing Education. 

Tutors
Dr Afzal Chaudhry:  Chief Medical Information Officer and Consultant Nephrologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Associate Lecturer, University of Cambridge
Carolyn Crookes | Head of Information Management at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Nicola Jones | Consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Clinical Lead Critical Care Area, Chair Regional Transfusion Committee, Clinical Sub-dean and Associate Lecturer University of Cambridge
Dr Thomas O’Connor | Senior Dentist, Cambridge Community Dental Services, and Honorary Dental Surgeon with Addenbrooke's Cambridge University Teaching Hospitals Trust.
Dr Aaron D’Sa | Registrar in Anaesthesia, East of England training programme.
Dr Derek Duane | Consultant in Neuroanaesthesia and Intensive Care.

Entry requirements

Applications are invited from healthcare staff including doctors, dentists, nurses and allied health professionals.

The PGDip is only open to those who have successfully completed the PGCert in Clinical Research, Education and Leadership (formerly known as the PGCert in Clinical Medicine) at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge.

Courses undertaken in other universities will not count as credits towards this PGDip. Students who complete their PGDip in Clinical Medicine can apply to the MSt in Clinical Medicine.

Please note: the maximum break in study between awards is five years, provided that you maintain relevant clinical experience. The full MSt in Clinical Medicine must be completed in a maximum of eight years.

Language requirement

All applicants are required to demonstrate competency in English at a high level before commencing the programme; students whose first language is not English must be able to satisfy the requirements below.

•    IELTS Academic: Overall band score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component)
•    TOEFL: Overall score of 110 (with not less than 25 in individual elements)
•    CAE: Grade A, plus a Language Centre assessment
•    CPE: Grade A, B or C (with at least 200 in each individual element)

Evidence of competency in English is in accordance with the guidelines of the University of Cambridge.

Fees

The fee for 2022 will be £5301 per annum (home) and £9501 (overseas).

The fee status of EU nationals for 2021 entry onwards will be International by default until the UK government announce further details and amendments of the current regulation. EU students should regularly check for updates at: www.cam.ac.uk/eu.

Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£75 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence incurred during teaching sessions in Cambridge.

Please refer to ICE bursaries webpage for information on bursaries and concessions.

You are also advised to approach your own NHS Foundation Trust or employer organisation for any funding or bursary opportunities. 

Applications will be accepted until 31 May 2022. Please click the APPLY NOW button at the top of the page and follow the steps.

Applicants will be required to either submit or provide details of the following as part of the application process:

•    Copies of qualification transcripts
•    Employer letter of support to confirm release of time to study
•    Evidence of funding
•    Details of two academic referees
•    If applicable, appropriate visa to attend the course
•    Evidence of competence in English (if appropriate)

All eligible candidates will be invited to interview by telephone or by VOIP (e.g. Zoom) following the application close date.

FAQs

Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked question or FAQs, relating specifically to the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine. Please do read through these and you should find the answers to most questions.

However, if you still cannot find what you are looking for then please click on, the ASK A QUESTION button at the top right of this page to send the course team a message and we will respond as soon as possible.

Is this course available online?

No, this is not a distance-learning course. Even with the pandemic in mind, we plan to deliver our postgraduate and MSt qualifications in-person in the academic year 2022-23. Please note that this will be reviewed in line with the latest public health guidance available at any given time. If required, to ensure the health and safety of students, we may look to utilise alternative teaching formats and will contact students if we expect changes to the course delivery.

Is this course available full-time?

This course has been designed for part-time delivery in order to permit students to work around their employment commitments.  It is not possible for it to be studied on a full-time basis. 

When can I apply for the next PG Diploma course?

Applications for the MSt, PG Certificate and PG Diploma starting in the Michaelmas term (October) of any given year, open in the September/October of the previous year. So, for example, for an October 2022 start, applications open September 2021.   Please see our Courses pages for when courses are open for application here. 

When is the deadline for applications?

Applications for 2022/23 entry for the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine can be submitted online until 31 May 2022.

When will my application be considered? 

All applications will be reviewed at the close of the applications window after the submission deadline, irrespective of when they are received.

When can I expect to hear back on a decision?

Decisions on applications will be made approximately 6 weeks after the relevant closing date.

Final decisions regarding admissions can only be made on the full and final applications and the offer of places will depend on the strength of applicants in any one year. 

Who is the course aimed at?

This one-year course is open to all healthcare staff and includes units on healthcare informatics; advanced clinical leadership and quality improvement; and healthcare law. It is suited for doctors, dentists, nurses and allied health professionals.

Am I a suitable candidate for the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine?

The entry requirements for this course are outlined under the Entry Requirements of the course page here.

English is not my first language - can I still apply?

All applicants are required to demonstrate competency in English at a high level before commencing the programme. Students whose first language is not English must be able to satisfy the necessary requirements, even if they have worked or studied in English previously.  Please refer to the ICE website here for further information, following any extra links there for further, added advice.

Can I transfer credits from my current/previous university?

We are currently unable to accept any transfer of credits from other universities.  

Can I study individual modules?

Currently the units/modules are not offered for individual study but this may change, so please keep looking at our web pages for updates.

I have a question about my application, whom should I contact?

For any queries or information about the admissions procedure, making an application or your application itself - please contact the admissions team by clicking on the ASK A QUESTION button at the top right-hand side on this page.

How is teaching delivered?

The PGDip in Clinical Medicine, like the the PGCert in Clinical Research, Education and Leadership and the MSt in Clinical Medicine to which it leads on, is designed to be flexible and accessible to healthcare professionals and to complement employment within a clinical environment.

The Diploma combines face-to-face study days with on-line activity, study and assignments, supported through a virtual learning environment [VLE].  There are three modules, with a week’s teaching requiring attendance in Cambridge for each module

A provisional guide of the number of teaching days is provided under the Teaching & Assessment tab of the course page.

 Teaching day attendance is in Cambridge and students should ensure they are able to meet all teaching obligations before starting the course.

What are the Fees?

The fees for 2022 entry for the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine, as detailed on the course page, are £5,301 per annum for Home students and £9,501 per annum for Overseas students. The fee status of EU nationals for 2021 entry onwards will be International by default until the UK government announce further details and amendments of the current regulation. EU students should regularly check for updates at: www.cam.ac.uk/eu. Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£75 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during residential sessions in Cambridge. 

Is there any funding available for the Clinical Medicine courses? 

There is currently no funding available for the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine.  It may be possible to secure funding through your employer or healthcare organisation. Please note that places are offered on merit rather than funding.  

Information about Bursaries at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) can be found here: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursaries The Graduate Admissions Office website provides information on funding administered centrally within the University and you may find the following link helpful :http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding 

How are fees payable?

Once you have arranged any funding, payments can be scheduled through a payment plan, of up to four instalments per academic year; per academic year, or for the whole course (the latter is sometimes the preferred method by sponsoring organisations).  You can discuss this with the course team prior to course start.

What is my Fee Status?

Guidance on fee status, whether Home/EU or Overseas can be found on the University website here.  Your fee status will determine the fee that you are liable to pay for your course of study.  If in doubt or you require further advice regarding your fee status please contact Admissions:  Ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk 

Progression 

Planning is currently underway to introduce an MSt in Clinical Medicine in 2022/23.  Please keep an eye on the ICE website for further updates.

Upon successful completion of the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine, students could apply to progress to the MSt in Clinical Medicine, if the course is introduced for the 2022/23 intake.