MSc Diabetes Care, Education & Management at University of Dundee

The burden of long term non-communicable disease (NCD) is a challenge facing all health care organizations at an International level. The effect of this challenge is not just on increasing health care costs and an intolerable workload for health care professionals but a recognition that the current health care system needs to change fundamentally in order to cope with future demands. The Diabetes Care and Education programme has been created by the University of Dundee to aid healthcare organisations who wish to equip their workforce with the clinical knowledge, leadership and educational skills required to meet this challenge and develop a multi-disciplinary approach to creating transformational change appropriate to the healthcare system in their country.

Dundee has an international reputation for diabetes research, education and informatics developments. With the global growing prevalence of diabetes there is an increasing need for healthcare professionals to upskill in diabetes care and understand how to organise healthcare for the efficient management of chronic diseases.

The course has been designed to allow students to remain in their jobs while studying and for their studies to be able to have an immediate impact in their work environment.

The programme aims to:

• provide a comprehensive programme of diabetes education for health care professionals
• develop competence in the diagnosis, treatment, and decision-making in the care of persons with diabetes
• establish students with a basic grounding in educational/ behaviour change theory with application to patient and professional education
• develop leadership and evaluation skills in the organisation and delivery of care in both primary care and hospitals to empower service delivery improvement
• establish a stimulating environment for research, teaching and learning about diabetes
• encourage a culture for training of health care professionals by the development of a network of experienced clinical teachers.
• Allow health care professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills while remaining in work
• bring immediate benefits into the workplace through the application of their learning in their work-place based projects
• be culturally sensitive
• encourage a culture of multidisciplinary working in the workplace.

The course is aimed at working-professionals who wish to facilitate evidence-based change in clinical care and management within their healthcare system and recognise that this requires not just clinical knowledge but also skills in leadership, inter-professional education, organisational management, reflective professional practice and quality improvement.

Careers

We would envisage this course/qualification being of interest to healthcare organisations who wish their healthcare professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, pharmacists, nurse educators, managers etc) to enhance their skills across a range of disciplines required for the management and care of diabetes and other chronic diseases.

This qualification is NOT equivalent to accreditation onto the diabetes medical specialist register e.g. allowing the individual to operate as a diabetes consultant.