Name: Remote & Rural Medicine, PGDip/PGCert
Price: £1,056 per 20 credits GBP

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Attendance

Campus

Start

Duration

1 - 3 years

Start

January 2025

Delivery

In-person

Whether you practise medicine in a rural primary care setting or a small district general hospital far from regional centres, our PGDip/PGCert Remote and Rural Medicine course is for you.

Our postgraduate Remote and Rural Medicine course is also designed for those caring for patients in more remote or austere environments. It equips GPs and other healthcare professionals with the confidence and skills needed to provide the best care, irrespective of the distances involved.

When you’re a GP or other healthcare professional, you need to be able to deal with whatever you encounter. This course will give you the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to operate successfully in a rural environment.

From the better-known primary care conditions, through to life-saving interventions in hostile environments, you’ll be trained to enhance care and improve outcomes. Remote settings present challenges to any healthcare professional. Diagnosing sepsis is one thing, but being able to treat it is crucial to improve survival. By applying the skills you learn into your everyday practice, you’ll make a positive difference to patient care in remote and rural areas.

This course is based at our Westlakes Campus in Whitehaven, Cumbria.

Why study with us

Teaching takes place in the stunning surroundings of West Cumbria – you’ll be taught at the National Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine (NCRRM), based at our Westlakes Campus.
You can choose to study this course in bite-size chunks to enable you to enjoy a good work-life balance.
You’ll be taught by an experienced team of academic staff, clinicians, leaders and managers who are experts in their fields.

Interested?

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What you'll do

Tailor your learning to suit your professional needs. You can focus on delivering medicine from a fixed base or as part of a team in mountain medicine, extreme sports, or pre-hospital emergency care.
If you're seeking a lifestyle change with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, you'll love studying at Westlakes.
You’ll develop and apply research methodologies to help build your confidence in conducting independent research.

Modules

You'll learn to adapt practice to the urgent care setting. The module introduces critical understanding of emergency care and time-critical conditions. As well as advanced clinical reasoning in the care of undifferentiated caseloads. As a practitioner, you'll gain the skills to manage patients in a variety of contexts, such as the care of specific populations and specific medical conditions.

Module code: MB4065

This module aims to introduce you to the skills and attributes required to work in remote and austere settings. Develop your knowledge and understanding of diseases unique to or more prevalent in these contexts. You'll develop your knowledge of organisational considerations that impact the provision of care in these contexts and discuss the organisational structures that underpin the delivery of safe care.

Module code: MB4035

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Academic expertise

Dr Tim Sanders

Senior Clinical Lecturer in Rural Medicine

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image overlay — Clinical Skills (Westlakes)

westlakes clinical skills — Clinical Skills (Westlakes)

Future careers in remote and rural medicine

Completing the PGDip/PGCert Remote and Rural Medicine demonstrates your interest and commitment to this area of clinical practice.

Whether you are already working in a rural and/or remote setting or aspire to do so in the future, this programme will provide you with the knowledge and skills to get you where you want to be.

Entry requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements: Have completed at least Year 3 MBChB (MBBS) qualification or be a Nurse, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Physician Associate, Paramedic or Physiotherapist
Applications from other allied health professionals will be considered
Be actively engaged in or access professional experience in clinical practice in order to support learning within the programme
All applicants must have sufficient competency in English language (IELTS 6.5 with no component part less than 6.5) or equivalent
Students who have previously completed PGCert or PGDip Remote and Rural Medicine modules with UCLan and exited at PGCert or PGDip level are able to use the process of APL to re-enter the programme at a later stage

Not got the grades?

Our courses with a foundation year could be exactly what you're looking for. They provide an alternative route to study for this degree.

Find out more about our courses with a foundation year.

Fees and funding

2024/25

Part-time£1,056 per 20 credits

2025/26

Part-time£1,110 per 20 credits

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of bursaries, scholarships and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country to see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

Select your country/region

Dependants Bursary
Students with financially dependent children may be eligible for our Dependants Bursary as part of our financial support package. 
Find out more about Dependants Bursary
Carers Bursary
If you need extra support because you have unpaid caring responsibilities alongside your studies.
Find out more about Carers Bursary
Sports scholarships
We offer student athletes support and opportunities for their playing careers whilst they study a high-quality degree.
Find out more about Sports scholarships
Alumni Loyalty Discount
UK students with a previous award from us will receive 20% tuition fee discount.
Find out more about Alumni Loyalty Discount

Teaching takes place on campus at the National Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine (NCRRM), which is based at our Westlakes campus in Cumbria and online. You’ll be taught by an experienced team of academic staff, clinicians, leaders and managers.

The Centre trains professionals to deliver healthcare at a gold standard, regardless of their environment or location, by using innovative training and technology techniques. Remote and rural medicine has been under-served for a number of years, and the Centre aims to provide a focus for remote and rural medical education and research in collaboration with colleagues globally.

Teaching is likely to be delivered in blocks, so weekly attendance may not be required.

You’ll be assessed using various methods. These are likely to include case study presentations, case-based demonstrations, practical demonstrations and written assessments.

Credits for previous learning

This programme allows you to convert certified CPD that you’ve already gained and implemented in daily practice, into academic credits to enter the programme at an appropriate stage. You then choose from a wide range of modules to build a programme suited to your own individual needs.

The School recognises:

Successful achievement of a relevant University of Central Lancashire CPD programme or short course
Successful achievement of a recognised partner’s CPD programme or short course
Demonstration of achievement of a relevant level of functioning or attainment within your career that could be considered equivalent to the level of the proposed postgraduate study
Professional and Personal Development in General Practice (PED) course with Health Education England North West

In order to be recognised, you will be asked to show how the prior learning relates to improvement in your practice and undergo an assessment by the course team.

Any prior learning can be considered from the last 10 years but must be relevant to your current role. The maximum credit for prior learning that we can offer is two-thirds of the total credit required for the award.

You will discuss your prior learning with our career coach and agree your bespoke progression towards successful completion of the next short course and relevant postgraduate award.

For more information please email the Postgraduate Medicine Team.

Interested?

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This course is delivered by the School of Medicine and Dentistry

For information on possible changes to course information, see our essential and important course information

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at the University of Central Lancashire on our student contract page

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Remote & Rural Medicine

Why study with us

What you'll do

Modules

Modules studied

Compulsory modules

Optional modules

Accreditations

Industry Links

Academic expertise

View the course facilities

Future careers in remote and rural medicine

Entry requirements

Not got the grades?

Fees and funding

Scholarships and bursaries

Dependants Bursary

Carers Bursary

Sports scholarships

Alumni Loyalty Discount

Remote & Rural Medicine

Why study with us

What you'll do

Modules

Modules studied

Accreditations

Royal College of Surgeons

Industry Links

Adventure Smart

Academic expertise

Discover our Westlakes Campus

View the course facilities

Future careers in remote and rural medicine

Entry requirements

Not got the grades?

Fees and funding

Additional costs

Additional costs

Scholarships and bursaries

Dependants Bursary

Carers Bursary

Sports scholarships

Alumni Loyalty Discount

Learning and assessment

Industry links

Further information