University of Technology Sydney

C04365v1 Master of Palliative Care

Award(s): Master of Palliative Care (MPallCare)
Commonwealth supported place?: Yes
Load credit points: 72
Course EFTSL: 1.5
Location: City campus

Notes

This course offers a mid-year intake for local students.

All subjects in the course are delivered by distance (online).

Commonwealth Supported Places

There are a limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) within this course that are competitive and allocated on merit. Applicants must indicate on their application if they wish to be considered for a CSP.

As applications are assessed progressively, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early to be considered. Eligible applicants must accept their offer by the lapse date to retain their place.

  • Autumn 2024 closing dates:
    • Round 1: Sunday 26 November 2023
    • Round 2: Sunday 21 January 2024 (if places are available)
  • Spring 2024 closing dates:
    • Round 1: Sunday 26 May 2024
    • Round 2: Sunday 30 June 2024 (if places are available)

Refer to Postgraduate courses with Commonwealth Supported Places for more information.

This course is not offered to international students.


Overview
Course aims
Career options
Course intended learning outcomes
Admission requirements
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course program
Other information

Overview

Designed for health professionals looking to extend their palliative care capabilities to work at an advanced level, this interdisciplinary course equips students with the clinical performance capabilities and critical decision-making and leadership skills required to become a palliative care expert.

Developed and delivered in collaboration with leading contemporary experts in palliative care, each of the 12 subjects comprises a mix of theory, evidence-based and clinical practice. Subjects include a range of current healthcare contexts (including complex communication, social justice, law and ethics, public health, advanced pharmacology and physical assessment) so students can practise safely and proficiently to provide person-centred health care and contribute to quality outcomes for those in their care.

The course ensures graduates are practice-ready, able to work in dynamic and changeable health environments, and prepared to make significant contributions to improve patient outcomes.

With a curriculum heavily influenced by industry partners, the course is grounded in evidence-based, person-centred healthcare practice. It integrates theory and practice-based learning and assessment in a combination of online learning, classroom, state-of-the-art simulation laboratories and authentic clinical settings.

Students learn from expert academics as well as guest lecturers from industry in a range of teaching methods, such as participatory online and real-time learning activities, communities of practice, media resources, podcasts and case-based scenarios.

Course aims

This course is designed to prepare students for advanced practice as a registered health professional with expert palliative care clinical performance capabilities, critical decision-making and leadership skills.

Career options

This course aims to prepare future leaders in palliative care to drive reforms to improve end-of-life care experiences for patients and families. Designed for nursing, medical and allied health professionals, the course emphasises interdisciplinary care and aims to prepare students for an advanced level of healthcare delivery across a range of settings.

Career options include working in palliative care policy at a state or national level and providing palliative care in a variety of clinical areas such as emergency, critical care, surgical and medical specialties, community-based care, mental health, specialist palliative care, paediatrics, aged care, chronic disease management and primary health care.

Course intended learning outcomes

1.0 Integrate the delivery of person-centred care across all populations, settings and systems
1.1 Create enabling health and policy environments to ensure the provision of safe and high-quality person-centred care
1.2 Prioritise participation and empowerment of people and their families/carers to have a central role in their care
1.3 Work creatively to optimise the provision of person-centred care
2.0 Communicate effectively in challenging, complex and diverse situations
2.1 Communicate expertly to ensure optimal palliative care practice, research, policy and education outcomes
2.2 Demonstrate effectiveness and sensitivity when communicating with diverse populations
2.3 Develop and strengthen partnerships critical to palliative care delivery and service development
3.0 Inter-professional collaboration: Prioritise inter-professional collaborative practice to ensure the highest quality palliative care for all
3.1 Create models based on principles of collaboration, openness, respect, empowerment, and shared decision-making
3.2 Design, participate in and evaluate inter-professional collaborative opportunities
3.3 Innovate and lead change to deliver the highest quality inter-professional care across populations and settings
4.0 Provide effective, creative and responsive leadership that promotes optimal palliative care
4.1 Challenge and transform current palliative care provision through creativity and innovation
4.2 Lead, develop and evaluate programs or projects that optimise palliative care
4.3 Demonstrate equitable, high-quality, safe palliative care across diverse populations
5.0 Create adaptive professionals who continuously analyse, critique and reflect on their role
5.1 Critically appraise, critique and synthesise evidence to influence knowledge and practice professional standards
5.2 Demonstrate autonomy, expert judgement and legal and ethical accountability to promote safe, effective and evidence-based solutions
5.3 Practise and promote the principles of self-care that build resilience and foster human flourishing
5.4 Apply technical capabilities and critical thinking to design research and evaluation processes to improve outcomes
6.0 Demonstrate professional cultural competency which contributes to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, inclusive of physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellness
6.1 Demonstrate respect and value for world view differences and in particular Australian Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing
6.2 Critically reflect upon the impact of previous colonisation practices and current political practices and their pervasive discourse on Indigenous Australians and their health and wellbeing
6.3 Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of Indigenous Australians and integrate this knowledge into practice
6.4 Work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) leaders and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop culturally empowered, equitable and responsive palliative care

Admission requirements

Applicants must have completed a UTS recognised bachelor's degree, or an equivalent or higher qualification, or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate studies.

Applicants must have:

•Current registration in Australia as a health professional. Registration will be confirmed via the National Register of Practitioners (opens an external site).
•Concurrent employment or access to the clinical area of study, and one year post registration clinical experience.

Registered health professionals who do not meet the admission criteria for a threshold offer – such as applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree but have recent relevant work experience – may be considered eligible. Applicants must present evidence of a capacity to undertake tertiary study via submission of a CV which should include details of completion of hospital or college certificates and professional or staff development. The Faculty reviews and determines if the applicant is eligible based on evidence of prior learning and demonstrated capability.

The English proficiency requirement for local applicants with international qualifications is: Academic IELTS: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL: paper based: 550-583 overall with TWE of 4.5, internet based: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.

Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.

Course duration and attendance

This course is offered on a three-year, part-time basis

Course structure

Students must complete 72 credit points made up of 54 credit points of core subjects and 18 credit points of electives.

Industrial training/professional practice

There is an optional internship of 300 supernumerary clinical hours (i.e. supervised practice outside the student's usual rostered hours) for consolidation and extension of learning.

Course completion requirements

STM91273 Palliative Care Level 1 18cp
STM91272 Palliative Care Level 2 18cp
STM91271 Palliative Care Level 3 18cp
Select 18 credit points of options: 18cp
CBK91758 Electives18cp 
Total 72cp

Course program

The following example shows a typical part-time program.

Autumn commencing
Year 1
Autumn session
96801 Communicating and Collaborating for Optimal Person Centred Care   6cp
96802 Delivering Best Palliative Care Any Place Every Time   6cp
Spring session
96803 Complex Symptom Management   6cp
Select 6 credit points from the following:   6cp
CBK91758 Electives 18cp  
Year 2
Autumn session
96804 Immersive Palliative Care Futures   6cp
Select 6 credit points from the following:   6cp
CBK91758 Electives 18cp  
Spring session
96828 Ethical Dimensions of Palliative Care   3cp
96829 Legal Dimensions of Palliative Care   3cp
96806 Translating Evidence into Change   6cp
Year 3
Autumn session
96826 Optimising End-of-Life Communication   3cp
96827 Optimising End-of-life Communication within Complex and Diverse Situations   3cp
96808 Generating Evidence to Improve Palliative Care Outcomes   6cp
Spring session
96824 Clinical Assessment in Palliative Care   3cp
96825 Pharmacology in Palliative Care   3cp
Select 6 credit points from the following:   6cp
CBK91758 Electives 18cp  
Spring commencing
Year 1
Spring session
96803 Complex Symptom Management   6cp
Select 6 credit points from the following:   6cp
CBK91758 Electives 18cp  
Year 2
Autumn session
96801 Communicating and Collaborating for Optimal Person Centred Care   6cp
96802 Delivering Best Palliative Care Any Place Every Time   6cp
Spring session
96828 Ethical Dimensions of Palliative Care   3cp
96829 Legal Dimensions of Palliative Care   3cp
96806 Translating Evidence into Change   6cp
Year 3
Autumn session
96804 Immersive Palliative Care Futures   6cp
96808 Generating Evidence to Improve Palliative Care Outcomes   6cp
Spring session
96824 Clinical Assessment in Palliative Care   3cp
96825 Pharmacology in Palliative Care   3cp
Select 6 credit points from the following:   6cp
CBK91758 Electives 18cp  
Year 4
Autumn session
96826 Optimising End-of-Life Communication   3cp
96827 Optimising End-of-life Communication within Complex and Diverse Situations   3cp

Other information

Further information is available from:

UTS Student Centre
telephone 1300 ask UTS (1300 275 887)
or +61 2 9514 1222
Ask UTS
UTS: Health

Michelle DiGiacomo,
Course coordinator

Palliative Care Programs: palcarepg@uts.edu.au