Advancing Care for People with Continence Disorders

2023/24 Part-time Postgraduate Short course and CPD

Faculty:

Faculty of Life and Health Sciences

School:

School of Nursing

eLearning:

This course is taught online so you can study where you want, when you want.

Credit points:

30

Start dates:

24 September 2023

28 January 2024

Overview

Enabling students from a variety of disciplines to increase their knowledge in relation to the advancement of effective and proactive continence care.

Summary

This Level 7 module provides a theoretical basis for the enhanced delivery of evidence-based, personalised continence care. The treatment modalities for both urinary and faecal incontinence are explored and the role of the healthcare professional as an agent of change is actively investigated. The role of local, national and international policies and competencies to provide a mechanism to promote a standard of care delivery nationally is explored.

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About this course

About

If urinary incontinence alone was a country it would be the third biggest in the world, to say nothing of those who also live with faecal incontinence. People who have incontinence often express feeling isolated, ashamed, depressed and lacking control. Although a 'Cinderella' service, providing for and delivering high quality care is greatly needed. The purpose of this module is to assist healthcare professionals to advance the understanding and provision of person-centered care for patients living with incontinence. The module facilitates students to further develop and enhance their knowledge, attitudes, analytical and subject-specialist skills to better understand and meet the needs of people with incontinence, acting as cocare-planner with the patient. The weaving together of theory, practice and policy perspectives is fundamental to the successful completion of the module.

Linked programmes

PgCert/PgDip/MSc Applied Health Studies, PgCert/PgDip/MSc Applied Health Studies

Assessment

100% Coursework

Attendance

Module runs over a 12 week period in total. This is fully-online module so no attendance is required. Please contact the individual Module Co-ordinator for details.

Attendance will be monitored at the University and Employers are informed of all absences.

Entry requirements

Applicants must:

(a) have gained

i) an Honours or non-Honours degree from a University of the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland or from the Council for National Academic Awards, the National Council for Educational Awards, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, from an institution of another country which is recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or
ii) an equivalent standard in a Postgraduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate or an approved alternative qualification;

AND

(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent); or in the case of international applicants whose first language is not English is a minimum acceptable score for the British Council IELTS of 6.0 (with no contributing band of less than 5.5) or equivalent.

OR

(c) In exceptional circumstances, as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b), where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.

AND

In addition, applicants must:
i) demonstrate that they are working with the appropriate client base to facilitate study; and
ii) be currently registered with a Professional Health Care or Regulatory Body within their own country (where that is available).

English Language Requirements

English language requirements for international applicants

Applicants must satisfy the University's general entry requirements including meet the minimum English entrance requirements of the university, which in the case of international applicants whose first language is not English is a minimum acceptable score for the British Council IELTS of 6.0 (with no contributing band of less than 5.5) or equivalent; and

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.

Start dates

  • 24 September 2023
  • 28 January 2024

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Teaching, learning and assessment

The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.

Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:

Attendance and Independent Study

As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.

Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.

The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.

Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.

Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.

Assessment

Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes.  You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Calculation of the Final Award

The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).

Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.

All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study. In Master’s degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.

Figures correct for academic year 2022-2023.

Academic profile

The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.

Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).

We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.

The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise.  The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff.  This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.

Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.

Figures correct for academic year 2022-2023.

Apply

Start dates

  • 24 September 2023
  • 28 January 2024

Fees and funding

Prices

Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and EU Settlements Status Fees: £1,119.90

Fees information

For a 30 Credit Point Postgraduate Module the fee for 2023/24 is £1119.90

Fees are correct at the time of publishing https://www.ulster.ac.uk/finance/student/tuition-fees-rates​

Additional mandatory costs

It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.

Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.

There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.

Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.

See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.

Contact

CONTACT MODULE CO-ORDINATOR:

Janice Reid

E: j.reid1@ulster.ac.uk

T: +44 (0)28 7167 5179

For more information visit

Disclaimer

  1. Although reasonable steps are taken to provide the programmes and services described, the University cannot guarantee the provision of any course or facility and the University may make variations to the contents or methods of delivery of courses, discontinue, merge or combine courses and introduce new courses if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Such circumstances include (but are not limited to) industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key staff, changes in legislation or government policy including changes, if any, resulting from the UK departing the European Union, withdrawal or reduction of funding or other circumstances beyond the University’s reasonable control.
  1. If the University discontinues any courses, it will use its best endeavours to provide a suitable alternative course. In addition, courses may change during the course of study and in such circumstances the University will normally undertake a consultation process prior to any such changes being introduced and seek to ensure that no student is unreasonably prejudiced as a consequence of any such change.
  1. The University does not accept responsibility (other than through the negligence of the University, its staff or agents), for the consequences of any modification or cancellation of any course, or part of a course, offered by the University but will take into consideration the effects on individual students and seek to minimise the impact of such effects where reasonably practicable.
  1. The University cannot accept any liability for disruption to its provision of educational or other services caused by circumstances beyond its control, but the University will take all reasonable steps to minimise the resultant disruption to such services.