Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice

The course has been developed to provide multidisciplinary postgraduate education for health professionals within a rural context in the area of infant, child and adolescent health (paediatrics).

The course aims to have academically excellent graduates who will be competent and confident advocates for families in rural and community paediatrics in multidisciplinary settings. It will enhance their knowledge and clinical management skills as a means of improving professional practice in rural general paediatrics in medical and other appropriate health professions. The graduates will understand the roles of different health professionals. The course will expand and deepen knowledge of the development of the typical infant, child and adolescent and explore its application in the disability and education sectors, screening, and health promotion. Graduates will be encouraged to be future leaders in their rural communities through improved communication skills and increased understanding of the rural health sector and its context in paediatric practice. They will have increased understanding of family centred practice, indigenous Australians’ knowledge, culture and values, and gain insight into the diversity of culture in families displaced from their countries and the effect on all of these to good health and well-being of infants, children and adolescents.

To satisfy the requirements of the Specialist Certificate in Rural Paediatric Practice students must successfully complete the following two subjects (each 12.5 credit points) for a total of 25 points.

Core Subjects

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria –

• An undergraduate degree in a health profession, science or social science, and at least two years documented relevant work and/or professional experience.

2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews and tests and may call for referee reports or employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Overview, Objectives and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

• Academic excellence.
• Knowledgeable across disciplines.
• Leaders in communities.
• Attuned to cultural diversity.
• Active global citizens.

Please refer to the subjects offered in this course.