Specialist Certificate in Practice of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Effective practitioners of public health require sound laboratory, clinical and field skills to confidently work in tropical health settings. This 25-point Specialist Certificate, available to previous graduates of the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene or equivalent, enables students to refresh or gain real skills through hands-on activities and experience over a four-week period in Thailand, hosted by Mahidol University’s Faculty of Tropical Medicine. Students will become familiar with a tropical health laboratory practice as they prepare, view, and recognise an unparalleled range of live and fixed laboratory specimens relating to tropical disease.

Three field trips will be held in different parts of Thailand on different aspects of tropical health:

1. Clinical.
2. Health care system and hygiene, including primary health care
3. Parasitological.

In the field students will:

• examine patients of diverse backgrounds in clinic and hospital settings, diagnose common and rare tropical diseases and create effective treatment and management plans.
• experience primary health care, the work of rural health volunteers, and the impact of livelihoods and nutrition programs on the health of rural families and communities.
• engage in parasitological collection/surveys, including for malaria, employing a variety of means and conducting examination of these in a field laboratory.

In addition, students will:

• learn from the long-standing experience of high level tropical health experts,
• interact with other local and international students undertaking tropical health studies, and
• experience firsthand, and analyse the impact of environmental, structural and cultural factors in a tropical setting.

Please note, in addition to the course fee, students are required to cover costs of international travel and some accommodation in Bangkok. Explanation and guidance will be given to students in this regard.

By the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

• prepare, view and recognise light microscopy (and other) specimens relevant to tropical disease
• examine patients in clinic and hospital settings, diagnose tropical diseases and create effective treatment and management plans
• design and conduct field surveys for malaria and other tropical disease and disease vectors
• incorporate the expressed experience of tropical health experts into their own practice.
• critically analyse the impact of environmental, structural and cultural factors on health in a tropical setting

This course is based on a core 25-point subject, “Practice of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene”. The subject is taught at Level 8 of the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Core subject

1. Successful completion of the Graduate Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene or equivalent

2. The Course’s Selection Committee will evaluate each applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria:

• submission of academic relevant endorsed academic transcript

• verification of graduation with the applicant’s reported medical/nursing school of graduation.

• verification of the applicant’s English language ability: e.g. IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0), or equivalent

The course contains a four-week compulsory overseas component (1 x 25 credit point subject). Students must be able to attend this component and cover the additional costs relating to travel and accommodation.

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 Description, Course Outcomes and Generic Skills 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.

The Melbourne Experience, enables our graduates to become:

- Academically excellent: have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship; have in-depth knowledge of tropical medicine and hygiene; reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication; be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning; be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies.

- Knowledgeable across disciplines relevant to tropical and global health: examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across these disciplines; expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in various relevant subjects and settings; have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems; have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.

- Leaders in communities: initiate and implement constructive change in communities, including professions and workplaces; have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations; mentor future generations of learners; engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs

- Attuned to cultural diversity: value different cultures; be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work; have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community; respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values;

- Active global citizens: accept social and civic responsibilities; be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment.

The Specialist Certificate in Practice of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene will allow students to develop skills in:

- Critical thinking and analysis

- Working with others and in teams

- Initiative, autonomy and organisation

- Problem-solving

- Oral communication

- Finding, evaluating and using relevant information

- Written communication

- Decision-making

- Leadership

- Persuasion and argumentation

- Using computers and relevant software