Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education

Purpose

The primary purpose of the qualification is to enable working professionals in the health care environment to undertake advanced reflection and development by means of a systematic survey of current thinking, practice and research methods in the area of Health Professions Education.

This qualification demands a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence, as well as the ability to relate knowledge to a range of contexts in order to undertake professional or highly skilled work. The qualification enables health professionals to reflect critically on the theory and practice of teaching and training in the health professions and specifically in the clinical context to ensure that the health professionals they educate and train are competently prepared to meet the health needs of the country and comply with global standards.

The qualification strives to deliver graduates who can contribute to the application and management of knowledge at an advanced level so that they can be empowered to be competent health professions education specialists, leaders and authorities in the field of health professions education, training and development. The main purpose of the qualification thus is to deliver leaners who are prepared for specialised professional employment in a research-driven, knowledge-oriented health sciences education and training context.

Rationale

The rationale for this specialist qualification for health professionals is to counter the lack of health sciences education grounding in teachers/educators/trainers in the Health Sciences Professions. On the premise of the global principles for teachers and trainers in health professions education (cf. World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and World Health Organization (WHO)), this qualification was designed to satisfy the dire need in health sciences in South Africa, inter alia to:

• Design and implement health professions curricula based on national needs.
• Design and implement relevant health sciences education and training settings.
• Promote and practice lifelong, active learning and professional development in health sciences education and training with special reference to the unique needs in the field.
• Teach, promote and practice competency-based and evidence-based research, education and training.
• Train health professionals as health professions educators and trainers.
• Promote multi-professional education and training in the multi-disciplinary field of health professions education.
• Practice and promote Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with a view to reregistration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

The Cape Town Declaration (1995) (cf. WHO & WFME) requested every health sciences faculty to establish health sciences educational units which could oversee the proper education and training of professionals in medical/health sciences education, and through that become mechanisms in promoting, coordinating and evaluating health sciences education and reform.

The unique, professional character and nature, approaches, methods and techniques, the nature of the contents of qualifications, and the role of the HPCSA make this a specialist field. The need for health professionals in South Africa is common knowledge, and to ensure that their education and training are of the highest standards and comparable with global standards, the professionals who teach and train in our health sciences institutions must be fully equipped not only as professionals in their field but be able to apply educational principles and innovative methodologies in their teaching and training. Therefore, the rationale for the qualification can be summarised as a striving to prepare academic staff in health professions with a sound background in and knowledge of Health Professions Education (HPE) for their instructional roles according to the guidelines of the HPCSA and within the context of their real-world experience of teaching and training students in the health professions sciences.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Where learners do not meet the minimum admission requirements, RPL may be used to grant access to the qualification. RPL will be applied according to the Recognition of Prior Learning, Credit Accumulation and Transfer, and Assessment policy. This will relate to both access to the qualification as well as for credit recognition or exemption towards achieving the qualification.

The institution will ensure that quality assurance processes that address the specificities of the RPL process (including applications, assessment, and reporting and management systems) are implemented; and that administrative and support systems, both prior and subsequent to RPL assessment, are in place.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• A Bachelor's Degree in Health at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following elective modules at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 8

Choose Six modules to total 120 Credits

• Orientation to the development of professional skills in the health professions, 20 Credits.
• Basic principles of management in health professions education and health care institutions, 20 Credits.
• Basic principles of programme development, design and assessment for health professions education and training, 20 Credits.
• Orientation to community service learning, community-based education, inter-disciplinary education and primary health care, 20 Credits.
• Introduction to quality assurance in health professions education, 20 Credits.
• Introduction to concepts of learning in health sciences, 20 Credits.
• Orientation to health professions education and training, 20 Credits.
• Orientation to health professions education and training: teaching, learning and assessment in the preclinical, clinical and internship years, 20 Credits.
• Introduction to basic research in health professions, 20 Credits.

1. Demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the philosophy and basic principles of health professions education.
2. Demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of health profession learner characteristics and needs, that is, in the context of teaching learning in Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).
3. Demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of and skills in the facilitation of teaching, training and student learning processes, and the use of educational media and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for health professions education.
4. Demonstrate the ability to review, design, implement and assess programmes/modules/curricula in health professions education.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of and skills in quality assurance in health professions education.
6. Demonstrate the ability to present and communicate academic and professional contents, ideas and texts effectively to a range of audiences, offering creative insights, interpretations and solutions to problems.

• Identify and develop own learning strategies to sustain independent lifelong learning, and cooperate and interact effectively with learning and professional groups to enhance knowledge and foster development in health professions education and training.
• Identify and address ethical issues in educational, training, academic and professional contexts.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of selecting and applying research procedures, processes and techniques to unfamiliar problems in a specialised field such as health professions education.
• Demonstrate a background to the knowledge and skills required for health professions education research.
• Demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of teaching-learning and assessment processes and underlying principles in Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

Integrated Assessment

The institutions assessment policy, guidelines and approach are adhered to. An integrated and continuing assessment approach is followed. Formative, integrated assessment and summative assessment: Module assessments entail formative and/or portfolio assessments, the formative and/or summative assessment of assignments, practical demonstrations, reflective papers, group work and oral presentations. In all assessments learners must demonstrate to which extent the achievement of set learning outcomes has been attained. A module credit system applies, that is, promotion applies in modules (i.e. Learners who achieve more than 65% need not sit for the summative assessment). If applicable, a written examination is taken for summative assessment of the modules. All assessments are based on the outcomes and linked to the learner's area of education and training in the health professions. Formative assessments: Negotiated or contracted assignments related to the learner's position/role/teaching-training in HPE; may include components of peer assessment; portfolios, discussions, group work, practical demonstrations, reflective papers. A module credit system is valid, i.e. promotion is possible, and, when applicable, the final assessment comprises a written examination and/or oral presentation.