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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Postgraduate Certificates
5. Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Online)

Course Fact File

Code	PCACI
Duration	1 Year
Teaching Mode	Part-Time
Qualifications	PG Cert
NFQ Level	Level 9
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 30 June. Early application is advised.
Course Delivery Method	Online
Start Date	9 September 2024

Course Outline

Our Postgraduate Certificate in Allergy and Clinical Immunology is the first of three courses providing postgraduate training in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at UCC. The Certificate is a part-time fully online course open to healthcare professionals from different backgrounds including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, speech and language, audiology, physiotherapy, psychology, dietetics, nutrition, and social studies.

Allergy is a major topic among the medical community and among the general population. Asthma and eczema are the most common chronic conditions of childhood, and the spectrum of these conditions affect 40% of the population (HSE National Programme). As noted by our Programme Coordinator, Dr Juan Trujillo, Paediatric Allergist at Cork University Hospital (CUH):

The burden of allergic and immunological diseases such as asthma, hay fever and food allergy have a major impact the quality of life of children and adults ...

In order to address the necessity of health professionals to be more familiar with the allergy and clinical immunology field, this Certificate is the first in a suite of three postgraduate courses that have been developed by the College of Medicine and Health at University College Cork.

Many allergy and immunological related issues can be managed in the community by GPs and allied health professionals. However, despite a growing demand among such health professionals for increased access to learning in allergy and immunology, opportunities are not available. These courses will provide you with access to this essential training and understanding of Allergy and Clinical Immunology problems in society today.

Allergy and Clinical Immunology Programme

The Postgraduate Certificate is delivered entirely online and is the first of three courses providing postgraduate training in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. We believe that many established professionals from multiple disciplines will benefit from this suite of courses as part of their Continued Professional Development (CPD).

All students register for a Postgraduate Certificate in Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the first instance. On successful completion of the Certificate programme you will be eligible to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma in Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the following year. You can progress to the MSc Allergy and Clinical Immunology course after successful completion of the Diploma.

Year 1 - PG Certificate in Allergy and Clinical Immunology

The Certificate consists of three 10-credit modules in total. Students who complete the Certificate may progress to the Diploma (additional 30 credits), which builds on the knowledge base gained in the Certificate. On completion of the Diploma, students may progress to the MSc, completing a 30-credit research dissertation. 

The Allergy and Clinical Immunology Certificate offers a sound theoretical background to the principles of evidence-based medicine and critical evaluation, and broad coverage of the scientific basis of allergy and immunologic diseases. In Year 1 Certificate students take core modules to the value of 30 credits as follows:

• MH6033 Basics in Allergy and Immunology (10 credits)
• MH6034 Allergy and Immunology Skills (10 credits)
• MH6035 Allergy and Immunology Practice and Methods I (10 credits)

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Certificate you will be able to:

• Identify basic Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the most relevant principles of allergic and immunologic pathophysiology.
• Apply the skills to conduct an allergy-focused clinical history.
• Discuss the relevant allergic diseases and treatment options, with a particular focus on those elements essential for general practice management and allergy prevention. on the impact of allergic disease, from infancy to adulthood.
• Summarise the basic practice and methodology in allergy, including nutritional development and management in food allergy patients.
• Identify basic diagnostic tests such as allergy tests, pulmonary function tests, anaphylaxis management, and inhaler techniques.

Year 2 - PG Diploma in Allergy and Clinical Immunology

The Allergy and Clinical Immunology Diploma is a part-time online course completed over one academic year after finishing the Postgraduate Certificate.

The Diploma allows our students to develop their skills in more specialised subjects directed towards their own practice. Students will also be introduced to Allergy and Clinical Immunology research methodology and techniques, how to design a research project, data analysis and presentation, literature searching, critical appraisal and presentation of work for publication. In Year 2 Diploma students take 30 credits as follows:

Core Modules (20 credits)

• MH6036 Research Methods (10 credits)
• MH6037 Allergy and Clinical Immunology Practice & Methods II (10 credits)

Elective Modules (choose 10 credits)

• MH6038 Allergy and Clinical Immunology Focused on Primary Care (5 credits)
• MH6039 Allergy and Immunology: The Nurse’s and Dietetics Perspective (5 credits)
• MH6040 Immunology Laboratory Research Applied to the Clinic (5 credits)

Year 3 - MSc in Allergy and Clinical Immunology

The MSc in Allergy and Clinical Immunology is a part-time online course completed one year after finishing the Postgraduate Diploma in Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The MSc builds upon the Certificate and Diploma and aims to provide students from a range of professional backgrounds with knowledge and skills to allow them to undertake research in allergy and immunology, and produce real-time changes in their clinical practice. In Year 3 MSc students complete a dissertation to the value of 30 credits:

• MH6041 Dissertation in Allergy and Clinical Immunology (30 credits)

Course Practicalities

Most classes are held via UCC’s e-learning platform Canvas during the academic year. In addition to structured contact time, students perform approximately 450 hours of self-directed learning, submitting module assignments and reports.

There is no work placement in this programme, but candidates should ideally be working in clinical practice.

Why Choose This Course

Allergy and Clinical Immunology is an important field in medicine that is not represented in Ireland in comparison to other European countries. This means that there are fewer opportunities to acquire sufficient knowledge needed to prevent, diagnose, and treat the Irish population and beyond.

Our Allergy and Clinical Immunology programme is the first in Ireland that can be completed in a fully online format. This is likely to suit doctors and many healthcare professionals that might have difficulty getting a substantial amount of time off work to attend only face-to-face sessions.

If you are an international student this programme enables you the opportunity to have an EU university degree with all the advantages of becoming part of our well-renowned facility at University College Cork.

Placement or Study Abroad Information

There is no clinical placement in this online programme, but candidates should ideally be working in clinical practice. However, while there are no placements within the course design, the faculty are available to advise regarding such opportunities within their professional experience.

Skills and Careers Information

In today’s competitive workforce, higher professional qualifications are an essential part of professional development and career advancement. Our programme will contribute to your Continued Professional Development (CPD) competence requirements and provide you with the skills and competencies necessary to confidently care for a person with allergy and immunological conditions. In addition, these courses will enable you to assume a position in your workplace with a focus on Allergy and Clinical Immunology patients and meet the demand for specialists in this area. As noted in the HSE National Programme:

To date, there has been no strategy to develop allergy services in Ireland. Paediatric Allergy is the most underdeveloped of all paediatric services ...

Requirements

1. A primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in a relevant health care discipline such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, speech and language, audiology, physiotherapy, psychology, dietetics, nutrition, and social studies.
2. Ideally, applicants should have at least one year’s practical experience in their area of qualification.
3. Applicants who do not hold a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) may also be accepted under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) subject to a review of their training and professional experience. An interview may also be required under these circumstances.

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 30 June. Early application is advised.

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