PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The majority of conditions requiring surgical intervention can be diagnosed and treated in primary care – if the general practitioner has the skills and confidence to do so. With Medicare rebates remaining low for consultations and the cost of providing medical care increasing, performing clinical procedures in your practice will not only reduce unnecessary referrals to surgeons and public hospitals but will also increase your revenue and make you a referral option for your colleagues. The Professional and Advanced Certificate courses teach a range of foundation and advanced procedures, including the management of a variety of commonly encountered surgical problems, local anaesthetic approaches, post-operative care, various suturing techniques, and temporary and permanent
contraception.
Doctors who wish to qualify for the Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures must complete three Advanced Workshops: Joint Puncture and Soft Tissue Injections, Non-Scalpel Vasectomy and Intrauterine Systems. All workshops can also be completed individually.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE OF CLINICAL PROCEDURES
The Professional Certificate will teach you a broad range of surgical procedures, local anaesthetic approaches, post-operative care, and various suturing techniques.
ADVANCED WORKSHOPS OF CLINICAL PROCEDURES
The one-day workshops cover highly sought-after services in primary care, and can be completed individually or as part of the Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures.
Joint and Soft Tissue Injections
Non-Scalpel Vasectomy
Intrauterine Systems
ADVANCED CERTIFICATE OF CLINICAL PROCEDURES
The Advanced Certificate will consolidate your procedural knowledge and teach you the most advanced clinic-based procedures. The certificate course consists of three Advanced Workshops covering highly sought-after services in primary care: Joint and Soft Tissue Injections (stage 1), Non-Scalpel Vasectomy (stage 2) and Intrauterine Systems (stage 3).
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND COURSE REQUISITES
The Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures is for general practitioners and the nurses and dermal therapists who work under their supervision. The Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures is for general practitioners only.
- No previous formal training is required for the Professional Certificate course.
- Participants of the Advanced Certificate course must complete the Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures and previous experience in clinical procedures is recommended.
PROGRAM CONTENTS
Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures
- Lacerations, leg
ulcers and lipomas - Abscesses and sebaceous cysts
- Foreign bodies
- Ingrown toenails
- Warts, skin lesions and
haematomas - Haemorrhoids and anal-rectal conditions
- Aseptic technique
- Local anaesthesia
- Simple and advanced suturing
- Post-operative care and dressing selection
Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures
- Anatomy of joints, the inguinal region, the female genital tract, and the skin
- Joint puncture and joint tissue injections
- Fitting and removing an IUD
- Non-scalpel vasectomy procedures
- Management of complications
- Advanced surgical planning and post-operative care
The certificate course consists of three Advanced Workshops covering highly sought-after services in primary care: Joint Puncture and Soft Tissue Injections (stage 1), Non-Scalpel Vasectomy (stage 2) and Intrauterine Systems (stage 3).
Advanced Workshops of Clinical Procedures
All workshops can be completed individually or as part of the Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures.
Joint Puncture and Soft Tissue Injections
- Principles of joint puncture
- Principles of soft tissue injections
- Joint anatomy and safe treatment
- Local anaesthesia and safe practices
- Specific conditions that require joint puncture and soft tissue injections
Non-Scalpel Vasectomy
- Process of non-scalpel vasectomy procedures
- Safety rules to avoid complications
- Determining the necessary equipment
- Planning patient counselling
- Analysing patient case scenarios
Intrauterine Systems
- Process of intrauterine procedures
- Safety rules to avoid complications
- Determining the necessary equipment
- Planning patient counselling
- Analysing patient case scenarios

A/Prof Maurice Brygel
FRACS
General Surgeon and Lecturer, Royal Australian College of Surgeons
Associate Professor Maurice Brygel is a Melbourne general surgeon who is a pioneer in day surgery hernia repair, having performed over 10,000 hernia operations. He became known as the "hernia king" after establishing the Melbourne Hernia Clinic at Masada and Cabrini hospitals. Maurice also teaches hands-on surgical office skills, which led to him producing and presenting certificate courses in clinical procedures with HealthCert over the last five years.
Maurice teaches at Notre Dame Medical School, Cabrini, the Alfred, and the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. Maurice has published extensively on hernias and authored several multimedia books including “The Video Book of Surgery” and “Exploring Essential Surgery” with the Mcgraw Hill Access Surgery and Medicine.

Dr Gerard Ahern
MBBS

Dr Nelum Dharmapriya
MBChB(UK), MRCP, FRACGP
General Practitioner at Narangba Doctors, Queensland
Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UK (DRCOG) 2000
Diploma of Family planning and Sexual Health Medicine, UK (DFFP) 2003
Obtained Letter of Competence in Intrauterine Techniques by FFPRHC, 2003

Dr Peter Milne
MBBS
Vascular, Endovascular & Laser Surgeon, Melbourne Vascular Surgery Unit, Cabrini Medical Centre, Victoria
Dr Peter Milne originally trained in general surgery but has specialised in vascular surgery since 1977. Peter was trained in Cardiovascular Surgery at the Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas and in Vascular Surgery at Royal Melbourne and Epsom District Hospitals. He established the Melbourne Vascular Surgery Unit in 1985.
Peter’s expertise and special interests include aneurysm repair by open surgery and endovascular means, and carotid surgery for stroke prevention with carotid artery stenting. He also performs limb bypass surgery as well as minimally invasive techniques of angioplasty and stenting. Another speciality of Peter’s is varicose vein treatment by surgery, laser and sclerotherapy including embolisation for pelvic congestion.

Dr Peter Grossberg
FRAC, MBBS
Senior Surgeon and Lecturer, Box Hill Hospital Melbourne
Dr Peter Grossberg is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and has a Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. He practices as a general surgeon and an Endoscopist in Cabrini Hospital, Malvern with extensive experience in general surgery, endoscopy, and laparoscopic surgery especially laparoscopic hernia surgery. Peter has been an examiner in surgical education at the undergraduate and postgraduate level for the past 35 years. He runs workshops for surgical trainees and GPs, particularly in office procedures.
Peter has been a senior lecturer in surgery at Monash and Melbourne Universities and continues to be involved in teaching and examination at the postgraduate level for anatomy at the University of Melbourne. He has been a Senior Surgeon, Head of Unit and Chairman of the Division of Surgery at Boxx Hill Hospital for the past eight years.

Dr Raj Selvarajan
MBBS, MRCS(Ed), MRCGP, FRACGP
Course Director and Scalpel Free Vasectomist
Dr Raj Selvarajan is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Following his training in non-scalpel vasectomy, Raj established No Scalpel Vasectomy Service in north-eastern England in 2007. He subsequently led a non-profit social enterprise organisation, NECHN, and set up non-scalpel vasectomy clinics in Tamworth, Midlands, UK and Leicester City, UK. As an experienced vasectomist, Raj peer-reviewed other non-scalpel vasectomy services in the UK. Specialising and innovating the scalpel free vasectomy technique, he is the lead trainer in Australia and operates Scalpel Free Vasectomy clinics in Brisbane and Mackay.
Melbourne
22 - 23 February 2020
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Professional CertificateREGISTER NOW
Joint WorkshopREGISTER NOW
Sydney
19 - 20 September 2020
International Convention Centre Sydney
Professional CertificateREGISTER NOW
Joint WorkshopREGISTER NOW
Brisbane
21 - 22 November 2020
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Center
Non-Scalpel VasectomyREGISTER NOW
Intrauterine SystemsREGISTER NOW
COURSE FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS
Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures
REGULAR TUITION FEE
$3,195
Different payment options available.
EARLY BIRD RATE
$2,995
Register 30 days prior to the course commencement date.
DEFERRED PAYMENT
$845 x 4
Defer your payments over several months.
GP REGISTRARS: Doctors in training who are on a recognised pathway to General Practice Registration through a recognised training provider receive a HealthCert Scholarship of $500.
COURSE FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS
Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures
Regular Tuition Fee
$3,485
Different payment options available.
Early Bird Rate
$3,385
Register 30 days prior to the course commencement date.
Deferred Payment
$925 x 4
Defer your payments over several months.
FEES INCLUDE: The fees include the Advanced Workshops in Joint Puncture and Soft Tissue Injections, Non-Scalpel Vasectomy and Intrauterine Procedures.
GP REGISTRARS: Doctors in training who are on a recognised pathway to General Practice Registration through a recognised Australian training provider receive a HealthCert Scholarship of $300.
PROGRAM DELIVERY AND ASSESSMENT
Professional and Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures
The certificate courses are delivered face-to-face in a small group setting with experienced clinicians and consist of highly practical sessions with supporting theory. Participants are required to complete short pre-course activities and post-course online assessments. All courses include a digital workbook with all presentation slides, tools and consumables for the practical sessions, and access to additional learning resources, reference materials and video lectures. You will also gain access to regular online learning sessions with the speakers and have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have as you implement your learning.
Online assessment
In order to meet the requirements of professional and academic learning, the course assessment includes professional requirements and two online examinations.
- Develop a report/explanation of how the learning from this course will help you with your professional development. - All certificate levels
- Complete a literature review of three articles nominated by the course chair. - Advanced Certificate only
- There is a knowledge-based examination and an application-based examination which are both equally weighted. It is therefore not possible to pass this course on knowledge alone; knowledge must be successfully applied to patient cases in order to pass the course. The pass mark for online examinations is 80 per cent. - All certificate levels
HealthCert recommends completion of all requirements at your convenience within three months of the completion of the course.
CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION
Upon successful completion of the exam, course participants will receive:
RACGP and ACRRM points pending. RACGP and ACRRM have revised their accreditation processes and recognitions will be updated as soon as they are received.
This program:
- Provides CPD points from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
- Provides PRPD points from the Australian Council of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
- Is recognised by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP).
- Is recognised by the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians (HKCFP). The HKCFP recognises all courses
endorsed by the RACGP. Points are calculated differently. - Is a self-submitted activity in Dubai. The number of CPD points must be stated on the certificate. Please contact PLD@dhcr.gov.ae for more information.
- Is a self-submitted activity in the UK. CPD events overseas, applicable to a doctor’s scope of practice, may be submitted for revalidation. Please confirm with your Responsible Officer.
- Is a self-submitted activity in Canada through the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Category 1 points are reported as certified and Category 2 points are reported as non-certified. Contact mainprocredits@cfpc.ca for more information.
- Meets World Federation of Medical Education standards.
- Is quality-assured by Bond University (Professional Certificate only).
- Qualifies for Clinical Attachment in France at the University of Lyon (Professional Certificate only).
- Qualifies for Clinical Attachment in Austria at the University of Vienna (Professional Certificate only).
- Qualifies for Clinical Attachment in Intrauterine Systems (Advanced Certificate only).
- Has been independently developed with subject specialists and does not receive education grants from any pharmaceutical company.
EDUCATION PATHWAYS
Postgraduate Diploma in Minor Surgery studied through the Rila Institute of Health Sciences and awarded by the University of Plymouth (UK).
There are three modules in the Postgraduate Diploma. Medical professionals who successfully complete the HealthCert Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures and the Advanced Certificate of Clinical Procedures will be eligible to apply for Accreditation of Prior Certified Learning (APCL) for module 2.
The Postgraduate Diploma is mainly delivered online. No practical workshops will be required due to the APCL from the HealthCert qualifications. Overall there will be a time saving of 40 per cent of the postgraduate program due to the APCL. Exams will be held in Perth, Western Australia.
When the Postgraduate Diploma has been successfully completed, doctors can apply for credit from the Postgraduate Diploma to the Master of Science in the specialism awarded by the University of Plymouth.
Upcoming intake dates are 6 February 2019 and 24 September 2019. For more information please click here.
Certified Clinical Attachments Pathway
Clinical Attachments are optional and available on a 1:1 basis. These provide the opportunity to observe clinical procedures and ask questions of the expert performing the procedures. Clinical Attachments are available for Skin Cancer Surgery (only for graduates of the Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures). These are available in Australia and overseas. The clinical attachments are 1:1 in Australia and they are in small groups at university teaching hospitals and clinics overseas. HealthCert certificates and university statements are awarded for participating in clinical attachments.



