Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures

COURSE CONTENTS

This course is designed to assist Medical Doctors in developing confidence in various procedures and understanding their limitations without further practical experience.

The common surgical problems often encountered in primary care, such as ingrown toenails, foreign bodies, lacerations and sebaceous cysts, can be readily dealt within general practice. This program demonstrates and practises a range of surgical procedures, local anaesthetic approaches, post-operative care and more complex suturing with valuable tips on obtaining good cosmetic outcomes. All techniques are demonstrated in expertly filmed videos from A/Prof Brygel's extensive media collection and are practised on models and wet specimens in the optional practical workshop.

In the management of ingrown toenails, successful surgical treatment depends on obtaining satisfactory local anaesthesia. The program teaches digital blocks to enable surgical correction and addresses other nail conditions such as acute paronychia abscess and subungual haematoma. The surgery ranges from removal of the nail edge, avulsion of the whole nail in selected cases, and more complex wedge resection. The increase in the popular use of Phenol ablation is also demonstrated and informed consent, safety precautions and multiple attempts at post-operative care are covered in detail.

Hands and feet are common sites for splinters, nails and other objects to be embedded. Apart from local anaesthetic and surgical approaches to a diverse variety of problems, the course addresses the management of the wound and possible infections.

Lacerations can range from a simple clean cut to a dirty, potentially infected wound. The program offers an overview on the management of different lacerations with the aim to obtain primary closure. Debridement of the wound is also demonstrated and practiced in the optional workshop to give the practitioner the ability to cope with the most type of lacerations in a primary care setting.

Sebaceous and pilar cysts are ubiquitous and can occur anywhere on the body. They may present as an infection or abscess around a previous lump. The course demonstrates local anaesthetic techniques in both the non-infected and infected sebaceous cyst with abscess, and addresses several surgical methods depending on the sites on the body, the severity of the infection and the skill and experience of the practitioner. Particular care is taken to demonstrate the management of the resultant cavity following the removal of a cyst and instructions are given to avoid damage to underlying structures.

The experienced course presenters also show how to manage subcutaneous lipomata and share tips and tricks on doing this procedure simply and avoiding excessive bleeding.

The course also discusses the treatment of haemorrhoids and anorectal conditions. The anorectal program will use power point presentations and video to visualize the common or important anal-related conditions, including haemorrhoids, haematoma, abscess, fistula, fissure, and warts. In diagnosing these conditions, it is very important to differentiate them from more sinister problems. The anatomical and pathological basis are presented, in particular, the classification of haemorrhoids and the development of a fistula. The history with appropriate examination is usually sufficient to give a precise diagnosis. 

• Lacerations, leg ulcers and lipomas
• Abscesses and sebaceous cysts
• Foreign bodies
• Ingrown toenails
• Warts, skin lesions and haematomas
• Haemorrhoids and anal-rectal conditions
• Local anaesthesia
• Simple and advanced suturing
• Post-operative care and dressing selection

All topics are covered online and during the web live tutorials. *These topics are also covered during the hands-on practical sessions in the optional skills workshop. Course graduates also receive ongoing post-course support through regular alumni webinars.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND COURSE REQUISITES

The Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures is ideal for Medical Doctors and International Medical Graduates, nurse practitioners and VR doctors who wish to further their surgical office-based knowledge by gaining an intermediate level understanding of a variety of common problems requiring surgical intervention.

The course assumes no prior knowledge or training in the field. Participants do not have to pass an IELTS test but, as the courses are delivered in English, proficiency in listening, reading and writing in English is assumed.

ASSESSMENT

Online assessment

In order to meet the requirements of professional and academic learning, the course assessment includes two online examinations:

• 88 knowledge questions based on a scenario of a medical practitioner undertaking special interest training.
  • 11 per module
    Example: The medical practitioner believes that 10% of the population … Is he correct? Yes/No
• 88 authentic scenario based questions based on cases of patient care at a clinic.
  
  • 11 per module
    Example: A patient arrives at your clinic with this problem … What should you do? Multiple choice images based on patient cases.

The knowledge-based examination is worth 50 per cent and the application-based examination is worth 50 per cent. The overall pass mark is 80 per cent. 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.

CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION

Upon successful completion of the course requirements, course participants will receive the Professional Certificate of Clinical Procedures certificate and below points. You will also receive CPD recognition for the optional practical workshop; you will need to apply to your college, and the awarding of any CPD points will be at their discretion. To learn more about the delivery of certificates in Australia and overseas, please visit our FAQs.

This certificate course:

• Provides CPD points from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
• Provides PDP 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.
• Qualifies for Clinical Attachment in France at the University of Lyon.
• Qualifies for Clinical Attachment in Austria at the University of Vienna.
• 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 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.