COURSE OVERVIEW

Delivered by leading experts in the field, the online Professional Diploma of Women’s Health equips medical professionals with a comprehensive understanding of women’s health issues commonly seen in primary care. Exploring medical conditions and concerns pertinent to female patients, the certificate course will enable you to provide high-demand services and better meet your patients’ needs.

As consultations with female patients account for over 56 per cent of primary care consultations in Australia, the gender-specific health needs of women are a significant part of day-to-day work in general practice. This Professional Diploma course offers subspecialist-level knowledge in women’s health issues, covering crucial areas such as vaginal prolapse, incontinence, complementary medicine, family planning, pregnancy complications, eating disorders, familial risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and premature ovarian insufficiency.

This course is the final stage of the Professional Diploma of Women's Health. The education pathway is: Foundation Certificate of Women's Health, Professional Certificate of Women's Health, Advanced Certificate of Women's Health, and Professional Diploma of Women's Health. You might also be interested in the Advanced Workshop of Intrauterine Systems.

Foundation Certificate of Women's Health FREE - LEARN MORE
Professional Certificate of Women's Health LEARN MORE
Advanced Certificate of Women's Health LEARN MORE
Professional Diploma  of Women's Health   YOU ARE HERE

You might also be interested in the Advanced Workshop of Intrauterine Systems.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND COURSE REQUISITES

The Professional Diploma of Women's Health is tailored for medical doctors who wish to build on the knowledge gained from the Professional Certificate and Advanced Certificate of Women’s Health and want to improve patient outcomes by managing common women’s health issues in general practice. There will be a greater focus on difficult and complex cases in this Professional Diploma. Submission and analysis of medical practitioners’ own cases are a key feature of this course.

This course is for medical doctors and for degree-qualified nurses that work under their supervision. The prerequisite for this Professional Diploma course is the successful completion of the HealthCert Advanced Certificate of Medical Women’s Health (or a qualification deemed equivalent) and HealthCert also highly recommends successful management of at least 30 cases of women’s health issues prior to enrolment. Participants do not have to pass an IELTS test but, as the courses are delivered in English, proficiency in listening, reading and writing English is assumed.

Professional Diploma courses are at the highest level at HealthCert, so there are additional professional requirements and submission of online cases. A literature review must also be completed of journal articles.

Professionally recognised qualifications and prior studies may be recognised for entry into this course if the learning outcomes match exactly. Please ask a HealthCert Education Advisor for an individual assessment of your prior qualifications and experience.

COURSE CONTENTS

  • Vaginal prolapse and urinary incontinence
  • Complementary medicine
  • Family planning
  • Pregnancy complications
  • Familial risk of breast and ovarian cancers
  • Anorexia nervosa and bulimia
  • Premature ovarian insufficiency

Course participants will:

  • Participate in discussion boards and evaluate women’s health cases.
  • Receive access to relevant research/readings in the field.
  • Access video presentations from experts in the field with the opportunity to replay.
  • Participate in webinars with experts and professional colleagues.
  • Receive ongoing support post-course through webinars and case review.
  • Receive unlimited and ongoing access to free alumni learning resources, video lectures, and discussion forums, as well as invite-only events and special offers after completion of the course.

COURSE OUTLINE

Module 1: Vaginal prolapse and urinary incontinence

Module 2: Complementary medicine

Module 3: Family planning – Advanced 2

Module 4: Pregnancy complications – Advanced 1

Module 5: Pregnancy complications – Advanced 2

Module 6: Familial risk of breast and ovarian cancers

Module 7: Anorexia nervosa and bulimia

Module 8: Premature ovarian insufficiency

IMPORTANT DATES

online

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From $1,795

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SPECIAL RATES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS

REGISTRARS
SCHOLARSHIP

Save up to $300

For doctors in training who are on a pathway to General Practice Registration through a recognised training provider.
COURSE
BUNDLES

Save up to $455

Enrol in two or three courses within the same education pathway to optimise your savings.
DEFERRED
PAYMENTS

Monthly from $445

Enrol in one, two or three courses within a pathway now and pay later in small monthly instalments.
*The individual offers and special rates cannot be used in conjunction with any other specials. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT AVAILABLE PAYMENT OPTIONS

Meet Your Instructors

Your instructors are noted specialists in Women's Health.
Debbie Kors

A/Prof Debbie Kors

MBBS (first class honours)

General practitioner and GP supervisor

Associate Professor Debbie Kors is the founder and joint owner of a private teaching general practice in Port Macquarie, Australia. She works there as a general practitioner and GP supervisor of GP registrars and medical students.

A/Prof Kors is a passionate advocate for the profession of general practice. She is a Conjoint Associate Professor in Primary Health Care at the UNSW Rural Clinical School, Port Macquarie campus and has previously worked as a senior medical educator with North Coast GP Training. In 2010, she was nominated for and won the General Practice Education and Training GP Supervisor of the Year award.

A/Prof Kors holds a MBBS (first class honours), Fellowship of the RACGP, Masters of Family Medicine (clinical), Diploma of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Graduate Diploma of Medical Education and a Certificate of Family Planning.

Sharon Sykes

Dr Sharon Sykes

MBBS, Bachelor of Applied Science (Med Lab Sci) and a Fellowship of the RACGP

Dr Sharon Sykes works in private general practice in Port Macquarie, Australia where she is also a supervisor of GP registrars and of medical students. Dr Sykes served 18 years in the Royal Australian Air Force before becoming a general practitioner. She has a special interest in medical education and has previously worked as a medical educator for North Coast GP Training.

She holds a MBBS, Bachelor of Applied Science (Med Lab Sci) and a Fellowship of the RACGP.

Dr_Nelum_Dharmapriya

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 Nelum Dharmapriya was born in Sri Lanka. She graduated from the University of Aberdeen, UK, in 1995 and was a partner at Heaton Norris Medical Centre in Stockport, UK, for seven years. Nelum arrived in Australia in 2009 and established Narangba Doctors in 2012. She is married with two teenage boys and loves to spend time outdoors – running, cycling, travelling and reading. 

Belinda Dopita_Circle

Belinda Dopita

HGSA-Certified Genetic Counsellor, ACT Genetic Service

Master's in Genetic Counselling

ACT State Representative, Human Genetics for Australasia

 

Belinda Dopita is an HGSA certified genetic counsellor with over 19 years’ clinical experience. She completed her undergraduate degree at the ANU, and her postgraduate diploma in Genetic Counselling at Melbourne. She worked at the Center for Human Genetics in Boston, USA. After returning to Australia, Belinda completed her Master's in Genetic Counselling studying physician knowledge of newborn screening, while working at The Children's Hospital at Westmead.   

Belinda currently works at the ACT Genetic Service in both general and cancer genetics. She supports many cancer support groups and has presented at pink hope information days. Belinda also has a private practice which she founded in 2014. Her private practice has since grown, and she offers a combination of in-person appointments, skype and phone consultations. She is responsible for discussing high risk non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT), and reproductive carrier screening results Australia-wide. She has a particular interest in pre-pregnancy and prenatal genetic counselling as well as genetic testing for genes associated with cancer. 

Belinda is the current ACT state representative for the Human Genetics for Australasia and has a long history of service with the HGSA. Having a background in psychology and previously working with children in many areas, she is also interested in genetic counselling of children and young adults. 

Belinda has three children which keep her busy; she enjoys horse riding, dining out and any free time she can get.

Evangelia Francis

Dr Evangelia Francis

Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery
Bachelor in Sciences (First class Honours in Neuroscience)
Diploma in Child Health
Diploma of the Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Diploma of Family Planning & Sexual Health

Dr Evangelia (Valia) Francis is a GP. Dr Francis enjoys all aspects of General Practice but is especially interested in skin medicine, women's health and medicine of the elderly.

Originally from the coastal town of Kavala in Greece, Dr Francis is involved in teaching medical students as a Conjoint Lecturer in the Rural Medical School of Port Macquarie as well as teaching registrars. It is a very fulfilling aspect of her work that has been greatly inspired and supported by the senior educators at her practice.

When not at work, Dr Francis tries to fight waves with surf or paddle boards (so far they always win!), is training hard to become the next MasterChef winner, and enjoys reading books and learning new languages.

COURSE DELIVERY

This is a fully online course. Participants can enjoy the flexibility to study at their own pace, in their own time, within their home or office, and on their favourite mobile device. The modules are set up in such a way that participants are not required to be online at specific times but can view and replay the video lectures at their convenience.

The webinars offer the opportunity to join and interact with the presenters online in real-time but can also be viewed later. There are no face-to-face requirements for exams which can be conveniently completed online within three months of the exam opening date. With no travel, accommodation or out-of-office expenses incurred, participants can build critical skills and tailor their career while working in a busy practice or raising a family.

There are eight units in a HealthCert Professional Diploma course. The course is delivered over 15 weeks with 12 weeks of teaching followed by three weeks for revision and final examinations. The course includes online presentations from experts in the field followed by patient case discussions and decision-making. There is a final webinar prior to examinations. You will also receive valuable 12 months web-based support from the speakers and participate in regular online learning sessions with the opportunity to ask any questions you might have as you implement your learning. 

A clinical audit is a mandatory element of this professional diploma. The clinical audit will guide you to reflect on your patient management, prior to and after, increasing your knowledge through your studies at HealthCert. You will need to submit your own cases as part of the audit. If you no longer see any cases in this field, the course offers an early exit point with the Complex Certificate.

The course includes: 

  • All presentation slides available for download.
  • Access to additional learning resources, reference materials and video lectures.
  • Readings with references to peer-reviewed journal articles to keep up-to-date with developments in the field.
  • 12 month web-based support with the opportunity to ask the instructors questions while you implement your learning.

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.
  • Complete a literature review of three articles nominated by the course chair.
  • Complete a clinical audit (separately accredited) to demonstrate application of learning.

Online assessment

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

The pass mark for each exam 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.

HealthCert recommends completion of all requirements at your convenience within nine months of the commencement of the course.

CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION

Professional Diploma of Women’s HealthUpon successful completion of the exam, course participants will receive the Professional Diploma of Women's Health.

RACGP and ACRRM points pending.

 

This professional certificate:

  • 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).
  • Qualifies for professional development recognition to members of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) to remain eligible for higher Medicare item numbers for providing care around women’s health topics.
  • 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.

EDUCATION PATHWAYS

This online program consists of the Foundation Certificate, Professional Certificate, Advanced Certificate, and Professional Diploma of Women's Health.

 

Postgraduate scholarships for Women's Health 

HealthCert graduates who successfully complete the HealthCert Professional Diploma of Women's Health receive a scholarship of up to £500 (approximately $1,000) towards the Master of Science in Women's Health (to be offered in 2021). The postgraduate course is offered entirely online through DiplomaMSc in the UK and awarded by the University of South Wales. Learn more or enrol here.

 

Participation in research

HealthCert alumni have opportunities to participate in research projects conducted by leading experts in the field. Research projects and surveys are shared via the HealthCert blog which is available to HealthCert alumni.
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