New: RCPSG Postgraduate Diploma in Travel Medicine

The Covid-19 pandemic has had significant impact on travel medicine practice and practitioners alike. When travellers return for advice in abundance, good care by well-trained practitioners will be more important than ever. This course has been designed in line with the Faculty of Travel Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow’s publications Good Practice Guidance for Providing a Travel Health Service and Recommendations for the Practice of Travel Medicine.

The aim of this course is to develop and support healthcare professionals in their role as travel medicine practitioners. It offers an academic base that assists individuals to become autonomous and reflective practitioners in the delivery of travel medicine services.

The RCPSG Postgraduate Diploma in Travel Medicine will complement the College’s existing suite of travel medicine academic courses, which include a Professional Development Certificate in Travel Medicine and a Postgraduate Diploma in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine.

About the course

This course consists of eight postgraduate modules delivered over a period of 18 months and will be delivered by specialists in the travel medicine field using a blended model of two residential elements and online interactive learning.

This format allows students to benefit from international tutors and speakers. The course has a credit rating from Glasgow Caledonian University for 120 credits at master's level 11 on the Scottish Credit Qualification Framework (SCQF), and the diploma is awarded by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Assessment is through stimulating academic pieces of work submitted at the end of each module and although there are no written exams required, there will be Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) towards the end of the study assessing practitioners’ clinical skills and knowledge. The course covers a broad range of subjects designed to cover all areas of travel medicine practice including:

• Epidemiology, immunology and travel risk assessment;
• Non-vector-borne infections;
• Vector-borne infections;
• Environmental factors and travel;
• Research methods;
• The complex traveller – pre- and post-travel;
• Medical conditions and travel;
• Governance, legal and ethical considerations.

Students will be supported by advisers, attend monthly online seminars and have access to an extensive range of interactive materials on a modern digital learning platform. Successful students will also be eligible to be admitted to the College as Members of the Faculty of Travel Medicine and to use the post nominal MFTM RCPS(Glasg).

Students will attend and contribute to online educational and peer support platforms. Cohort one will begin on 31 January 2022 with a week of learning and, due to Covid-19 restrictions, this first week will be remotely delivered. The second residential is planned to take place from Monday 17 October 2022 to Friday 21 October 2022 and will be face-to-face in the UK (Glasgow). Given the uncertainties around travel that currently exist, it will be possible for delegates to choose to join the residential remotely using a blended learning approach.

Course fees

The course fee for the diploma is £4,395 and this will include Affiliate Membership of the Faculty of Travel Medicine, and access to TRAVAX for the duration of the course.

Once accepted onto the course, a deposit of approximately 10% of the course fee will be due to hold your place on the course with the remaining payment made over two further instalments in December 2021 and Summer 2022.

Academic requirements

In order to join the course, you are required to hold a UK bachelor’s degree/bachelor’s degree (hons) or postgraduate qualification in an appropriate health-related subject or hold an equivalent international qualification from a recognised higher educational institute.

Each application is assessed on an individual basis and consideration will also be given to other academic and vocational qualifications. However, non-graduate applicants may be required to undertake a set activity to demonstrate academic ability at postgraduate level.

Professional requirements

All applicants must hold professional registration (e.g with the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council or the General Pharmaceutical Council or an international equivalent) and evidence sufficient professional or practice-based travel medicine experience as a travel health professional.

Applicants with English as a second language will be assessed for suitability during the application process.