Pain Management

Entry requirements

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entrance requirement, including English language requirements, applicants must:

• Hold a UK higher education qualification, minimum of a BSc (Hons) grade 2:2 or above, from a UK institution with relevant degree awarding powers as detailed by the Department of Education and Skills; or
• Be able to demonstrate that they have held for a minimum of two years a position of responsibility of relevance to the proposed programme; and
• Be working in a clinical area that is relevant to the programme they are undertaking for the full duration of their studies.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MSc Degree in Pain Management is an inter-professional, e-learning programme intended for health care professionals who want to specialise in the field of pain management. It is also aimed at educationalists to provide the appropriate knowledge and expertise on pain to teach others from various disciplines.

Pain is a multidimensional phenomenon and as such needs to be managed through multidisciplinary initiatives. These initiatives must be based on specialist knowledge, rigorous research and an advanced understanding of the physiological and behavioural concepts involved.

This two-year course begins by introducing you to the multifaceted nature of caring for patients who have pain. The modules are designed to provide you with the ability to understand the biopsychosocial aspects of pain and to evaluate the various approaches to assessing and managing patients in pain. Professional issues, including clinical governance and inter-professional practice, will be covered. The course is suitable for the needs of primary, secondary and tertiary care professionals.

E-learning assessment strategies enable students to focus on their areas of interest and are structured to allow students to evaluate the topic in relation to their practice and professional base.

Approximately 40 places are offered each year and the majority of students are self-funded, though some obtain awards from charities and trusts. The course takes two years to complete inclusive of the dissertation component (nine months for the postgraduate certificate stage; nine months for the postgraduate diploma stage and a further six months for the dissertation stage).

There are no residential components in this course as it is purely e-learning - so there is no requirement to travel to Cardiff for course purposes.