Pain and Pain Management

Entry requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an appropriate health professional qualification requiring at least three years of full-time tertiary study. If your first language is not English you need to meet our English language requirements as follows: IELTS score of 6.5 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); we also accept a number of other English language tests. Due to COVID-19, we currently accept Duolingo English Test (DET), IELTS Indicator Test, and TOEFL iBT Special home Edition.

Don’t meet the English language requirements? The University of Otago Language Centre "English for Otago" programme offers a pathway for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students to meet the English language requirements for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Months of entry

February, July

Course content

In general, this qualification is intended for health professionals who have completed three years of tertiary study and already have experience in the field. The Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences (PGDipHealSc) may be taken either as a generic qualification or, more usually, with an endorsement in a specific area of specialisation.

The endorsement in Pain and Pain Management is open to medical practitioners and allied health care professionals and can be studied part-time.

It is designed to present an understanding of the importance of pain to the individual and to society, and how best to optimise its management. It provides candidates with the necessary skills to better understand and manage pain problems that pertain to their particular discipline within health care.

Papers

• MSME 704 Introduction to Pain
• MSME 708 Introduction to Pain Management
• PAIN 701 Neurobiology of Pain
• PAIN 702 Biomedical Pain Management
• PAIN 703 Psychosocial and Cultural Aspects of Pain
• Further approved paper(s) to the value of 45 points

Structure of the Programme

• The programme of study shall consist of approved papers, to the value of 120 points, which must be as specified in the schedule of endorsed options if the diploma is to be endorsed in an area of specialisation.
• With prior approval, up to two 400-level papers in a relevant or related subject offered by another university or tertiary institution may be credited to the diploma.
• The papers shall constitute a coherent and integrated programme of study in the Health Sciences discipline.

Information for international students

Otago offers students an unrivalled campus experience and a vibrant, social student culture. The majority of Otago’s 21,000 students live, work and play in Dunedin - New Zealand’s only true university city. Otago is home to over 3,000 students, from over 100 countries.

Fees and funding