Course summary
This programme is intended for existing health care practitioners or graduates with a science background who wish to work as part of the anaesthetic team. This programme will develop a practitioner role that enables the anaesthesia team to have more staff working differently. Presently in the UK only doctors who have had specialist training in anaesthesia can administer anaesthetics. The Anaesthesia Associate is a health professional who will expand the anaesthetic service and make operating theatres work more efficiently. You will work alongside other members of the anaesthetic team and under the supervision of your anaesthetist. The programme is studied over 27 months full-time which includes 24 months of academic study and clinical training, followed by 3 months of supervised practice. Students who have satisfactorily completed the 120 taught credits of the Postgraduate Diploma: Anaesthesia Associate will have the option of transferring to the Anaesthesia Associate MSc Programme. Award of the MSc will require the completion of an additional 60 credit Dissertation module, which would take the form of a research project of their own choosing. Please contact the programme coordinator for more details.
Modules
Introduction to clinical practice (1); introduction to clinical practice (2); introduction to anaesthesia; physics in anaesthesia; the anaesthesia machine and monitoring; the heart and circulation; the airways and lungs; the kidneys, liver, endocrine system and blood; the brain and nervous system; clinical history and examination; management of life-threatening emergencies; advanced practice.
Assessment method
Students attend the University for an induction day, exams and the mock OSCE. The final OSCE examination takes place at the Royal College of Anaesthetists in London.
Entry requirements
The programme is open to applicants from two different routes: 1. Registered health care practitioners (eg, nurses, operating department practitioners) require one or both of the following: At least three years’ full-time, post-qualification work experience in a relevant area. A first degree in a health-related subject 2. New entrants to health care (graduates or graduate equivalent) require: A biomedical science or biological science background Preferably a second-class Honours degree or better, or other evidence of recent and successful academic activity A demonstrable commitment to a career in health care
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
For more detailed information on available funding and fees for postgraduate courses please visit: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/fees-funding
Provider information
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT