MSc Skin Lesion Management

The last 50 years has produced a proliferation of innovations in healthcare aimed at enhancing quality of life, diagnostic and treatment options, as well as improving efficiency and cost effectiveness of the healthcare system. The rapid emergence of advanced skin care technologies has propelled dermatology and wound management into the high-tech end of the medical technology market which is not always supported by a robust evidence base. This module provides an overview of the adoption of innovative drugs, devices, diagnostics and services for patients with compromised skin integrity and is intended for those who would benefit from a better understanding of the process of healthcare innovation from a clinical perspective.

Who Should Attend?

This module is compulsory for the MSc Skin Integrity and Wound Management but is an optional mdoule for students on the MSc Skin Lesion Management. It will be of interest to GPs, FY1-2/ GP ST 1- 3’s, Specialist Nurses, Podiatrists, Pharmacists, and Clinical Advisors in Industry with an interest in wound care and skin conditions.

Content

Students will study a selection of topics such as:

• Global skin care trends in the 'medical marketplace'

• Commercial development/design of new medical technology products and services

• Adoption of innovative drugs, devices and diagnostics

• Cost effectiveness, affordability and value for money

• Strategies to support healthcare innovation: business plan writing, consultancy and enterprise.

• Health practitioners as Key Opinion Leaders Patients as active consumers of healthcare.

This course will explore the relationship between skin problems and their impact on mental health and well being and analyse a range of therapeutic approaches currently used to support individuals affected by a broad range of skin diseases.

The course will critically analyse the association between biological, psychological and social factors affecting people with a broad range of skin diseases to develop an understanding of the relationship between mental health and well-being and a range of skin conditions. It is taught by clinicians with experience of managing patients with psychocutaneous disorders and focuses on managing the delivery of appropriate care in primary and secondary settings.

This module will be of interest to a wide range of health professionals involved with psychological support of people with skin conditions and health professionals interested in psycho-dermatology.

The content will include:

• An introduction to neuroscience

• Relationship of skin disease to mental health & wellbeing

• Psychological factors: body image, self esteem

• Social factors: psychological well- being and quality of life

• Patient assessment & advanced communication skills

• Therapeutics & management approaches: pharmacological, psychotherapeutic complementary interventions

• Impact of interpersonal skills/engagement on therapeutic interventions

• Research & practice development related to skin disease & mental health

• Service user needs & carers role, health promotion and self help

• Multidisciplinary team working & specialist referral criteria.

Before an application is made you need to have confirmation of place being available to you, therefore please contact Kathy Radley via email in the first instance - K.Radley@herts.ac.uk 

This module aims to enable practitioners to use dermoscopic skills to separate benign from malignant skin lesions, facilitating early detection and management of skin cancer. Dermoscopy is an essential tool in the diagnosis and management of skin lesions and specialists involved in assessing pigmented lesions must use dermsocopy as part of their clinical assessment. This module, combines classroom teaching, work based learning and competency based assessment and has been developed to meet the needs of health care professionals involved regularly in the diagnosis and management of skin lesions.

Participants will need previous and ongoing regular access to large numbers of patients with skin lesions and a suitable clinical supervisor who uses dermoscopy regularly in clinical practice. A log diary of a minimum of 50 patients during the study period will form an essential part of the assessment.

These pre-requisites form part of the module entry criteria.

ENTRY CRITERIA -

Current clinical experience of a minimum of 1 year full time or equivalent in a clinical setting with access to patients with chronic skin conditions.

·         Registered Health Care Professional                                        

·         Able to attend all the required days of classroom teaching and formal assessment

·         Regular access and exposure to patients with benign and malignant skin lesions in a suitable clinical environment to be able to complete the appropriate log diary and portfolio of cases

·         Previous and ongoing experience in the management and surveillance of a range of skin lesions, including a knowledge of relevant guidance in relation to the management of skin cancer and multi-disciplinary team working

·         The HCP will work in the required clinical environment and, if not already making independent clinical decisions, will be moving towards independent clinical decision making.

Specific Clinical Criteria                                

·         The student will be regularly performing dermoscopic examinations of skin lesions in a supervised clinical learning environment

·         Be able to complete a log diary of 50 cases and a more detailed clinical portfolio of ten cases during the semester of study

·         Be in a position to take/collect their own dermoscopy photographs for the clinical portfolio working either independently or with the medical illustration department in the context of relevant legal frameworks

·         Access to a clinical supervisor that uses dermoscopy on a regular basis and is experienced in its use in the diagnosis of skin lesions; usually a dermatologist working in a specialist setting

Before an application is made you need to have confirmation of place being available to you, therefore please contact Kathy Radley via email in the first instance - K.Radley@herts.ac.uk 

This module enables clinicians to develop & consolidate skills in recognition and management of a variety of benign & malignant skin lesions. Assessment allows critical analysis of diagnostic skills & practice & critically examines patient & practice issues associated with recognition and management of skin lesions. The course is taught by experienced clinicians together with a variety of external subject specialists. Proficiency is developed during a period of supervised clinical practice & competency is assessed using a structured OSCE & development of a practice portfolio.

This module enables health professionals to develop and consolidate skills in recognition and management of a variety of skin lesions and associated conditions and is suitable for medical and non-medical practitioners in secondary care dermatology and primary care settings.

The emphasis of the course is to develop and consolidate good diagnostic skills and appropriate and timely management of skin lesions.

• Epidemiology of commonly occurring skin lesions

• Aetiology/histopathology of benign and malignant skin lesions

• Skin assessment

• Diagnostic skills and practical treatment options

• Skin lesion care pathways in the context of national guidance (NICE)

• Record keeping, photography and digital imaging

• Medico-legal and other professional issues.

Study Route: This module is compulsory for the MSc Skin Lesion Management programme and will be of interest to health care professionals who want to develop and consolidate skills in recognition and diagnosis of skin lesions such as GPs, GP registrars, experienced dermatology and skin cancer nurse specialists, community, and cancer clinicians

You will be required to identify a suitable practice supervisor who must be a registered practitioner with current knowledge and experience in diagnosis and management of benign and malignant skin lesions.

Please note that  Kathy Radley is Admissions/Programme Leader for MSc Skin lesion Management - k.radley@herts.ac.uk - the Module Leader is Jemma Coleman j.coleman3@herts.ac.uk

This module covers skills in literature searching, information retrieval, and provides the opportunity to use electronic search databases and critical appraisal of evidence. You will be expected to challenge current practice by conducting a literature search and producing critique of a published study. These skills will inform your clinical decision making.

Content: 

Includes the following:

• Understanding of the importance of evidence to inform practice and the impact of the hierarchy of evidence

• Efficient and systematic searching of appropriately identified databases

• Retrieval of research evidence to answer an agreed research question relevant to the student's programme of study

• Development of critical appraisal skills

• Applying the evidence identified to the student's own area of practice

Full time students should have had relevant and recent work experience

Note: no attendance at the University is required. This is an online module. You will need to have access to a computer from between 1230 and 1430 hrs GMT on each of the above dates to access live online taught sessions by academic staff. These sessions will be recorded for repeat viewing but it is better if you participate in person as there will be opportunity to ask questions.

The module leader is Rebecca Penzer-Hick - r.penzer-hick@herts.ac.uk 

Madeleine Flanagan is Programme Lead for MSc Dermatology - m.flanagan@herts.ac.uk and Kathy Radley is Programme Lead for MSc Skin Lesion Management - k.radley@herts.ac.uk

This module has been designed to enable students to demonstrate an extensive, detailed and critical understanding of health care related project management from both academic and professional perspectives. It will enable you to engage in independent study in order to undertake a comprehensive project plan for the introduction of a change, which will be of value to your area of work. The project will be an analysis of an issue related to your professional discipline, which will require you to explore critically the relevant literature, developing new insights and perspectives. Ideally, this should be a proposal for a project you wish to implement in the future.

Key content is delivered face to face and online on 3 days teaching to guide you through this project. You will also be supported by an individual supervisor but as this project is the final module for the majority of students it represents a culmination of the knowledge and skills learnt during your postgraduate studies and is student led. Some sessions will be live to encourage participation and exchange of ideas but will be recorded so they can be viewed at a later date.     

This module has been designed to enable students to undertake this module as the final part of all Master’s programmes offered by the School of Postgraduate Medicine.

This course will enable the student to understand the multi-faceted nature of leadership. It will encourage the practitioner to recognise their approach to leadership, how leadership us undertaken within their work setting and the multiple factors that shape prevailing leadership styles and the impact of this on colleagues, team working and for clients. Within the course, particular attention will be given to the practitioner as leadership within contemporary organisations. This course will equip the practitioner to recognise and develop their leadership potential so that they can develop new insights, new ways of working and promote change and sustained development within their work setting.

Students will be given the opportunity to attend lectures, discuss, debate and work in groups to present a series of seminars which address:

The Changing Context of Work: 

From hierarchy to new patterns of leadership and responsibility, to include: the changing nature of work; post modern thought; policy change and decentralisation of power and responsibilities; tribes and clans; patterns of working and organisations. 

Theories and Leadership:

Discussion of the distinction between leadership and management; how leadership is experienced within health and social care; the influences of gender, class, race and organisational power in the development of leadership; power and conflict.

Working as a Leader:

The leader as practitioner, team member; understanding personal leadership styles; ethical demands and issues facing the practitioner as leader; supervision and governance; management of stress, releasing talent; working smarter: emotional intelligence, transactional.

This module enables health professionals with an interest in dermatology to develop their understanding and knowledge of the epidemiology, aetiology and pathophysiology of commonly occurring long term skin conditions. It is suitable for health care professionals who want to learn about disease causation along with associated risk factors and co-morbidities.

Content

For each common chronic skin condition the following topics will be covered:

1. Epidemiology including prevalence and incidence

2. Genetic components of chronic skin conditions

3. Aetiology

4. Pathophysiology

Students are expected to be familiar with the principles of dermatology treatments. Acne, eczema and psoriasis are the key clinical conditions that will be considered but the module will cover a range of common skin conditions including nail and hair disorders, vitiligo and urticaria. Students will be expected to develop an understanding of the impact that skin disease has on individuals

Who should attend?

This course will be of interest to GPs, FY1-2, Dermatology Specialist Nurses, Advanced Practitioners, hospital, and retail pharmacists.

The Module Lead is Kathy Radley - please contact her on email k.radley@ac.uk for further information - the Admissions Tutor is Madeleine Flanagan - email - m.flanagan@herts.ac.uk

This course has been developed for practitioners who wish to develop and consolidate their skills in minor skin surgery. It includes supervised practice and formal assessment of competency in performing skin surgery procedures. Inital training is performed on simulated tissue models and practical skills workshops are run by experienced skin surgeons. Proficiency is developed during a period of supervised clinical practice and competency assessed using Direct Observational Procedure (DOPS)

Content :

•  Focuses on acquisition of minor surgery practical skills and the context of service delivery:
•  Patient assessment & treatment options,
•  Skin preparation, local anesthesia,
•  Surgical anatomical hazards
•  Surgical procedures: curettage, ellipse excision, punch biopsy
•  Histology: specimens, diagnosis 
•  Wound closure and aftercare
•  Medico-legal/professional standards

·       Who should attend?

This module is suitable for medical and non-medical practitioners from dermatology and primary care settings with a special interest in dermatology who want to develop & consolidate skills in minor skin surgery. You must be employed in a practice setting where skin surgery can be performed during the course.