Musculoskeletal disease accounts for a large proportion of a general practitioner’s (GP’s) workload. Conditions such as Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Osteoporosis create a huge socioeconomic burden of disease and disability. Identifying high-risk groups in primary care and using preventative treatment can result in a substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality. GPs can help by presenting a unified lifestyle message, advising on fall prevention, and providing effective treatment. Our Diploma programmes benefit greatly from the diversity of our international participants and our world-class experts who design and facilitate our programmes.

This course is aimed at clinicians, but will be open to any applicant who meets the entry requirements. For admission to the programme applicants will need either a good medical degree or degree equivalent from a recognised academic institution or an appropriate professional qualification or experience acceptable to the course director and Research Council of Health, London. If your first language is not English, you must provide evidence of your English language proficiency. You must be IT literate to complete these highly interactive courses online and have access to a computer with a printer and a reliable internet connection. For further information please contact our Admission Team.

Fees : £3900.00
For 12 Months
Details : 12 months (120 Credits) - Full Time - Undertaking this Diploma programme is a serious commitment, requiring weekly contact hours in addition to numerous hours of independent learning and research in order to progress at the required level. When coursework or examination deadlines are approaching independent learning hours may need to increase significantly. FULL TIME (120 Credits ) BLENDED LEARNING FEES £3999.00

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Fees : £7500.00
For 24 Months
Details : 24 months (240 Credits) Full-Time Undertaking this Diploma programme is a serious commitment, requiring weekly contact hours in addition to numerous hours of independent learning and research in order to progress at the required level. When coursework or examination deadlines are approaching independent learning hours may need to increase significantly. FULL TIME 240 Credits) BLENDED LEARNING FEES £7500.00

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Fees : £2200.00

Details : Part Time - £2200.00 Per Year Part-time study options often mean that the number of modules taken is reduced per semester, with the full modules required to complete the programme spread over two academic years. Teaching is generally done during the day and part-time students should contact the course convener to get an idea of when these teaching hours are likely to take place. Timetables are likely to be finalised in September but you may be able to gain an expectation of what will be required. PART TIME BLENDED LEARNING £2200.00 Per Year

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Module 1: Core generic knowledge & skills We’ll cover a variety of background factors influencing Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine. This includes determinants of health, lifestyle factors in health, identifying risk factors and nutrition and health. We’ll also cover how to break bad news, which is essential in helping you manage your patients effectively. Module 2: Advances in Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine In this module, we go deeper into the subject of Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine, giving you detailed understanding. Topics include anatomy and physiology of the normal joint and surrounding tissues, immunology of inflammation and auto-immunity, use of imaging, drug treatment in musculoskeletal medicine, non-drug treatment in musculoskeletal medicine, the hip, the knee, the ankle, the foot, gout and pseudogout, common disorders of the lower limb in children, the shoulder, the elbow, the wrist, the hand, polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis, general upper limb problems, the spine, management of neck pain, management of low back pain, disc and facet joint disease and sciatica, red flag conditions of the spine, vertebral fracture, fibromyalgia and ME, chronic regional pain syndrome, hypermobility, drug treatment of chronic pain, non-drug treatments in chronic pain, osteoporosis investigation, osteoporosis treatment, falls, paget’s disease, osteomalacia, fractures, early synovitis, rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthritis, connective tissue diseases and vasculitis, drug monitoring. Module 3: Clinical Practice in Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine Here we cover clinical skills related to clinical examinations, joint and soft tissue injections and more. These are presented as a series of specially selected key video clips to enable you to understand the procedure and the steps required. We don’t assess clinical skill competency and strongly advise you to access hands-on clinical sessions with a local clinical specialist following the programme.

Assessment will be based on written assignments, posters and oral presentations, multiple choice questions (MCQ) and short-answer question (SAQ) examinations, and a full laboratory project write-up. Dissertation : 10,000 - 15,000 words.

This programme is directly delivered through online learning portal, you will have access to video and audio recordings of all onsite lectures, as well as video tutorials for any lab based elements of the course. All written assignments will be submitted through the portal, while poster and oral presentations will be assessed via Skype. Exams can be sat onsite or you can arrange to sit these at a suitable venue more local to you. You are encouraged to interact with teaching staff and other students in online discussion forums, join group activities and be part of the RCH London's student community.