Musculoskeletal Medicine PGCert

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Are you interested in enhancing your Musculoskeletal Medicine skills?

Musculoskeletal medicine (MSK) is a rapidly developing field of medicine practised by a variety of clinicians including General Practitioners and Allied Healthcare Professionals amongst others. Our online musculoskeletal medicine PGCert is aimed to meet the needs of those wishing to work in this field within both Primary Care and Community MSK services. The course has been developed by some of the UK’s leading MSK clinicians, ensuring it provides you with the skills and knowledge to work in a range of MSK settings. Course topics will provide you with education largely missing from undergraduate degree courses which will facilitate effective practice and enhance employability.

Course highlights

• Flexible learning via an online education platform.

• Individual topics taught by UK clinicians who are experts within their specialist field.

• Direct academic and career support from our tutor team, alongside a named educational supervisor.

• The course is aligned with the joint MSK Diploma exam of the Primary Care Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine Society and the Faculty of Sport & Exercise Medicine.

Our teaching faculty consists of a wide range of clinicians including Sport & Exercise Medicine Consultants, GPs with an Extended Role in musculoskeletal medicine, Advanced Practice Practitioners, Consultant Physiotherapists and Orthopaedic Surgeons and is led by Dr Richard Collins, Sport & Exercise Medicine Consultant, who was the lead author for the syllabus of the PCRMM-FSEM’s MSK Diploma exam, meaning our course will prepare students wishing to sit this exam in the future.

Our teaching faculty

Our Post-graduate Certificate is delivered via the University of Leeds well-established Sport and Exercise Science Department and includes a variety of expert clinicians within their specialist field.

• Dr Camilla Nykjaer – Programme Lead

• Professor Stuart Egginton - Assistant Programme Lead

• Dr Dane Vishnubala – Academic Clinical Lead | Consultant in Sport & Exercise Medicine | General Practitioner

• Dr Richard Collins – Clinical Lecturer and Curriculum Development Lead | Consultant in Sport & Exercise Medicine| General Practitioner | Lead author for the PCRMM-FSEM’s MSK Diploma exam

• Dr Craig Zalecki – Clinical Lecturer | Consultant in Sport & Exercise Medicine | General Practitioner

• Jo Gibson – Shoulder tutor | Consultant Shoulder Physiotherapist

• Mr Simon Boyle – Shoulder tutor | Consultant Upper Limb Surgeon

• Val Jones – Elbow tutor | Clinical Physiotherapy Specialist

• Mr Adam Watts – Elbow tutor | Consultant Upper Limb Surgeon

• Debs Stanton – Hand & Wrist tutor | Specialist Hand Therapist

• Mr Jeremy Stanton – Hand & Wrist tutor | Consultant Upper Limb Surgeon

• Benoy Mathew – Hip & Groin tutor | Specialist Hip & Groin Physiotherapist

• Mr Parag Jaiswal – Hip & Groin tutor | Consultant Hip Surgeon

• Richard Norris – Knee tutor | Specialist Knee Physiotherapist

• Mr Peter Gallacher – Knee tutor | Consultant Knee Surgeon

• Nick Knight – Foot & Ankle tutor | Specialist Podiatrist

• Mr Daniel Mars – Foot & Ankle tutor | Consultant Foot & Ankle Surgeon

• Jack Marsh – Rheumatology tutor | Advanced Practice Rheumatology Physiotherapist

• Mike Dare – Rheumatology tutor | Advanced Practice Rheumatology Physiotherapist

• Johan Holte – Spine tutor | Advanced Practice Spine Physiotherapist

• Dr Giles Hazan – Spine & Pain tutor | General Practitioner & GP with an Extended Role in MSK medicine

• Dave Baker – MSK Pharmacology tutor | Advanced Practice Physiotherapist

• Dr James Hamilton– MSK Radiology tutor | Consultant MSK Radiologist

Meet more of our team and find out why they are at the forefront of their fields.

Aimed at Doctors, Allied Healthcare Professional and others working in the field of MSK medicine, the programme is divided into the following modules:

• Upper and Lower limb – After an introduction to essential musculoskeletal medical science and practice, you will go on to develop an understanding of relevant anatomy and pathology of the upper and lower limb along with the key elements in the history and on examination needed to assess these areas. This leads to an overview of the key MSK conditions affecting these areas along with the development of the clinical reasoning needed to diagnose these presentations. Our topic experts will also teach you how to manage these conditions using an evidence-based approach aimed at the Primary Care and Community MSK setting.

• Chronic considerations in MSK – Having developed your knowledge and clinical reasoning skills in the upper and lower limb, you go on to cover the more complex topics of primary care rheumatology, spinal conditions and chronic pain. Again, our topic experts will guide you through the assessment, diagnosis and management of various conditions aimed at the Primary Care and Community MSK setting.

• The MSK practitioner – This module blends with the other two and integrates the critical thinking and reasoning skills required to diagnose and manage MSK condition with real-world scenarios and communication skills.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Musculoskeletal Medicine PGCert in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Course material will be delivered by means of online lectures, course workbooks, regular online tutorials and forum discussion reinforced by student self-directed study which will include recommended reading, creation of logbooks derived from clinical practice and reflection and presentation of cases seen.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Assessment will be through completion of all the online modules and linked MCQs, participation in online tutorials and forum discussions, creation of logbooks and reflection on these along with case presentations. There will also be a viva assessment with two-course tutors at the end of each module to validate the knowledge gained.

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have at least a 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent). Currently, we are accepting candidates with degrees in medicine, physiotherapy, sports therapy, sports rehabilitation/training, podiatry, osteopathy, or other allied healthcare professions. Appropriate professional registration should also be held with the GMC, Health and Care Professions Council, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy or British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers. Applicants without professional registration with the GMC, Health and Care Professions Council, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy or British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers are required to have at least one year of relevant post-graduation clinical experience.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks). 

We are now offering online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals.  To find out more, read Online Academic English pre-sessional (10 weeks) and Online Academic English pre-sessional (6 weeks).

Read about differences between our online and on-campus summer pre-sessionals.

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

How to apply

Apply

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Next steps

• we process your application
• we inform you of our decision
• if we make you an offer, you respond by accepting, declining or deferring.

Applications missing any of the following will not be considered:

• completed online application form

  • a full CV

  • transcript of degree examination marks achieved to date

  • copy of final degree certificate.

Taught postgraduate confirmation

Taught postgraduate applicants are required to submit their results for consideration as soon as possible. Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK are recommended to submit their results no later than 31 July, although they will still be considered if submitted after this date.

Interviews

It is standard procedure to interview applicants, prior to making a decision on their application, for MRes Neuroscience, MSc Biopharmaceutical Development (Industrial) and MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine. Interviews do not form part of the standard admissions process for other programmes in the Faculty of Biological Sciences.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Fees

• UK: £3,833 (total)
• International: £3,833 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.