Griffith University

The Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education is a professional development program for clinical, work-based or professional practice educators from all health professions.

The program provides clinicians and educators with the essential skills required to facilitate effective learning in clinical, field and professional practice settings in the health disciplines, including dentistry, medicine, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, oral health therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychology, human services and social work.

Your clinical and field education skills will be enhanced by

• analysing learning theories, learning styles and models of clinical teaching
• developing skills essential to effective clinical education, including assessment and evaluation
• engaging in discussion with a range of health professionals involved in clinical education
• engaging in reflective practice to improve practice-based experiences
  

Enhancing the quality of health education

Participants in the Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education have found  the program builds confidence and practical skills.

Physiotherapist Bridget Weeks, a Griffith graduate who has been working at the Gold Coast Hospital for over four years, said she was enjoying learning new teaching strategies.

I take physiotherapy students on clinical placement and also supervise new graduates. While I have done some workshops in the past to build my confidence in clinical teaching, I also wanted a recognised qualification.

Ms Weeks said the first half of the program had already helped highlight some of the components that needed to be built into the clinical supervision program at the hospital. They included setting learning objectives, relevant learning activities and appropriate assessment strategies.

It has certainly helped me evaluate the way we do things. For example, clinical teaching is not just about clinical techniques but also about supporting junior staff to manage a clinical load and work as part of a team.

While the program is mostly delivered online, Ms Weeks said the group workshops during the semester were very helpful in consolidating their individual learning.