Graduate Diploma in Disaster and Terror Medicine (GD-DTM)

You’re currently viewing the 2023 version of this course

Overview

Award title	Graduate Diploma in Disaster and Terror Medicine
Year & campus	2023 — Parkville
Fees information	Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & type	Graduate Coursework
AQF level	8
Credit points	100 credit points
Duration	12 months full-time or 24 months part-time

The Graduate Diploma in Disaster and Terror Medicine is designed to equip clinicians, first responders, health service managers, relevant agency staff and policy makers with an overview of the principles of disaster management, the skills required to prepare their health service to respond and recover from disasters and terror events, leadership skills for crisis situations and more advanced management of complex disasters such as chemical or biological events.

Studying Disaster and Terror Medicine at the University of Melbourne will develop your problem-solving skills and expertise in this specialist area, including logistics, prevention, planning, responses, recovery and policy development through a clinical and health care management framework. Disaster and Terror Medicine is a system orientated specialty that is inclusive of unique aspects of clinical care and health management and, relevant to a diverse group of responding agencies. Health practitioners and service managers are dealing with natural and man-made disaster and terror events with increasing frequency and our communities expect our leaders to be prepared to respond quickly, decisively and effectively.

What you will learn

Students will learn a structured approach to disaster and terror management in clinical and health service settings and learn to apply this skill in complex scenarios. Students will learn about the roles and accountabilities of responders and managers with particular focus on clinical leadership and managing complex disasters in their health service including chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive events. The course will also provide students with an ethical framework for effective decision making for complex disasters and strategies for managing media and activity with multiple agencies. Students will develop an understanding of the principles of toxicology as related to exposures commonly associated with terror and mass casualty events, and will explore the role of human factors in crises and tools to redesign safer care.

Who is the course for?

Our program is targeted towards clinicians, hospital administrators, staff from emergency services, government and the military. The course will equip participants with an understanding of domestic and international factors involved in the management of these events.

Who will you learn from?

The Department of Critical Care in the Melbourne Medical School is the hub for world-leading critical care research, learning and teaching and engagement across the 20+ University-affiliated hospitals and beyond, with close associations with the specialty Colleges, clinical trials networks and other key organisations such as Safer Care Victoria and Ambulance Victoria.

Pathways

Credit obtained in these subjects can be used towards completion of the Master of Advanced Nursing, Master of Advanced Nursing Practice and Master of Public Health.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:

a medical degree or,
an undergraduate degree in any discipline and at least three years of documented relevant work experience in a health management, paramedicine, nursing or equivalent role; and
demonstrated evidence of written and analytical skills appropriate for postgraduate study as evidenced by a 500 word expression of interest detailing the applicant's motivations for undertaking the course.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

prior academic performance; and
area of speciality practice and clinical experience

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the University's English language requirements for graduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 7 is required.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

Inherent requirements are the abilities, knowledge and skills needed to complete this course that must be met by all students. For information on the inherent requirements specific to this course contact the course/program coordinator. In some circumstances reasonable adjustments may be available to enable students to meet these requirements while still preserving the academic integrity of the university's learning, assessment and accreditation processes. For more information on how to seek these adjustments refer to the Student Equity and Disability Support website: https://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this course, graduates should be able to:

Knowledge

Recognise disaster and terror medicine and health management principles, considering the various health systems and challenges in managing disaster incidents and countering terrorism
Identify and evaluate the roles human factors play prior to, during and after a crisis
Practice the principles of toxicology in disaster situations

Skills

Demonstrate creative and flexible problem‐solving and leadership skills to lead cross-functional teams in times of crisis, in a range of environmental, geographic and often dangerous settings
Evaluate the ethical and public affairs impact of complex disasters
Use Human Factors tools to redesign safer care

Application of Knowledge and Skills

Analyse the factors that underpin level of organisational response and the principles that are applied to prevent, manage, contain and diffuse the impact of complex disasters in clinical settings
Devise methods to address the complex physical and psychological factors involved in after care and recovery post event
Apply clinical and health service design and implementation processes for prevention, planning, responding and managing complex disaster and terror events
Apply knowledge of toxicology to different clinical scenarios and devise methods to manage toxicological emergencies

Generic skills

The capacity for information seeking, retrieval and evaluation
Critical thinking and analytical skills
An openness to new ideas
The ability to communicate scientific knowledge through oral, written and web-based media

Graduate attributes

Academically Excellent

Have in-depth knowledge of their specialist disciplines
Have skills in examining issues with multiple disciplinary perspectives
Apply knowledge, information and research skills to complex problems in a range of contexts and are effective oral and written communicators

Active Citizenship

Have engaged with contemporary local, national and global issues and developed an appreciation of the Asian region
Aware of the social and cultural diversity in communities and can work collaboratively with people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds
Have an understanding of and deep respect for Indigenous knowledge, culture and values

Leaders in Communities

Support a commitment to civic service in graduates' lives and careers, equipping them to be active, well-informed citizens who make substantial contributions to society
Have the potential to be leaders in their professions and communities, with the capacity to work effectively across disciplines and cultures
Through advocacy and innovation, they are able to lead change for a sustainable future

Integrity and Self-Awareness

Be motivated, self-directed and well-organised, with the ability to set goals and manage time and priorities
Self-aware and reflective, with skills in self-assessment, and place great importance on their personal and professional integrity

Course structure

The Graduate Diploma in Disaster and Terror Medicine is comprised of eight subjects (100 credit points). Students must complete all of:

• Six compulsory subjects (75 points)

• Two elective subjects (25 points)

Full Time

Year 1 (100 Credit Points)

Compulsory subjects (75 credit points)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
MEDI90107	Disaster Medicine Principles & Responses	January (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90108	Terror Medicine Principles & Responses	May (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90110	Human Factors in Critical Care	May (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90111	Advanced Toxicology and Terror	July (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PADM90024	Clinical Leadership During Crises	July (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90109	Managing Complex Disasters	October (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Elective subjects (25 credit points)

Part Time

Year 1 (50 credit points)

Compulsory subjects (50 credit points)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
MEDI90107	Disaster Medicine Principles & Responses	January (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90108	Terror Medicine Principles & Responses	May (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PADM90024	Clinical Leadership During Crises	July (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90109	Managing Complex Disasters	October (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Year 2 (50 credit points)

Compulsory subjects (25 credit points)

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
MEDI90110	Human Factors in Critical Care	May (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
MEDI90111	Advanced Toxicology and Terror	July (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5

Elective subjects (25 credit points) by selecting two of:

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
POPH90217	Foundations of Public Health	February (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
POPH90206	Health Policy	March (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
POPH90058	Health Program Evaluation 1	Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
POPH90209	Comparative Health Systems	August (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
POPH90230	Planetary and Global Health	July (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
PADM90014	Leading Healthcare Change for Impact	August (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
POPH90301	Pandemic Preparedness and Response	September (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
DEVT90058	Disaster and Humanitarian Aid	July (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5

Further study

Graduates may progress to a range of other graduate coursework programs.

Last updated: 10 November 2023

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