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

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 some of these subjects can be used towards completion of the Master of Advanced Nursing Practice, Master of Public Health and Graduate Certificate in Climate Change and Health.