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Are you a physiotherapist, midwife, nurse specialist or doctor working within pelvic health? If so, this advanced clinical practice pathway in pelvic health, is designed to provide you with the solid academic foundation that you’ll need to progress as an advanced clinician in the management of pelvic floor dysfunction.
On this course you’ll learn to understand the relationship between the musculoskeletal support systems of the pelvis and pelvic part of the body and related areas of practice. You’ll study antenatal and postnatal management of pelvic floor dysfunction, male and female urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, the management of defecatory dysfunction, faecal incontinence and pelvic pain. The aim is to improve your understanding of pain science and management and help to better embed this knowledge into everyday practice. The programme integrates theory with practice and you’ll learn skills such as advanced abdominal, vaginal and anorectal examination.
This course will challenge your diagnostic capabilities to ensure you’re able to competently work at an advanced practice level. As you progress to the final stages of the MSc, this degree will further integrate healthcare leadership and research within the pelvic health area.
The full master's course can be studied 1 year full-time or 3 years part-time starting in September. If you don’t want to commit to full or part-time study of the entire master's, you can develop your educational portfolio over a longer period of time by undertaking staged study that leads to the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert), Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) and MSc in separate stages. Each stage can be studied 1 year part-time starting in September. You can also study the combined PgDip (PgCert and PgDip) as a 2 year part-time course starting in January. The MSc stage (dissertation) can also be studied 1 year part-time starting in May.
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Course content
This course is designed to develop your skills and understanding of pelvic health. In particular, you’ll learn to assess and manage continence and pelvic floor dysfunction in men, women and children. Through critical appraisal of research and clinical evidence you’ll develop an evidence-based approach to clinical assessment skills needed for the pelvic health patient.
As well as studying key modules in advanced clinical practice, leadership, evidence-based practice and research, you’ll be able to select modules to define your specialist pathway in pelvic health. You’ll learn practical skills such as abdominal, vaginal and anorectal examination, exercise prescription and biofeedback of the pelvic floor muscles, manual therapy, catheterisation, perineal wound care management, biofeedback, vaginal pessary application and electrotherapies. This is a developing area of medicine and you'll be provided with support to investigate the evidence behind your specific area of working in pelvic health.
You'll also be able to support your study learning portfolio by choosing from a range of optional modules from our Advanced Clinical Practice named specialist pathways; Cardiovascular Health, Critical Care, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, Neurological Rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy.
At Brunel, we understand the challenges of fitting study around work and family life. For this reason, we have designed this course to be flexible, so that it can fit around your current commitments. You can study full-time, part-time or even just take one or more CPPD modules for your professional development and return to complete your course at a later date.
This course can be studied 1 year full-time, 3 years part-time or 1 year (staged study) part-time, starting in September. Or this course can be studied 2 years (PgCert + PgDip) part-time, starting in January. Or this course can be studied 1 year (staged study) part-time, starting in May.
The programme specification is in the process of being updated and may not be an accurate reflection of the programme.
UK entry requirements
Must have a pre-registration degree in a relevant allied health profession with at least one year of specialist clinical work experience.
Teaching and Learning
You’ll benefit from the expertise of academics across our well-established health sciences department, giving you a truly interdisciplinary perspective on important topics. Many of our academics currently work in hospitals and other clinical settings, so they will be teaching you up-to-date scientific knowledge and patient-assessment skills. Our academic team combines years of experience from working in hospitals such as the Royal Free, Imperial College, Guys and St Thomas and Chelsea and Westminster. Additionally, there will be emphasis on peer-to-peer learning as you’ll be working alongside other clinicians and therefore, benefit from their knowledge across the profession.
Our lecturers are active in research and often contribute to the development of professional guidelines, so you know you’re being taught by practising healthcare professionals with a high profile in the sector. You’ll also be able to benefit from studying alongside other healthcare professionals in similar fields, giving you the opportunity to network and share ideas.
Our teaching approaches are diverse and you’ll benefit from lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops.
Assessment and feedback
The course uses a range of flexible and engaging approaches to assessment. You'll be assessed through exams, critical essays, portfolios, oral presentations and your dissertation.
The choice of the specific type of assessment will be appropriate to the intended learning outcomes of the taught modules. The assessment strategies will balance the need to demonstrate knowledge and competencies with more in-depth and critical approaches to learning. Such assessment approaches will include examinations, presentations of relevant clinical case scenarios, and coursework, which will take the form of critical assessment of literature and research, critical essays, and the development of the selected portfolio of learning.
Finally, the dissertation provides demonstration of an ability to synthesise and critically evaluate current research underpinning clinical practice, and to develop and undertake relevant research as well as its dissemination.