UK'S FIRST CLINICAL POSTGRAD COURSE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH

An innovative postgraduate taught course in women's health is being launched
in March 2003 by King's College London.

The course in Advancing Women's Health Care is the first of its kind,
designed with a strong clinical focus to meet the needs of the UK's rapidly
changing health care environment.

It will provide nurses and midwives with the skills to function
independently at an advanced level in promoting, planning, implementing and
evaluating women's health
care.

Beverley Bogle, leader of the Advancing Women's Health Care course,
explained:
"The overall aim of the new course is to improve the health and well-being
of women through developing and enhancing the professional role and practice
of experienced nurses and midwives."

The family planning and sexually shared infections (SSI) elements of the
course will be run in accordance with the National Strategy for Sexual
Health and HIV (Department Of Health 2001/2002) to facilitate
the development of specialist clinical skills, including advanced health
assessment, screening, principles of prescribing, leadership and research.

This will play a major role in the development of a one-stop easily
accessible and comprehensive sexual health service, currently lacking in
most communities in the UK, particularly in the southeast. For example,
women visiting ante-natal clinics often have to attend different clinics for
some SSI tests and treatment and for post-natal
family planning advice. The new course at King's will produce qualified
practitioners able to offer and develop comprehensive sexual health care and
services for women and their partners and children. The presence of nursing
and midwifery professionals qualified to operate
autonomously within the clinical setting will also limit the number of
referrals to doctors and other specialists, who will only be consulted if
there are complications.

Other components of the course will explore the social and political issues
relating to women's health, for example the role of women in society and the
factors that influence the self-determination and empowerment of women. The
course is also designed to address the low
level of public education and awareness regarding women's health in many
areas, and to break some of the taboos that still surround many women's
health issues.

The new course, offered as a part-time postgraduate Diploma or MSc, is aimed
at experienced nurses and midwives from diverse practice settings who are
seeking to further their professional status and be at the
forefront of service development and research. It is part of the
post-graduate Midwifery and Women's Health Studies provision at King's
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery. The course will be open
to nurses and midwives who currently work in a role that involves the
provision of direct care to women.

The Florence Nightingale School has a staff of 240,
including ten professors. There are currently over 1,300 students
undertaking undergraduate, postgraduate, and Dip HE courses each year within
the school.

King's College London is one of the oldest and largest colleges of the
University of London with some 12,400 undergraduate students and over 4,700
postgraduates in ten schools of study. The College had 24 of its
subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5* and 5 for research quality,
demonstrating excellence at an international level. It is in the top group
of five universities for research earnings and has an annual turnover of
over £300 million and research income from grants and contracts in excess of
£90 million (2001-2002).

FURTHER INFORMATION

Beverley Bogle, PGDip/MSc in Advancing Women's Health Care Programme
Leader. Available from 6 January 2003.
Tel: 020 7848 3580  Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.kcl.ac.uk/nursing/contents/contentspg.html

For application details contact Margaret Nicholls, Florence Nightingale
School of Nursing & Midwifery Post-graduate Administrator
Tel: 020 7848 3368  Email: [log in to unmask]

PR01/03