Course details

Summary

The Otago Master of Occupational Medicine degree (MOccMed) is part of an internationally accredited programme that will enable part-time registered medical practitioners to develop competencies for professional occupational medicine practice at a registered or board certified specialist level in any country in the world.

The master's degree (normally taken part-time by students continuing their usual work) extends the existing Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Medicine (PGDipOccMed), and students will normally have completed the diploma prior to being accepted into the master's papers. The programme builds on the fundamental principles and clinical practice leading to management and research evaluation of occupational medicine, and ensuring that staff is fit to engage in safe work.

The goal of the programme is to prepare the registered medical practitioner for admission to Fellowship of the appropriate Faculty or College of Occupational and Aviation Medicine in their home country by covering a range of professional development and knowledge areas to an advanced academic level, and inculcating professional behaviours and activities consistent with working at a consultant level.

The Occupational and Aviation Medicine international distance learning programme is based on an interactive learning management system employing Moodle to share tutorials, multimedia materials, online workshops and webinars that are in part student-led, blogs and forums, as well as an annual residential school in a suitable international venue. Second Life exercises where students participate in case studies in a virtual reality environment created in 2014 for group learning activities, examining medical issues on major industrial site scenarios will promote presence and participation.

Programme Requirements

• AVME 715 Principles of Occupational Medicine
• AVME 716 Clinical Occupational Medicine
• AVME 723 Managing Occupational Medicine
• AVME 724 Health and Industry
• AVME 801 Occupational Medicine Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• AVME 802 Vocational Rehabilitation

Structure of the Programme

The programme of study shall consist of six papers with a total value of 180 points.

Subject to the approval of the Dean of the Otago Medical School, papers which have been completed at the University of Otago, another university, or an approved examining body may be credited to the programme and/or used as the basis for exemption from the requirements of (a) above, provided that this previous study is directly relevant to the candidate's proposed and approved programme of study, to a maximum of 60 points.

A candidate who has completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Medicine may be exempted from one or more papers in the programme for the degree to a maximum of 120 points.

Note: Candidates will normally be expected to have relevant clinical experience and to have attained a level B average in papers for the diploma before admission to the advanced papers.

Entry criteria

• Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Dean of the Otago Medical School, on the advice of the Academic Board of the Otago Medical School, which must be satisfied that the applicant has the ability and experience to proceed to the programme.
• Every applicant shall have been admitted to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery of a university in New Zealand or hold an equivalent medical qualification approved by the Academic Board of the Otago Medical School, and be a registered medical practitioner in his or her country of practice or residence.

English Language Requirements: IELTS - Score of 6.5 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); Internet-based TOEFL Score of 95 with a minimum writing score of 22.; Paper-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 587 (TWE 4.5); Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) – Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) – Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 4 or higher; Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 64 with no communicative skills score below 57; University of Otago Foundation Studies Ltd: Completion of 'English for Postgraduate Academic Purposes' with a grade of C or higher.