PGDipPHC Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Health Care

The Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Health Care (PGDipPHC) is an interprofessional distance-taught programme available for health, social care and management professionals engaged in the delivery of primary health care (e.g. medicine, nursing, paramedicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy, primary health care management). It provides a formal nationally recognised primary health care qualification.

The programme is designed to provide a deeper understanding and application of evidence based and translational primary health care practice taught by active practitioners and research academics in an interprofessional Primary Health Care and General Practice Department.

Interprofessional teaching and learning will equip you to understand and apply the key principles and major primary care issues facing you and your workplace or community today: you will cover the policy context of primary care today within the Health and Disability sector, population health, equity and ethics, collaborative care and leadership, quality and safety. You will take way with you the following skills: oral and written presentation, critical thinking, communication, applying evidence, information and research literacy and principles for team working.

The PGDipPHC is constantly updated to keep pace with an ever-changing health care landscape to be sure to meet the needs of the current and future workforce: busy professionals who combine work with personal life. The qualification is set to be refreshed in 2020 and translational changes are underway.
Currently students usually complete the PGCertPHC (including PRHC701 and 30 points of other papers) before they undertake the PGDipPHC. Students then select a further 60 points of papers from a wide range of areas/topics relevant to primary care. At the completion of this qualification, graduates are eligible to apply to continue to the Master of Primary Health Care (MPHC). Students are encouraged to seek course programme advice from the postgraduate coordinator or director at an early stage.

With individual application to the Board of Studies in Primary Health Care, other papers may be considered for inclusion in a programme of study.

Note: Such papers, if considered part of a cohesive study plan, could include postgraduate AVME, GENA, HUNT, NURS, PHCY, PSME, PUBH, or REHB papers offered by the University of Otago worth up to 30 points. Postgraduate papers worth up to 30 points offered by other universities or examining bodies may also be considered for inclusion.