AdvDip(CPD) Geriatric Medicine (HE7)
Course Overview
This stand-alone professional development course offers you an advanced understanding of the medical care of older people. Our expert team will support you to develop your knowledge of the mechanisms of health and disease in older people encompassing physical, psychological and social perspectives. The course is aimed at health and social care professionals working in primary and secondary care and promotes shared learning experiences and multidisciplinary team working.Our experienced and knowledgeable team will compare and contrast health in older people and younger adults to help you understand why older people have specific and unique health needs, as well as how these needs can be met. You’ll investigate the changing demographics of the ageing population and consider how society must adapt for an increasing number of older people.
Together, we’ll explore psychological decline in old age, with reference to social function and wellbeing, isolation and depression, ethical considerations and mental health legislation. You can expect to enhance your knowledge of contemporary models of understanding old age, frailty, and the factors involved in conducting a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
Focusing on falls, immobility, incontinence and confusion, we’ll consider the atypical presentation of older people with an acute physical illness. We’ll also cover polypharmacy and practical procedures such as urinary catheterisation.
The ultimate aim of this comprehensive and contemporary course is to support you to make more informed decisions that improve patient outcomes. We’ll explore the complex issues of healthcare in older people through case examples and facilitated class discussion. To benefit from studying this course, you should already a health professional with a basic understanding of healthcare in older people.
Highlights
- Our dedicated academic team brings extensive health and social care experience to the course content. Along with their passion for service excellence in practice settings, they’re also currently engaged in highly relevant research, which means they can add valuable context and insight to your learning.
- The course is designed to provide the flexibility to fit in with busy home and working lives.
- As you study this course, we’ll encourage you to develop the skills, values and behaviours so popular with employers. These include action planning, personal impact and confidence, self-awareness, social and ethical responsibility, problem-solving, initiative and communication skills.
- The course is part of a professional development framework, and you can use the credits you’ll gain by completing the course successfully towards the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (Geriatric Medicine).
Key Features
- The University of Bolton has been offering high-quality courses designed to meet the health and social care sector’s needs for over 30 years, so we have the knowledge and experience to anticipate and respond to changes in the health and social care sector.
- Our courses and programmes respond directly to the requirements of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), which is at the heart of the career and pay progression aspect of Agenda for Change.
- We review the course curriculum regularly to ensure we include and apply contemporary theories.
- On successful completion of this course, you'll be awarded an Advanced Professional Development qualification in Advanced Clinical Practice in Geriatric Medicine worth 20 credits at Level HE7.
Entry Requirements
- To undertake this course, you must offer current professional registration as a health or social care practitioner with evidence of post-registration experience of professional practice; for example, registered nurse, assistant practitioner, allied health professional or paramedic. A first degree relevant to your health or social care practice is desirable and/or recent study at Level HE6.
- Some baseline experience of geriatric medicine is recommended for this course.
- You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
This course offers academic progression in the specialist field of geriatric medicine.
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £800 for the academic year 2024/25.
International Fees
Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £800 for the academic year 2024/25.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton Advanced Professional Development in Geriatric Medicine - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
International applications are not possible for this course
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Teaching & Assessment
This advanced professional development course adopts a blended learning approach. You’ll attend a lecture series where key topics will be introduced and explored. The style of the lectures will be interactive with case-based discussions.
After the initial introduction of topics, most in-class time will focus on problem-solving and class discussions. With support and guidance from our expert team, you’ll be expected to present a case to the class and explore a specific aspect of care. Your previous experience and that of your classmates will provide a rich source of knowledge to facilitate discussion and shared learning.
Practical procedures required by national curricula for advanced clinical practice in older people will be taught in a simulated learning setting.
In addition to the lecture series, prescriptive reading will be given to you so you can revise and expand on the lecture content. This course is supported by a rich array of web-based learning resources available via Moodle (the University’s virtual learning environment).
In terms of assessment, you can expect case presentations, written assignments and multiple-choice question (MCQ) exams.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Geriatric Medicine
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 50% Written exams 50% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 75% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 25% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
