What prompted you to do register for a PG qualification? I have to say as a whole my experience at UL was overwhelmingly positive. I completed the Masters programme in Advanced Healthcare Practice over 2 yrs and 3 months between 2013 and 2015. My initial interest in UL came about through my attendances at UL for day and weekend courses and in particular my attendance at a 3 day pain conference (i.e. prior to commencement of Master’s program). The knowledgeable, patient and approachable staff were always most helpful and supportive and gave freely of their time and importantly their resources (e.g. journals)-without hesitation. In addition, the pain conference in particular highlighted their knowledge of pain sciences, their ability to relate this knowledge to ‘real’ patients/clinical situations and crucially their ability to greatly enhance my (and others) understanding of this important topic…it was obvious something was different about UL!....my experiences elsewhere had not been good! How did you find the experience on the MSc/PG Cert course? I became more informed/learned of the content, format and flexible nature of the Masters programme and sensed that there may be real tangible benefits for my future clinical practice and indeed my patients. The programme itself did not disappoint overall. The knowledgeable, patient, approachable, helpful and supportive staff remained a feature (by and large) throughout this programme, and they were again most generous with their resources. Flexible attendance, on-line modules, continual assessment approach, relevant clinically orientated modules, a ‘real’ emphasis on a patient-centered individualized biopsychosocial approach to clinical management (often only given’ lip-service’ to elsewhere), excellent research links and collaboration with international researchers and 3rd level institutes, readily available journal articles via of the ‘off-site’ IT library system and efficient admin staff are all factors that potential students should be aware of when deciding where and what to study. What did you get out of doing this course of study? Ultimately, my clinical/patient management is now far more holistic, evidenced-based, relevant, practical and centered on individual patients within the context of ‘their world’ and consequently outcomes are much better.

What prompted you to do register for a PG qualification? I want to expand upon my body of knowledge and build upon that. I decided to enroll with a different faculty outcome my own (nursing) so that I can appreciate the differing ways that health care professions achieve safe, patient-centered, well-researched care How did you find the experience on the MSc/PG Cert course? It’s an enjoyable experience, as the course is tailored to all healthcare professionals, so everyone can learn the basic tools and expand on that within their own area and beyond What did you get out of doing this course of study? I feel more confident in my practice, as I can use the acquired skills I learned to access the information in a systematic way, and critique with confidence, if I choose. The course has definitely made me see how practice is done successfully by other health professional groups and also inspired me to be a more active participant at the multidisciplinary table.