Medical Toxicology (PgDip)

How will I be taught?

• The course takes advantage of home (student’s own environment) and practice-based learning techniques.
• The course is managed and delivered via the internet through Cardiff University’s e-learning platform, Learning Central™.
• Most of the education process is problem-orientated and there are several different integrated components to the course structure.
• There is fortnightly reading for each module with copies of or links to key articles.
• There are regular clinical exercises to be completed which provide the basis of in-course assessment. These are reviewed by the course tutors and you will receive feedback during the course.
• There is a discussion forum and also a direct telephone number to ensure good communication with the University and between students.
• Candidates are encouraged to attend a two-day Toxicology Update course organised by NPIS Cardiff to meet the course team and also fellow students in person. This is available without any extra fee.

How will I be assessed?

The in-course formative and summative assessment is delivered and submitted via Learning Central™. Summative assessment for each module is carried out by means of one written assignment and one set of objective test exercises (e.g. multiple-choice questions) conducted every two weeks throughout each of the modules.

The summative objective test exercises are marked in-house. Feedback and explanations of the correct answers are provided to students. This element is worth 30% of the marks for each module. The written assignment is marked by one of the programme markers and marking is moderated by a member of the course team. This element contributes the remaining 70% of the marks for the module.

How will I be supported?

The course is entirely delivered as a distance-learning course via Cardiff University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Learning Central, on which you will find course materials, links to related materials and assessments.

All students are allocated a personal tutor, for help and support with academic and pastoral needs, who you can contact to discuss progress and to provide advice and guidance as needed.

Feedback

Formative feedback will be communicated through electronic and written means in a timely manner. Summative feedback on assessment will be delivered within the timeframe set by the University.

What skills will I practise and develop?

By fully engaging in this course, you will have the opportunity to develop skills relevant to the diagnosis and management of patients in regard to common poisons and to advising the industry and environmental agencies in managing and preventing toxicological accidents. 

You will also have the opportunity to practise and develop a number of skills which can be transferred to your daily working life, such as the ability to use the general medical literature and become more familiar with effective and efficient search strategies used to interrogate the commonly used databases of medical literature, and to make effective use of Cardiff University’s virtual learning environment and the library facilities for distance-learning students.

In addition, by fully engaging in this course, you should be able to:

• Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of common poisons and their antidotes, routes of exposure, sites of action, drug metabolism, toxicokinetics and the epidemiology of poisoning incidents.
• Analyse the toxicity effects, features of poisoning and toxicodynamics of commonly used pharmaceuticals.
• Identify the adverse reactions, adverse effects, interactions and toxicity in relation to a range of non-pharmaceutical medications, products, animal and plant toxins.
• Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the mechanisms and risk factors relating to adverse drug reactions/interactions and design strategies to detect, manage and avoid them.
• Critically appraise relevant aspects of current approaches to drug development and drug safety.
• Explain the processes resulting in chemical carcinogenesis, evaluating the evidence base for our understanding of these processes.
• Design methods for risk assessment, risk management, prevention of poisoning and improvement of practice in relation to preventative and regulatory toxicology, toxicological incidents and the role of analytical toxicology.
• Critically assess the toxicology of the living and working environment and the roles of key regional, national and international mechanisms for managing risk and dealing with incidents.
• Demonstrate the effective use of relevant information technology to research, synthesise and communicate evidence based approaches to the diagnosis and management of poisoning by commonly used pharmaceuticals.
• Investigate the various diagnostic tools and management methods available for the clinical management of poisoning, evaluating the evidence base for such tools and methods.
• Take responsibility for your use of the diagnostic tools and management methods for the diagnosis and management of poisoned patients and in formulating plans for the improvement of your current practice in relation to management of poisoning.
• Translate your knowledge of Medical Toxicology and the principles of diagnosis and management into your clinical arena.