Fellowship in Primary Care Paediatrics

 About the Course

According to WHO, almost 19,000 children under five years of age are dying every day across the world. India tops the list of countries with the highest number with around 18 lakh such deaths annually. For India, despite it being one of the fastest growing economies, there has been no visible pattern between per capita income growth and the rate of reduction of child mortality rates. One-third of all malnourished children live in India. Of the 26 million children born in India every year, approximately 1.83 million children die before their fifth birthday.
More than two thirds of the infants die in the very first month of life. 90%of these deaths are due to easily preventable causes like pneumonia and diarrhea.
Every child has the right to survive. We can reduce the numbers of children dying from easily preventable causes. Most of the children who die each year could be saved by low cost, evidence-based, cost-effective primary care practices such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide treated bed nets, improved family care and breastfeeding practices, and oral rehydration therapy. These low cost primary care interventions could reduce neonatal mortality by up to 70 per cent. General Practitioners have a very important role to play in reducing the neonatal mortality.
To address this important problem, IMA eVarsity has launched the Fellowship  in Primary Care Paediatrics to equip the General Practitioners with the latest clinically relevant information, and to mentor them in competently handling all aspects of paediatric disease.

Objectives of the Program

The One year Fellowship  in Primary Care Paediatrics aims at providing a General practitioner with comprehensive up-to-date knowledge and skills in the prevention and diagnosis and treatment of paediatric disease in their clinical practice.
At the end of this course, the General Practitioner will be able to provide better primary paediatric care. They will acquire the following knowledge and skills:

• Ability to integrate current information on any aspect of primary care pediatrics into general practice
• Ability to communicate effectively and empathetically with children of different ages and their families: both to get complete, accurate histories, and to explain clinical findings and treatment plans.
• Ability to perform the physical examination of children – how to interpret vital signs at different ages, how the pediatric evaluation is different from the adult examination
• Ability to chart the weight, height, head circumference & BMI; and to recognize obesity or failure to thrive .
• Capacity to advise mothers regarding Breast-feeding issues
• Educate families about prevention: including immunizations, safety, violence, sex, and substance use.
• Use of the immunisation chart,& to know what immunizations a child needs at a given age.
• Calculation of drug dosages for a child based on body weight and age
• Capability to recognize the critically ill child, and when to refer to a specialist.
• Ability to Diagnose, prevent and manage common pediatric conditions.

Course At A Glance

• Course: Fellowship in Primary Care Paediatrics
• Total Duration: 1 year
• Hours per Week: 4 – 8
• Medium of instruction: English

 For more info Visit: http://www.imaevarsity.com/fellowship-primary-care-paediatrics/

Cardiology

About the Course

With the restructuring of health care in India, one of the major changes in patient care has been a shift from subspecialty care to primary care. Despite major progress in the development of effective therapies to reduce mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease, it is becoming the leading cause of mortality in India, where heart ailments have replaced communicable diseases as the biggest killer. According to recent data, approximately 30 percent of the urban population and 15 percent of the population living in rural areas, suffer from high blood pressure and heart attacks. According to government data, the prevalence of heart failure in India due to coronary heart disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and rheumatic heart disease, ranges from 1.3 to 4.6 million, with an annual incidence of 491,600-1.8 million.

Although effective treatments exist, there is a wide therapeutic gap between guidelines and practice. Reducing this gap has the potential to save lives. General Practitioners are at the forefront of assessment, management and follow-up of patients with cardiovascular disease. Over 50 percent of the patients suffering from a heart attack die before they reach the hospital. General Practitioners can play a very important role in saving these lives.

IMA eVarsity has launched the Fellowship  in Primary Care Cardiology to equip such first-consult doctors, with the latest clinically-relevant information, and to mentor them in competently handling all aspects of cardiovascular disease.

Course At A Glance

• Course: Fellowship  in Primary Care Cardiology
• Total Duration: 1 year
• Hours per Week: 4 – 8
• Medium of instruction: English 

For more info Visit: http://www.imaevarsity.com/fellowship-primary-care-cardiology/

Fellowship in Diabetes Mellitus

About the Course

Diabetes usually affects organs like Brain (stroke), Heart (heart attack), Leg (gangrene), Kidney (kidney failure), Eye (retinopathy) and Nerve Damage (neuropathy).
Nearly 44 lakh Indians in their most productive years — aged 20 to 79 years — aren’t aware that they are diabetic, a disease that exposes them to heart attack, stroke, amputations, nerve damage, blindness and kidney disease. The latest global figures on diabetes released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has raised a serious alarm for India by saying that nearly 52% of Indians aren’t aware that they are suffering from high blood sugar. India is presently home to 65 million diabetics, second only to China which is home to 98.4 million diabetics. Against this scenario, IMA eVarsity offers a schematically designed and pedagogically-grounded course in Diabetes mellitus by incorporating features drawn from successful on-campus and distance education.

Objectives of the Program

The One year Fellowship in Diabetes Mellitus aims at preparing you as a generalist doctor with comprehensive up-to-date knowledge in the management of Diabetes that allows you to confidently deal with routine problems in Diabetes in your clinical practice. During the course the candidates will be trained in different aspects of the inpatient and outpatient care of diabetes. They will also be exposed to the management of various diabetes complications through postings in the diabetic eye, heart and foot clinics and intensive care. At the end of the Course the candidate will be fully competent to deal with any type of diabetes patient as well as with diabetes complications of any degree of severity.
After completion of the Program the student will be able to do

• Screening and diagnosis of diabetes.
• Treatment of diabetes: Oral Hypoglycemic Agents and Insulin with latest developments.
• Complications of diabetes and its management

The course is affiliated to Martin Luther Christian University – MLCU, a premier university from Shillong, doing yeoman service in the field of education in the North-east sector. MLCU is a UGC approved university.

Course At A Glance

• Course: Fellowship in Diabetes Mellitus
• Total Duration: 1 year
• Hours per Week: 4 – 8
• Medium of Instruction: English

Advanced Diploma in Hospital Management

About the Course

Among the top professions, Health Management occupies an eminent place. Increasing awareness in all traditional sectors associated with providing healthcare: government, private sector and trusts has resulted in a constant effort to improve healthcare delivery in their respective domain. More so, as healthcare management is becoming increasingly a domain of the private sector, there is a growing need for skillful doctors, nurses and Para-medics and, indeed, efficient hospital managers and administrators.
The medical doctors and nurses have been known for their empathy towards hospitals but the growing emergence of healthcare as a profession has drawn even those who did not have a fascination for hospitals and healthcare activities. Hospitals and healthcare providers wholeheartedly opened their doors to non-medicos who had an eye for detail and a flair for pursuing a career in Hospital Management.
Ever increasing number of private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers with a no-compromise emphasis on quality of health care and patient satisfaction have led to an extra ordinary need for personnel with a professional qualification in Hospital Management. Both medical and non-medical persons can opt for the course leading to Advanced Diploma in Hospital Management.

Career Prospects

Increasingly, graduates in Allopathic, Ayurvedic, Homeopathic medicine, Physiotherapy, Dentistry, and Pharmacy have been opting to study for a post –graduate degree / diploma in Hospital Management. There have been instances of graduates in physical / life sciences and engineering / technology taking up the course to enhance their employability or to supplement their knowledge base in hospital / healthcare administration.
On successful completion of the course in hospital management, they have taken up careers as managers in areas such as quality, operations and HR in hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers and some opted for careers in healthcare verticals of IT companies or healthcare consultancies.
Those who hail from entrepreneurial families who run hospitals, nursing homes etc. take up the administrative roles of these enterprises and others with a flair for entrepreneurship venture into establishing healthcare related businesses or undertaking franchises.

Recommended Background / Entry Requirements

• MBBS, BAMS, BHMS, BPT, B.Pharm, BDS or graduates preferably in Sciences

Course At A Glance

• Course: Advanced Diploma in Hospital Management
• Total Duration: One Year / Two Semesters
• Curriculum: 15 subjects followed by Internship and Dissertation
• Sessions: Each subject approximately covered in 20 sessions of 30 minutes each
• Coursework: 3 – 4 hours per week
• Medium of instruction: English

Certificate in Primary Care Radiology

About the Course

General practitioners and family physicians who are the first point of medical contact are very important for the health of a community. However commercialization, corporatization, specialist reductionist approach to health and increasing patient awareness and medicolegal litigations have made general practice difficult. Investigations are increasingly being ordered in defence against law suits apart from diagnostic purposes. Radiology and imaging given its intrinsic quality of being non invasive and informative they are one of the most prescribed investigations.
In such a scenario General Practitioners should be abreast with the relevant knowledge in Radiology. Busy practitioners find it difficult to take time away from their busy schedules for this and here is where continuous online medical education comes in handy and makes such doctor’s lives easy.
Recognizing this potential, IMA eVarsity has designed the six months certificate course in Primary Care Radiology, which imparts enough knowledge and skills for a busy practitioner.
The course is for those who wish to develop knowledge and skills in Radiology and Imaging and for all those who wish to better manage radiology investigations in their daily practice. The course is run over six months, using a blended approach, comprising of self-paced online education, complimented case based discussion and graded assessments.

Career Prospects

The aim of the IMA eVarsity programs is to enhance the knowledge and practical skills of general physicians and family physicians. It prepares you as a clinician, with comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge in specific areas and allows you to confidently deal with patients.
The six months Certificate in Primary Care Radiology aims at imparting you with basic, simple and yet up-to-date knowledge in Radiology at primary care level. The course hones your skills on when to prescribe what imaging investigations, how to interpret them and when to ask for a specialist radiologist opinion.

What are the key Features of the program?
The program was designed using scientific pedagogic principles to incorporate features drawn from successful on-campus and distance education. These features offer an appreciable advantage by enabling students to:

• Have sound knowledge related to the basics of Radiology at primary care level.
• Develop skills, knowledge and attitudes through a structured online learning experience. The learning experience will be delivered through various technology driven teaching-learning approaches
• Study through virtual cases and discussions that simulate approaches to the real world scenarios

Recommended Background / Entry Requirements

Six months Certificate program in Primary Care Radiology is offered to General practitioners, where the entry requirement is MBBS from any recognised Indian University. Candidates who have done MD (equivalent to MBBS of India) from Russia, China and so on and foreign medical graduates who are desirous of taking the course will need to register with the Medical Council of India. Candidates have to be registered Life Members of the Indian Medical Association.
Candidates should have a clear aptitude for the program and aspire to pursue higher education in this speciality.

• Admissions to the course will be bi-annual.
• You may register online or contact your local IMA chapter.
• You may register up to six months in advance and not more than one week after course starts.

Course Syllabus

• Introduction to imaging modalities
• Image quality control and optimization
• Digital imaging and telemedicine
• Chest and pulmonary imaging
• Cardiac and mediastinal imaging
• Musculoskeletal patterns
• Abdominal and urogenital imaging
• CNS and ENT imaging

Course Delivery Format

The courses of the IMA eVarsity are largely delivered online, with convenient self-study at one’s own pace, time and place facilitated through online faculty.
A rich learning environment is provided through the SmarTeach Learning Platform with access to:

• Online lectures delivered by experts in respective fields. You may view the lecture any number of times using interactive tools to conveniently play/pause, forward /rewind, skip/review.
• Included in these lectures are numerous text slides, illustrations and appropriate 2D and 3D animations, audios/videos to make concepts easy to understand and difficult to forget.
• Reading material includes prescribed Text book and e-Books for each chapter.
• Facility for the student to bookmark specific segments of a running lecture and ability to add your own notes for later review.
• Periodic self-assessment through multiple choice objective questions from a question bank of over 1, 00,000 questions across all subject areas.
• Case based scenarios and simulated case based exercises.
• Online contact sessions through e mail, Web chat and scheduled web sessions with a national faculty.
• Lessons shall be progressively delivered on a weekly basis. Once you go through the module for a particular week by viewing the lecture, completing the reading assignments and completing the self-assessment, you shall get access to the next week’s program.
• Optional Tablet mode available for convenience of self-study without need for Internet connectivity.

Assessment

• There shall be periodic self-assessments at the end of each module and final exam. Your grades in these formative assessments shall carry predetermined weightage.
• Degrees and Certificates shall be awarded during the Annual Convocation of the IMA eVarsity held in the city hosting the Annual IMA eVarsity National Conference.

How is the course accredited?

• The IMA eVarsity has a vast network of affiliations both National and International for accreditation of its courses. Among them, the prominent ones are the University of Sydney (Australia), the George Washington University (USA), Colombo University (Sri Lanka) and many centers of excellence throughout the country which offer great academic and clinical material.
• Certificate course in Primary Care Radiology is accredited by the IMA College of General Practitioners itself.
• CME course modules offered by the IMA eVarsity are accredited by the Medical Council and are valid credits for re-registration of medical practitioners as per the new law and are available on the IMA eVarsity website with a nominal fee.

Admission Schedule

• Admissions to the course would be half yearly .
• You may register online or contact your local IMA chapter.
• You may register upto six months in advance and not more than one week after the course starts.

Course At A Glance

• Course: Certificate Course in Primary Care Radiology
• Total Duration: 6 months
• Hours per week: 4 – 8
• Medium of instruction: English

Certificate in Genetic Counseling

About the Course

The last few decades have witnessed an exponential growth in knowledge, catapulting genetics from obscurity to a pre eminent place in health-care. New information about causative genes, disease diagnosis and available treatment options for several single gene and complex genetic disorders as well as several birth defects, are now known making disease diagnosis and treatment easier. It is critical that clinicians learn about these developments and incorporate this knowledge into their practice.
Each and every patient should be able to benefit from individualized therapy based on their unique genetic makeup; however, this can become a reality only when clinicians are able to comprehend the genetics behind the diseases and syndromes. More importantly the implications of these must be explained to the patients and relatives in a professional and compassionate manner. Such education and counseling accompanying genetic testing is provided by Genetic Counselors in all developed countries; this kind of professional training is being given for the first time in India for clinicians.

Career Prospects

The doctors could practice as genetic counselors or continue their practice with comprehensive knowledge of genetics, duly prescribing genetic tests and interpreting related reports. The course will also give them an understanding of the psychological basis of counseling.

Course Delivery Format

• The course is a hybrid mix of self-paced learning using pre-recorded lectures that can be accessed online or offline.
• There are scheduled Active learning sessions with a Subject Matter Expert.
• This course requires contact sessions in hospitals equipped with Genetic Labs.

Course At A Glance

• Course: Certificate Course in Genetic Counselling
• Total Duration: 24 weeks
• Hours per week: 3 – 4 hours per week
• Medium of instruction: English

Types of Courses

• Diploma in Family Medicine

• Fellowship in Family Medicine

• Fellowship in Diabetes Mellitus

• Fellowship in Primary Care Cardiology

• Fellowship in Primary Care Paediatrics

• Advanced Diploma in Hospital Management

• Certificate in Primary Care Radiology

• Certificate in Genetic Counseling