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Degree of Doctor of Midwifery DM X473 DRLSC006
Course outline
UCD SNMHS/2013
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Aim
The aim of the professional doctoral programme is to provide nurses and midwives with a structured and
rigorous academic programme of research, training and applied practice. It will provide research training
and professional and leadership skills training to enable them to make a significant and more effective
contribution to their fields of professional practice in the areas of policy, clinical practice, service
development, continuing professional development and the development of their respective disciplines.
Doctorally-prepared graduates will make a significant original contribution to both theory and practice and
to the development of their professional practice by making a contribution to professional knowledge.
Students will undertake research, applied to their professional practice through work experience, and the
outcome of the research will contribute to innovation in their field of professional practice. The aim is
therefore to enable the student to demonstrate the ability to critically reflect and contextually embed such
developments in professional practice within a theoretical and academic framework.
Credit weighting
The total credit volume is 270 ECTS credits, of which 135 credits are allocated to taught components
integrated and 135 credits are allocated to the research component, with both elements integrated with
professional practice (Table 1).
Where a student fails to satisfactorily progress to Stage 2, s/he may either transfer to another graduate
programme, or work towards the award of a masters degree, or have their registration terminated and be
awarded a certificate of credit for any modules for which credit has been awarded.
Module structure
The taught element is built on a modular structure, which is presented in thematic module suites. In stage 1,
the student completes one module from each of suites 1, 2, 3 and 4 (60 ECTS) at level 4 and completes a
thesis proposal (30 ECTS) at level 5. In Stage 2, the student completes one module from each of suites 1, 2, 3
and 4 (60 ECTS) and one other module from the list (15 ECTS) offered and completes a thesis (105 ECTS) all
at level 5 (Figure 1). For core and optional, students take a minimum of 45 ECTS and for elective modules,
students take a maximum of 30 ECTS (Table 2).
The various modules are offered in either Semesters 1, and 2 and 3 and can be taken according to the
students date of registration on the programme (Figure 1).
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Assessment of learning
For the taught element, a variety of assessment methods are used. Most assessments are based on the fact
that the taught elements are integrated with the professional practice elements. Hence, assessments require
students to examine aspects of their practice and/or institute practice innovations. The assessment of the
research element is based on the work undertaken by the student in preparing a doctoral thesis. A transfer
assessment, based on preliminary chapters of the thesis is undertaken at the end of Stage 1 and the final
examination of the research element is an examination of the completed thesis that incorporates a viva voce
examination.
For further information contact:
or
or
Asmahan McCambridge
Course administrator
UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems
UCD Health Sciences Centre
University College Dublin
Belfield, Dublin 4
Tel: 01 716 6415
asmahan.mccambridge@ucd.ie
Visit the School website at:
http://www.ucd.ie/nmhs/research_degrees.html
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 1
YEAR 1
Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
NMHS50040 Leadership and models of innovation (c) NMHS50050 Philosophy, science and practice (c) (15 NMHS50100 Scholarship of practice 1 (Professional
(15 ECTS) ECTS) portfolio) (c) (15 ECTS)
STAGE 2
YEAR 3
Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
NMHS50020 Disciplinary knowledge in practice NMHS50010 Advanced leadership in healthcare (o) NMHS50110 Scholarship of practice 2 (Professional
development (15 ECTS) (15 ECTS) portfolio) (c) (15 ECTS)
or or
NMHS50060 Practice innovation (15 ECTS) (o)
or
NMHS50030 International practicum S3 (o) (15 ECTS)
NMHS 5001R Research Activity (Thesis) (c)
STAGE 1
YEAR 4
Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3
NMHS50130 International practicum S4 (o) (15 ECTS)
or
NMHS 5001R Research Activity (Thesis) (c) Viva voce examination (105 ECTS)
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Student completes one module from each of suites 1, 2 3 and 4 (60 ECTS) and completes a thesis proposal (30
ECTS)
Suite 5: Thesis
NMHS50120 Thesis proposal (c) (register in Year 5 2/3 30 48 758
2)
Total (stage 1) 90 204 1796
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 1
Module Title: Researching professional practice: theory and method
Module Places: 50
Module Dependencies:
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 1
Module Title: Leadership and models of innovation
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 1
Module Title: Philosophy, science and practice
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
Essay assignment: (6000 words): Examination of contemporary debates about the discipline or about a clinical topic,
using the method of philosophic inquiry or critical discourse analysis.
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 1
Module Title: Scholarship of practice 1
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
The student will be engaged in professional practice, employed in a clearly-defined professional role for a minimum of
0.5WTE and not less than a minimum of 720 hours in a single calendar year.
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Electives (Select one module from the list not already taken)*
or 2 5 1/2/3 15 c.40 c260
NMHS50130 International practicum S4 (o)
or
Elective module of own choosing (e) 1/2/3
Sub total 15
Thesis
NMHS 5001R Research Activity (Thesis) 2 5 2/3 105 48 758
Total ECTS credits 180 418 1894
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 2
Module Title: Researching professional practice: Quantitative methods
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies: Students taking professional doctorate or PhD programme will have successfully completed
Stage 1
Indicative Module Description:
The aim of this module is to provide students with the critical skills to design and conduct a quantitative study in the
world of professional practice. The module focuses on quantitative research designs and it complements the work of
academic supervision. The module will critically examine instrumentation in the conduct of health care research and will
provide training into aspects of advanced data handling, including inferential analysis of empirical data. The module
may be part taken in part or whole with the module NMHS40580 Research Methods.
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Module assessment: Research design and data handling: Examine relationships and differences in research data and
prepare a report of the findings. (100%)
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 2
Module Title: Researching professional practice: Qualitative methods
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies: Students taking professional doctorate or PhD programme will have successfully completed
Stage 1
Indicative Module Description:
The aim of this module is to provide students with the critical skills to design and conduct a qualitative study in the
world of professional practice. The module focuses on qualitative research designs and it complements the work of
academic supervision. The module will critically examine methods of data collection in qualitative research, including
the depth interviewing, focus groups discussions, biographical interpretive method, documentary and discourse
analysis, in the conduct of health care research and will provide training into aspects of advanced data handling,
including inferential analysis of empirical data.
The module may be part taken in part or whole with the module NMHS40580Research Methods.
50
Research design and data handling: Conduct qualitative data collection, analyse the interview data using coding
framework and present a report of the findings. (100%)
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 2
Module Title: Disciplinary knowledge in practice development
Module Places 50
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
Students taking professional doctorate or PhD programme will have successfully completed Stage 1.
Indicative Module Description:
This module examines advanced leadership in health care and it aims to develop a range of skills needed for a
leadership role in healthcare. Topics covered in the module include clinical leadership, leadership in organisations and
leadership for the discipline. The relationship between leader and leadership development is explored and the methods
of leadership development, including pedagogical approaches, are critiqued. To more fully understand leadership
development among health professionals, each student will conduct a leadership development needs analysis in their
field of practice and propose a model for leadership development
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 2
Module Title: Practice innovation
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies: Making a Difference. Other programme modules are pre- or co-requisites
Course work assignment, Part 1 (2000 words): The context for innovation (35%)
Course work assignment, Part 2 (3000 words): The innovation design (50%)
Self-appraisal, review and reflection (15%)
Total Hours 300
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UCD SNMHS/2013
STAGE 2
Module Title: Scholarship of practice 2
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
Students taking professional doctorate or PhD programme will have successfully completed Stage 1. The student will be
engaged in professional practice, employed in a clearly-defined professional role for a minimum of 0.5WTE and not less
than a minimum of 720 hours in a single calendar year.
Indicative Module Description:
Linking taught and research activity with professional practice is a critical element of student learning. This module is
designed to provide academic structure to the students work experience during the second year following successful
progression to Stage 2 and builds on learning achieved in the module Professional practice 1. It provides an explicit
framework with which to integrate professional practice with the taught and research elements of the programme and it
encompasses new skills training in the practicum, mentorship activities and critical self-appraisal of the students own
professional practice. The aim of the module is to enable the student to locate and contextualise their own professional
practice within its own disciplinary context and within wider practice and social contexts and to assist the student to
identify and translate relevant research in their practice field. The capacity to lead others is also a major outcome of this
module.
Indicative Learning Outcomes:
1. Critically examine own practice with reference to existing skills set and identify practice-related learning needs as they
relate to research consumerism and leadership capacity.
2. In the practicum, communicate research and innovation evidence to peers and engage in critical dialogue with peers
and other professional disciplines in relation to practice development
3. Demonstrate leadership in the practicum in relation to intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary working
4. Articulate the unique nursing or midwifery contribution to clinical care (or to service development or to policy
development) through words and actions
5. Conduct a master class on an aspect of professional practice
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
Students taking professional doctorate or PhD programme will have successfully completed Stage 1.
Indicative Module Description:
This module offers students an opportunity to undertake a short practicum in another country. Experiencing the health
systems of another country provides the student with an opportunity to experience firsthand the structures and
processes involved in a planning and delivering health care in a different country. In this way, the student is enabled to
make critical comparisons of the health systems of two countries and thereby to better equip the student to critique the
health system in which s/he works. A subsidiary benefit of the international practicum will be the opportunities
presented for future networking for the purpose of research and practice innovation.
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UCD SNMHS/2013
Module Places 50
Module Dependencies:
Students taking professional doctorate or PhD programme will have successfully completed Stage 1.
Indicative Module Description:
This module offers students an opportunity to undertake a short practicum in another country. Experiencing the health
systems of another country provides the student with an opportunity to experience firsthand the structures and
processes involved in a planning and delivering health care in a different country. In this way, the student is enabled to
make critical comparisons of the health systems of two countries and thereby to better equip the student to critique the
health system in which s/he works. A subsidiary benefit of the international practicum will be the opportunities
presented for future networking for the purpose of research and practice innovation.
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