This online course enables you to match your educational needs with your professional practice. You will gain the knowledge and skills needed for optimal clinical evaluation of the allergic patient. You will also learn how to manage common allergic conditions, such as eczema, food allergy, asthma and drug allergy.

This course has been developed for clinicians, nurses and other allied health professionals who have a particular interest in clinical allergy. The focus is clinical, drawing on the latest research. The course is suitable for those working in primary or secondary care settings with adults or children. If you commonly see patients with allergic conditions and want to develop your clinical skills in this area, then this course is for you.

You will study our compulsory allergy module alongside a range of optional modules. The allergy module is accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and covers:

• basic immunology for clinical allergy practice
• clinical evaluation of the allergic patient, including diagnostic options and management approaches
• anaphylaxis
• asthma
• allergic skin disease, including eczema, urticaria and angioedema
• drug allergy
• food allergy (both lgE mediated disease and non IgE mediated disease)
• 'hot topics' in allergy

This innovative course is aimed at those who already have a primary qualification (eg MBBS, BDS, BSc) and are working in a health or life sciences field. It has been developed to provide a flexible approach, making it sustainable and compatible with modern career pathways, whilst addressing the needs of a modern health service.

Delivery

The modules are taught online, so you can choose to study anytime, anywhere. This flexibility means that you can fit your studies around your other commitments and develop your online literacy as a transferable skill. You can select from over 30modules in a diverse range of subjects to create your own bespoke course of study.

Alternatively, you can choose to complete the allergy module as a standalone course for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The allergy module runs over 13 weeks starting in April 2016. You will cover important areas in the field of allergy, with an emphasis on interaction and case discussion. During the module you will take three online assessments that examine your abilities in:

• critical appraisal
• wider understanding of the subject
• clinical evaluation skills

The format of the allergy module draws on clinical cases and uses a variety of interactive tools to enhance learning.

The e-learning course has been developed by Newcastle University, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the NIHR Newcastle Training School as part of the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre in Ageing and Chronic Disease.

You will be given an email address and an account on Blackboard, our managed learning environment. Blackboard is accessible across a variety of operating systems and browsers. Our materials and supporting reading are accessible across a variety of devices including desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones.

No campus attendance is needed, but you must have reliable access to a computer, internet connection, webcam, headset and printer. Recommended specifications:

• operating system: Windows 7 and above (32 and 64 bit) or Mac OSX 10.6 and above
• processor: Intel Pentium, Intel Celeron, Intel i3, Intel i5, Intel i7, or recent AMD processor
• RAM: At least 2GB
• connectivity: broadband or mobile broadband
• screen resolution: at least 1024 x 768 px

Modules

Our flexible course allows you to decide a route that suits your needs.

To specialise in allergy, you need to select a certain number of allergy-specific credits.

Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert): 60 credits including 20 in allergy

You can choose from over 30 professional and clinical modules to build your bespoke qualification in the areas of:

• therapeutics
• clinical research
• palliative care
• oncology

You can also choose to study individual modules for continuous professional development (CPD).

Most of our modules are 10-12 weeks long. Our online modules are split between 10 and 20 credit modules and require 10-20 hours of work per week. You should set aside regular study hours to get the most out of the course. There are three semesters in the academic year and in each semester you can study:

• a minimum of 10 credits (unless you take a formal leave of absence)
• a maximum of 40 credits.

To help plan your study, each module details which semester it is taught in. Semester start dates are:

• Semester 1: September
• Semester 2: January
• Semester 3: April

Compulsory module

• CHS8005 Allergy (E-Learning)

Optional modules

• CHS8001 Drug Discovery and Pre-clinical Development (E-learning)
• CHS8002 Drug Development from First-in-Man to Bedside (E-learning)
• CHS8003 Therapeutics in Older People (E-Learning)
• CHS8004 Trauma and Orthopaedics - Simulation Enhanced Learning (E-learning)
• CHS8006 Ageing and Health (E-Learning)
• CHS8007 Clinical Research with Older People (E-Learning)
• CHS8008 Biology of Ageing (E-Learning)
• MCR8009 Research Governance and Ethics (E-learning)
• MCR8010 Introduction to Research Study Design and Statistics (E-learning)
• MCR8011 Writing in a Research Setting (E-learning)
• MCR8013 Designing a Research Proposal (E-learning)
• MCR8015 Clinical Trials (E-Learning)
• MCR8019 Clinical Research Statistics (E-Learning)
• ONC8002 Cancer Pathology (E-learning)
• ONC8004 Developments in Diagnostic Imaging in Oncology (E-learning)
• ONC8005 Palliative Care Themes and Perspectives (E-learning)
• ONC8006 Management of Cancer-Psychosocial Issues (E-learning)
• ONC8007 Research Methods 2 Statistics (E-learning)
• ONC8008 Ethical Dimensions of Cancer/Palliative Care (E-learning)
• ONC8010 Handling Loss, Grief and Bereavement (E-learning)
• ONC8011 Cancer Drugs and Technologies: Product Pathway, Provider & Patient (E-learning)
• ONC8012 Managing Pain (E-learning)
• ONC8013 Quality Improvement (E-learning)
• ONC8016 Contemporary Issues in Palliative Care Practice: Management of Symptoms (Other Than Pain) in Advanced Diseases (E-learning)
• ONC8017 Multi-professional Management of Cancer Part 1 (E-learning)
• ONC8018 Multi-professional Management of Cancer Part 2 (E-learning)
• ONC8019 Pharmacology of Chemotherapeutic Agents (E-learning)
• ONC8021 Health Economics (E-Learning)
• ONC8022 Cancer Cell, Molecular Biology and Genetics (E-learning)