The University of California's first web-based postgraduate certificate program will launch on Monday, Sept. 12.
Chaired by Pamela Pierce Palmer, MD, PhD, the UCSF Postgraduate Certificate in
Pain Management's Online Program is part of an innovative UCSF initiative to educate health care providers in pain management.
Every year, 25 million Americans experience acute pain while 50 million endure chronic pain. Physicians, psychologists, nurses, dentists, and physical and occupational therapists all see these patients," said Palmer, who is director of the UCSF Pain Center for Advanced Research and Education, or PainCARE. "But, although pain is the no. 1 presenting symptom for many medical conditions, providers still don't have enough opportunities to study pain management."
Palmer says she has already seen indications that the online pain management education program will be a popular option for health care providers for whom a live class could be too time-bound or time-consuming.
American Medical Association studies show that 67 percent of physicians use the web as a source of medical information, and web use among physicians continues to grow.
"For UCSF, offering the postgraduate certificate in pain management program online is a natural response to this trend," Palmer said.
The curriculum assumes each student will work about eight hours per week on a multimedia computer with a web connection (high-speed preferred). Students receive study guides, lecture notes, and textbook and journal excerpts. Online assessments, quizzes and discussion groups offer greater interaction with faculty and peers.
The certificate program is presented in collaboration with the University of Sydney and University of Edinburgh as part of the International Pain Education Program, and is based on the Core Curriculum for Professional Education in Pain created by the International Association for the Study of Pain's Task Force on Professional Education in Pain.
Registration is underway for the first session, which begins Monday, Sept. 12, and ends June 11, 2006. Tuition is $8,100. While students may complete the program entirely online, the program year ends with an optional one-week case seminar live at UCSF.
For registration or other information, contact Laurie Snyder, manager, UCSF PainCARE, at 415/885-7269.
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Pain Management Center Online Program
