Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Book on an postgraduate open day

    KEY FACTS

    • Title
      PgCert Genetic Healthcare
    • Award
      Postgraduate Certificate - PgCert
    • Study mode
      Part-time
    • Duration
      2 years
    • Start date
       September 2012
    • Fees
       See fees information above
Skip Navigation LinksPlymouth University > courses > postgraduate > PgCert Genetic Healthcare
​Family Image Banner

Programme overview​

Genetic counselling and genetic nursing are rapidly developing areas of clinical practice. This new award is designed to enable healthcare professionals to develop skills and knowledge in genetic healthcare at masters level.

Students will be eligible for the award of a post graduate certificate on completion of 60 credits at masters level, using a combination of three genetic healthcare modules:

  • Genetic Science for Health Professionals
  • Counselling Skills for Genetic Healthcare
  • Practical Genetics for Health Professionals.

This award is appropriate for graduate nurses and midwives who wish to become genetic counsellors and other health practitioners who are required to have genetic healthcare skills and knowledge to practice. This might include specialist midwives, nurses working in haemophilia care, haemoglobinopathies, and cardiac genetics.

For more information about the Genetic Healthcare programme please visit the Programme structure page.

​Programme highlights

  • Designed for graduate nurses and midwives (particularly specialists)
  • International research reputation
 

Meet the academics

“My research is in the area of Applied Health Genetics, focusing on the effects of genetic disease on families. Living with a genetic risk or a genetic condition has many types of impact: physical, psychological, emotional and social, and because many family members are involved, it has a long term effect on the entire family over generations. My interest in this work stems from my long clinical career in healthcare and I believe that my research at the university actually makes a difference to peoples’ everyday lives. Working at Plymouth University has enabled me to develop my research career and to collaborate with colleagues from all over Europe, US and Japan. One of the most exciting collaborations I am involved in is a large European project called EuroGentest. Groups of researchers from all over Europe are working to improve the way genetic testing is offered, with an emphasis in quality.”

Professor Heather Skirton,
Professor of Applied Health Genetics​

​Entry requirements

Students will normally be health professionals and have a degree.
 
For UK registered genetic counsellors it may be possible to obtain credits using your registration portfolio.

Duration

Part-time using a combination of study blocks (students attend in person over 3-4 days). ​
​Double Helix