Advanced Diploma in Public Health
Health Sciences and Social Services - Promotive Health and Developmental Services
Purpose and Rationale
Purpose:
The purpose of the Advanced Diploma in Public Health is to:
- Offer knowledge in specific fields and impart familiarity with relevant theoretical approaches.
- Provide research training with appropriate methodologies for learners to conduct research.
- Enable learners to apply knowledge and skills within the health sciences, contributing to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- Produce qualified and competent learners to ensure a balance in health service delivery and effective health service leadership and management.
- Utilize problem-based learning to support learners in applying current theories, research, strategic plans, policies, and evidence-based practices.
- Provide research skills to health leaders and practitioners to offer relevant services based on clients' needs.
- Enable learners to conduct research, think critically, reflectively, and take effective action in addressing priority problems in public health strategic leadership and management.
Rationale:
The rationale behind the Advanced Diploma in Public Health includes:
- Enabling learners to progress to a higher level of study within a structured qualification framework.
- Meeting the demand for highly trained Public Health Managers in both private and public sectors by providing adequate research training at the postgraduate level.
- Building the country's mandate of re-engineering Primary Health Care (PHC) and health system transformation.
- Strengthening middle management and leadership capacity within the health sector.
- Preparing professionals to take on leadership roles in service delivery, research, and healthcare system management.
- Addressing the shortage of trained professionals in health promotion to mitigate preventable diseases through the development of leadership skills and knowledge.
- Contributing to public health development through the application of the latest developments in the field.
Outcomes
- Demonstrate integrated knowledge in the areas of theory in Public Health practice, apply and evaluate the key terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories of Public Health and how these relate to other fields, disciplines or practices.
- Demonstrate knowledge and ability to evaluate types of knowledge and explanations within the Public Health system.
- Demonstrate knowledge of a range of methods of enquiry and their suitability to specific investigations in Public Health.
- Demonstrate having the knowledge and ability to identify, analyse, evaluate, critically reflect on and address complex problems in Public Health issues.
- Demonstrate education in promotion of ethical and professional public healthy behaviour.
- Apply the knowledge, skills, and desired professional attitudes necessary to conduct basic research.
- Develop and communicate ideas and opinions in well-formed arguments.
- Manage processes in unfamiliar and variable contexts, recognising that problem solving is context and system bound, and does not occur in isolation.
- Identify, evaluate and address his or her learning needs in a self-directed manner.
- Take full responsibility for his or her work, decision making and use of resources.
Assessment Criteria
Associated Assessment Criteria
- Manage own learning: Setting learning objectives and completing tasks on time.
- Apply concepts: Facts, rules, and components of the health system.
- Critically evaluate: Approaches to assessing health program performance and design strategies for improvement.
- Apply appropriate methods: Design, manage, monitor, and evaluate health systems and programs.
- Identify and assess: New and complex problems in health systems, apply evidence-based solutions using theory-driven arguments.
- Describe: Public health governance and ethical implications of inefficiency, waste, and corruption.
- Identify: Appropriate health information, critically evaluate data for evidence-based practice.
- Present complex information: In academic and professional contexts using suitable methods and formats for the audience.
- Describe: Roles and tasks of transformational leaders in a rapidly evolving public health system.
- Participate: In active learning in small collaborative groups.
Integrated Assessment
- Formative Assessment: Assignments, tests, individual and group projects, seminar presentations, policy debates, round table dialogues, workshop activities, and tutorial sessions.
- Summative Assessment: Portfolio of evidence at the end of each semester, no formal examination at the end of the year. Research work assessed as per institution's policy.
Qualification Details
- Type
- Advanced Diploma
- NQF Level
- 07
- Min. Credits
- 120
- SAQA Source
- More Information
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This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.