Page 8 - ANZCP Gazette April 2021

MASTERS COURSE IN PERFUSION
Dear Members,
The Board wish to provide you with an update of our progress with our application to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Masters course.
Alex Peterson is heading this project, with assistance from Rob Baker. Recent contact with MUSC program director, Dave Fitzgerald, has shown that steady progress is being made with our application.
The course has received approval and sign off from both the College Leadership Group and the University Deans with unanimous support.
The next stage is to seek approval from the Provost Council. The Provost reviews program objectives, student learning outcomes and measures, and accreditation compliance. This is likely to be the most difficult stage of the process where the course will come under intense scrutiny. Following Provost Review, two further approval stages will need to be completed, with: 1) The Board of Trustees of the University and; 2) The State Higher Education Committee of South Carolina.
The approval process is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 with the first intake of students to be in September of 2022. The course will align with the northern hemisphere academic year.
Entry Requirements
Applicants to the MUSC Perfusion Program require a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 from a US University (Scale 0-4 GPA). In Australia this is equivalent to a GPA of 5.0 and in New Zealand, a ’B’ grade average at undergraduate level. Head of Departments are urged to keep this GPA in mind when hiring staff, as they must satisfy the MUSC entrance criteria to commence the course.
In the meantime, the Board will have three enrolment periods for the SCiCP course in 2021 – 22nd February, 31st May and 6th September. The current plan is to have one intake in February 2022, with the MUSC course commencing in September 2022.
Students who commence the SCiCP course will be allowed to continue and complete the course. They may also change to the MUSC course if they wish. Negotiations with MUSC are still underway, but it is unlikely that recognition of previous learning will be rewarded for units completed in the SCiCP course.
The cost of the course is still being determined and will be negotiated depending on our exact requirements from MUSC. It is likely that it will be in the vicinity of USD $25,000 for the two-year Master’s degree. The Board is doing everything in our power to negotiate the best possible price for the course.
The Board will continue to explore course alternatives in Australia, with the aim to have a locally delivered course in the future, however, this is currently not a viable option due to our low annual enrolment numbers. As there is still much fine- tuning to do, we endeavour to keep you updated throughout the progress and welcome any input from members.
Jessica Cantrick CCP, FANZCP, ABCP Chair
AUTOTRANSFUSION COURSE
Casey Edwards CCP, Jess Cantrick CCP
It our pleasure to provide a brief update on the ABCP Autotransfusion course.
Despite all that slowed down in 2020, our enrolments certainly did not. A total of 107 students participated in the course last year, signifying our highest annual enrolments since the courses’ inception.
This year stands to be even more significant in the course’s history, with a change in its structure and delivery. Historically the course has been delivered via PowerPoint presentations attached to emails. However as of February 2021, we have launched the Autotransfusion Course as a web-based learning portal. This change enhances the professionalism of our product and significantly reduces the administrative workload for volunteers. Our first term of the web-based course is underway and so far the execution has been smooth
and feedback is positive. Great thanks are due to Jaryd from PreFlight for helping create our vision, accommodate our changes and offering his ongoing support.
The Autotransfusion course will run over three terms in 2021, commencing on the following dates: 15th February, 31st May, 6th September.
We welcome any enrolments from Members of the ANZCP, free of charge. We also encourage you to refer any other interested colleagues, and to consider the ANZCP Autotransfusion Course a part of your hospital’s training program for cell salvage operators.
If you are interested in volunteering with the ABCP there is always scope for improvement and development of the Autotransfusion Course – please do not hesitate to get in touch.
5 APRIL 2021 | www.anzcp.org