Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Social Practice (Level 8)

This programme is designed to extend and deepen an individual’s professional practice and apply an advanced body of knowledge in a range of fields of health and social practice which include, but is not limited to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, midwifery, social work, counselling and human services. It will offer learning opportunities designed to inform your practice and develop valued knowledge in Treaty-based practice. You will learn and grow professionally while undertaking interactive and experiential-based education. This postgraduate diploma will extend students' existing qualifications and will allow higher-level professional development that is interprofessional. Students will gain the skills to develop, analyse and generate solutions to complex and sometimes unpredictable problems. This qualification is relevant to practitioners from a wide range of practice contexts, and the resulting interprofessional interaction of health and social services practitioners will enhance and strengthen service delivery in the region. An interprofessional context will enable graduates to extend their capacity for critical and professionalclinical reasoning for specialist practice, leadership, and management in complex professional environments. Candidates may take up to three years to complete the postgraduate diploma. This programme is delivered by a combination of block courses and online. This programme will not lead to New Zealand health or social service professional registration. The Post Graduate Diploma in Health and Social Practice Mental Health and Addiction endorsement is a DAPAANZ Accreditation Programme and will meet the educational requirements for DAPAANZ registration.

a) Candidates are required to have gained:i. an undergraduate degree assessed as relevant by the Programme Manager, orii. a qualification approved as equivalent by the Programme Manager.b) Candidates who have not gained a relevant undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification may submit a portfolio and, if the application is successful, may be admitted on an ad eundum statem basis.c) Candidates for the Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Social Practice, (Professional Supervision), and the Postgraduate Certificates in Professional Supervision are required to have a minimum of two years post qualifying experience in their professional field of practice or the equivalent. This is in recognition of the requirement to have consolidated and developed their own practice to a level sufficient to embark in the role of supervisor of others.d) Candidates for the Postgraduate Diploma in Health and Social Practice (Midwifery) and the Postgraduate Certificate in Midwifery are required to:i. be registered with the Midwifery Council of New Zealand; andii. hold a current Annual Practising Certificate; andiii. have a minimum of one-year post-qualifying experience in midwifery practice (or the equivalent as approved by the selection committee).iv. and be in practice for an average minimum of 16 hours per week over a year.