Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in Primary Care validated by University of Warwick

Background of the Course

For the year starting April 2019, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take a Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in Primary Care offered by iheed, which is based in Ireland and provides educational opportunities for family physicians around the world. 

Pg. Diploma/M.Sc. in Diabetes Care - University of Warwick

This academic qualification is accredited by the University of Warwick in England, which is ranked 77th in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2020.

Welcome to the University of Warwick

The program offered by iheed is an excellent mechanism for Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which may apply to CPD for family physicians in Japan, and the Japan Primary Care Association decided to hold the program in Japan. My boss asked me if I wanted to take the course as a kind of monitor for the first year. I was a little concerned about how much time it would take, but I thought, "This is another chance to learn qualified diabetes care and English," so I decided to take the course.

What kind of program is it?

The course consists of a year-long cycle of weekly web-based learning on one topic and online tutorials on the same topic, with six modules per week, and a total of six modules to be completed by the end of the course. Each week, in the run-up to the tutorial, a tutor (led by a family doctor in the UK and other family physicians around the world with an in-depth knowledge of diabetes) will provide a topic for participants to learn about through a text-based discussion. Besides, there was an on-site study session held twice a year in Tokyo. Grades were assessed by a final test for each of the six modules (with multiple choice and short answer questions) and a 2,000-word essay six times a year.

The program kicked off with a reception at the Irish Embassy in Tokyo. I was amazed at the support from the Embassy for Irish companies to operate in Japan. I was also delighted to have the experience of being there. I was able to talk directly with Dr Colin Kenny, a family physician in the UK and a tutor at iheed, and I felt that, as family physicians, we all share the same concerns about the difficulties of diabetes care. It made me very excited about the course content and motivated me to learn from it.

After the kick-off, the first on-site workshop was held, and it wasn't easy to learn while communicating only in English if you are not used to it. I was able to keep up with the content because I had become somewhat proficient in English during the previous Certificate Programme offered by Harvard Medical School. However, I felt I would have a hard time continuing if I didn't have some background in listening and speaking English.

On the other hand, this experience gave me a sense of what level of English I need to be able to use to "learn in English" or "present my research in English", and it was a great guide and hinted for my future studies and career. The tutors were from England, Ireland and Dubai, and they all had their accents. So we learned that we need to be able to communicate despite our different accents. On the contrary, I felt that the English spoken by Japanese people could be understood quite well.

What I got out of the course

We learned quite a lot about diabetes itself. There is no doubt that this course has changed my diabetes practice in a big way. We learned about insulin pumps, the nuts and bolts of how to use new medications in detail, the detailed evidence, patient education programs, etcetera.

Finally, in June 2020, I received the following notice.

"I am very pleased to confirm that the Board of Examiners recommended that you should be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes in Primary Care with Distinction."

The stage is now set for the next scene.