Intended for healthcare professionals

Careers

Diploma for graduates in management, University of London

BMJ 2010; 341 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c5485 (Published 13 October 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;341:c5485
  1. Bhaskar Punukollu, consultant in addiction psychiatry
  1. 1South West London and St George’s NHS Trust, Richmond Community Drug and Alcohol Team, Richmond Royal Hospital, Richmond, UK
  1. bhaskar.punukollu{at}swlstg-tr.nhs.uk

Who is it for?

The University of London describes the diploma for graduates in management as: “suitable for graduates of any discipline who, for professional or personal reasons, wish to secure a stand-alone qualification in management. It is also ideal for those who wish to undertake postgraduate work and whose first degree is in an unrelated field.”

When did you do it?

I took this course between my final specialist registrar year and my current post as a first year consultant.

Why did you do it?

As a specialist registrar I attended the King’s Fund management course and spent a week shadowing the chief executive officer. I attended Monitor and Medical Protection Society conferences, with lectures from the NHS’s chief executive, from a professor of medicine at Harvard medical school, and from the clinical director of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, who talked about using management skills, quality measurement, and benchmarking to optimise health care.

I was excited by the idea that management techniques could be used to benefit patient care and wanted to learn more. I was keen on doing a distance learning course so I could do it flexibly in my own time.

The University of London diploma for graduates in management is awarded by the London School of Economics (LSE). The course materials are written by LSE tutors, and exams are identical and marked according to the same stringent criteria applied to full time LSE students.

How much effort did it entail?

There are four modules, which can be completed over one to six years. Last year I passed two modules and am completing the other two this year. Each one involved around four months of study, about four hours a week on average. I mainly used the study guides provided as well as some supplementary reading and information on the virtual learning environment.

Is there an exam?

Each module has an exam that costs £170 this year. Exams are taken in May-June each year and can be done at a range of centres across the United Kingdom or around the world. If you complete in the minimum time period of one year, the total amount payable to the university including examination fees is £1180.

There is a study weekend provided by LSE once a year in which lectures are provided that focus on key reading, exam questions, the LSE marking system, and how to write essays according to the “LSE method.”

Was it worth it?

Studying for this diploma was an invaluable experience. The key thing that makes it work for me is the ability to study flexibly in my own time. The course notes are exceptionally well written and present information in an easy to read, involving format that has kept me motivated even though there are no regular lectures alongside them. And I have been excited and enthused to see just how relevant every aspect of what I am learning is to the world of health care and the NHS.

Top tip

You need to register for exams before January, otherwise the last chance is at the study weekend in February. Some modules are much tougher than others and take longer to study and understand; for example, “Introduction to economics” and “Corporate finance.”

Contact for further information

External Admissions Office, External System, University of London, Stewart House, 32 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DN, UK. Tel: 0207 862 8360; www.londonexternal.ac.uk.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None declared.