Training in Infection Control Offered | Western Cape Government

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Training in Infection Control Offered

20 October 2005
"The basis of infection control is training and the country needs people who are trained to address deficiencies that lead to infection outbreaks in hospitals and communities - such as the prevention of infection, the prudent use of antibiotics and waste management."

This is the motivation for Prof Shaheen Mehtar, head of the Unit for Infection Prevention and Control at TBH, to introduce a new, first of its kind in Africa, postgraduate course specially aimed at the prevention and control of infection and to establish quality health management in hospitals and communities.

Applicants are invited to register for the Postgraduate Diploma in Infection Control (PDIC) for 2006. The course is aimed as doctors, nurses and scientists who are interested in specialising in infection prevention and control or who have an interest in infection prevention as part of health management. The minimum requirements are:

  1. a Bachelors Degree or equivalent
  2. exposure to working in a healthcare environment

The course will run for a minimum of two years (maximum 4years) and contains six modules.

The topics covered will be:

  • microbiology
  • introduction to sterilization and disinfection
  • risk management and safe practice
  • hospital design and infection control
  • surveillance and research methodology

Each module will run for either 10 weeks or 6 weeks (depending on the module). There will be a maximum of two week contact time and the rest of the module will be spent on a project at the place of work. Therefore in one year, the maximum time away will not exceed six weeks. Each module can be either accredited separately or towards the full credits required for the Postgraduate diploma.

Bursaries are available for deserving candidates from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and low resource provinces, and will cover the entire registration fee including study material for the whole course, but not travel, boarding and lodging.

The closing date for all applications is Oct 31, 2005.

There are 15 places available on the course and will be on a "first come, first served" basis.

For more information and bursaries please contact:
Mrs A Fourie
Program support
Email address: acs1@sun.ac.za

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