Specialist Certificate in Disaster and Terror Medicine and Health Management

Disasters and terror events are taking place with increasing frequency across the globe. In Melbourne, Australia we have experienced the ravages of bushfires, the impact of thunderstorm asthma, the mortality associated with COVID-19 and the tragedy of the Bourke Street Mall terror attack all within a short, three-year period.

The knowledge and experience of disaster and terror medicine specialists is critical when it comes to managing such events in community and healthcare settings. Health practitioners, service managers and leaders must be prepared to respond quickly and decisively.

The Specialist Certificate in Disaster and Terror Medicine and Health Management is the first program of its kind in Australia, providing an evidence-based introduction to the key elements of this specialty.

With a focus on the fundamentals of disaster and terror response, it equips clinicians, first responders, health service managers, relevant agency staff and policy makers with essential skills to effectively prepare for, and manage, a range of disaster and terror events.

Developed at the Department of Critical Care in consultation with industry, the program draws on the deep knowledge and real-world experience of international experts in the field, including leading emergency physician, Professor George Braitberg AM, who heads up the department's emergency medicine program.

It is delivered online with two, two-day face-to-face intensive programs involving practical exercises and simulation activities led by internationally renowned experts. The two-day workshops can also be undertaken as standalone, assessment-free programs.

Please note this course has been approved for 340 CPD hours by the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM CPD hours) and the College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM CPD Accreditation Category 1B: Active or Interactive Self Learning). The course can also be claimed towards CPD for the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA).

In this program you will develop key problem-solving skills and expertise in this specialist area, including logistical and clinical prevention, planning, response, recovery and policy development. You will also gain an understanding of domestic and international factors involved in the management of these events.

The course is delivered online, with two, two-day face-to-face intensive programs involving practical exercises and simulation activities. Led by internationally renowned experts from a range of backgrounds, in this practical component you will apply your newly acquired integrated knowledge to solving problems in various simulated disaster situations. This includes active shooter mass casualty simulations, drill exercises and hazardous materials training.

You will learn how to:

• Recognise and critically assess the complex nature of disaster and terror events from a clinical and healthcare management perspective
• Analyse existing models of preparedness at different levels of response (community, hospital, national and international) to prevent or minimise harm
• Evaluate principles of resource utilisation, resilience and recovery management, applied to extreme conditions in a range of settings
• Compare and contrast treatment and management regimes for a comprehensive range of natural and man-made disaster and terror events.

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Recognise and apply disaster and terror medicine and health management principles, considering the various health systems and challenges in managing disaster incidents and countering terrorism
• Analyse the factors that underpin level of organisational response and the principles that are applied to prevent, manage, contain and diffuse the impact of disasters in clinical settings
• Devise methods to address the complex physical and psychological factors involved in after care and recovery post event
• Develop creative and flexible problem-solving, communication skills for unique crisis situations, in a range of environmental, geographic and often dangerous settings
• Evaluate the clinical and health service design and implementation processes for prevention, planning, responding and managing disaster and terror events
• Critically assess the clinical and health service risk and the impact of disaster and terror events.

Disaster and Terror Medicine and Health Management is a system-orientated specialty that intersects clinical medicine and a diverse group of responding agencies. The course is relevant to critical care clinicians (including doctors, nurses, clinical leaders); emergency services (including paramedics, ambulance workers); hospital administrators; government and policy makers; social workers; and the military.

It takes about 20 minutes to complete the form using the online application system.

You can save your work in progress and complete the application at a later date.

Admissions for this course are not capped per intake, so you do not need to apply for multiple intakes. If you are unsure which intake you wish to apply for, please note that you can change your application later by contacting the student support team.

• Course code: SC-DTMHM
• A two page CV summary that documents a minimum of two years relevant work experience
• Evidence of meeting the English Language Requirements as determined by the University
• Transcripts for all courses attempted or completed including an explanation of the grading system used. Transcripts for previous studies undertaken at the University of Melbourne are not required. An academic transcript is an official record of your studies that lists all subjects you have undertaken, and all of the results that you obtained.
• Digital files of these documents. Limit of 6MB per document. Supported file types: TXT, DOC, DOCX, PDF, JPG, JPEG, XLS, XLSX, TIFF.