The Master of Remote and Indigenous Health is a 54-unit program which is offered by the College of Medicine and Public Health through the Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs.
The course articulates with the Graduate Certificate in Remote Health Practice and the Graduate Diploma in Remote Health Practice and the sequentially developed topics allow progression through the three awards.
The program was developed in collaboration with the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia (now CRANA Plus) building on work with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied health (SARRAH) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM). It is offered on an external basis through Flinders Learning Online and residential intensives.
Students who hold the graduate certificate or the graduate diploma are granted credit for topics already taken.
Admission requirements
Applicants who do not hold the Graduate Diploma in Remote Health Practice must normally hold an approved degree from an approved tertiary institution in a health-related field, and have three years’ experience in a health related field.
However, the Dean (Education) may, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence of fitness for candidature.
Course aims
The Master of Remote and Indigenous Health is designed for health professionals experienced in working within the remote and Indigenous context to advance their knowledge of the discipline of Remote Health.
This remote and Indigenous public health program aims to further extend their current knowledge across three major content areas that underpin practice within the discipline of Remote and Indigenous Health locally, nationally and internationally. These content areas are:
- The remote context – an inseparable work and living environment characterised by unique cultural, linguistic, social, economic, geographical, and climatic conditions
- Public health – a population based framework for planning, developing, managing and evaluating initiatives and programs to promote health and prevent disease
- Application to practice – the inter-professional and profession specific skills, knowledge and attributes required for competent, confident, accountable remote and Indigenous health practice within a primary health care framework.
Learning outcomes
At the completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
- practise autonomously within their own professional boundaries, contributing unique skills and knowledge to the multi-disciplinary team providing health care within isolated, remote and Indigenous contexts
- extend their knowledge of the remote context, social determinants and public health through development of research capabilities and clinical expertise
- apply knowledge and skills to work competently and confidently with the people and professionals of remote areas in the prevention and management of ill-health within remote and Indigenous communities
- practice as an expert in their field with leadership capacities that will be applied in specific areas of remote health service delivery
- listen well, respond constructively and convey their knowledge, understanding, reasoning and decision making in both written and spoken form and in a culturally safe manner
- advocate for sustainable, efficient, accessible and equitable health service delivery to improve health outcomes for remote, isolated, marginalised and Indigenous people worldwide
- possess a high level of resourcefulness in regards to organising their activities, prioritising their tasks, managing their time productively, and utilising goods and services in a socially and environmentally responsible way
- recognise that the world is dynamic and changing, and that isolated practice requires a commitment to continually updating skills and knowledge in response to the changing health technologies and health care needs of remote and Indigenous people locally, nationally and internationally
- work cooperatively and productively across the diverse geographical, cultural, social and economic settings of Remote and Indigenous Health practice, showing respect to the ideas and perspectives of Indigenous persons and negotiating and resolving conflict or difficulties in a culturally safe and decolonising way.
Program of study
To qualify for the Master of Remote and Indigenous Health, a student must complete 54 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study.
Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year.
The research project and option topics must be chosen in consultation with the course coordinator and must be in an area relevant to the student's present or future practice.
Core - Year 1 & 2 topics
36 units comprising:
REMH8001 Context of Remote & Indigenous Health (4.5 units)
REMH8002 Remote & Indigenous Primary Health Care (4.5 units)
REMH8013 Public Health Principles for Remote & Indigenous Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8014 Ethics, Power and Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8015 Research and Evidence Based Decision Making (4.5 units)
REMH9017 Remote Health Services: Strategic Management (4.5 units)
REMH9022 Research and Evaluation for Remote & Indigenous Health (4.5 units)
REMH9023A Remote & Indigenous Research Project (4.5 units)
Option - Year 1 & 2 topics
plus 18 units chosen from the following:
DSRS9050 Communication Difficulties (4.5 units)
DSRS9051 Rehabilitation and Learning Following Acquired Brain Injury (4.5 units)
DSRS9056 Legal, Ethical and Administrative Dimensions of Disability Services (4.5 units)
DSRS9060 Intellectual Disability (4.5 units)
DSRS9061 Management of Physical and Multiple Disabilities (4.5 units)
DSRS9062 Transition from School to Adult Life for Students with Disabilities (4.5 units)
DSRS9063 Autism Spectrum Disorder Across the Lifespan GE (4.5 units)
DSRS9067 Promoting inclusion in Arts, Sports and Leisure (4.5 units)
DSRS9069 Mental Health, Disability and Rehabilitation (4.5 units)
DSRS9070 Early Intervention for Children with Developmental Delays (4.5 units)
HACM9201 Health Law (4.5 units)
HACM9202 Safety and Quality in Health Care (4.5 units)
PHCA9504 Critical Practice in Indigenous Health (4.5 units)
PHCA9507 Health Promotion in Public Health (4.5 units)
PHCA9510 Leadership and the New Public Health (4.5 units)
PHCA9518 Food Democracy for Public Health Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8003 Fundamentals of Remote Allied Health Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8004 Remote and Indigenous Family Medicine (4.5 units)
REMH8005 Remote and Indigenous Complex Chronic Disease (4.5 units)
REMH8006 Remote Advanced Nursing Practice & Pharmacotherapeutics (4.5 units)
REMH8007 Remote Advanced Nursing Practice Across the Lifespan (4.5 units)
REMH8012 Project Management (4.5 units)
REMH8016 Remote Health Services Management in Practice (4.5 units)
REMH8021 Chronic Disease in Remote and Indigenous Primary Health Care (4.5 units)
REMH8025 Recognising and Responding to Dementia in Indigenous Communities (4.5 units)
REMH8026 Working with People with Disabilities in Remote and Indigenous Contexts (4.5 units)
REMH9023B Remote & Indigenous Research Project (4.5 units)*
REMH9023C Remote & Indigenous Research Project (4.5 units)*
REMH9023D Remote & Indigenous Research Project (4.5 units)*
*These topics may be taken in addition to REMH9023A to complete a 9 unit, 13.5 or 18 unit research project
Other topics may be selected from other programs within Flinders University and from other universities in consultation with the Course Coordinator.
Except with permission of the Dean (Education):
- the program must be completed within 10 consecutive semesters
- no topic may be attempted more than twice.
The award of a grade of Fail (F) in 18 or more units may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University Policy on Student Progress.
