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300th student joins Warwick distance learning course in time for World Diabetes Day

  • Warwick Medical School’s online diabetes course brings new meaning to distance learning for a doctor in the Falkland Islands
  • International demand is at an all-time high for online course in diabetes care – 300th distance learner has just signed up
  • World Diabetes Day is 14 November

Warwick Medical School has built up one of the UK’s leading diabetes educational programmes over the past ten years.  One of its courses, the ‘Certificate in Diabetes Care’ (CIDC), has been particularly successful with almost 10,000 healthcare professionals, mostly practice nurses and GPs, signing up to learn more.

The CIDC has traditionally been taught at Warwick Medical School’s university site and in local health communities.  But its fame has spread further afield and such is the demand internationally, the University has created an online course to enable healthcare professionals outside the UK to benefit from the world class teaching at Warwick.

Dr Roger Gadsby, GP and Associate Clinical Professor at Warwick Medical School, explained: “We have just enrolled our 300th healthcare professional on the web-based version of the programme and now have people from all over the country as well as far-flung destinations including Australia, India, Dubai, Kuwait, Cyprus, Malaysia, Armenia and the Falkland Islands!

“This means that our teaching expertise will be shared with international healthcare professionals so they can go on to deliver high quality diabetes care in their communities and improve the lot of people living with type 2 diabetes across the world.”

Dr Bernadette Paver, a GP working in a small hospital in the Falkland Islands, is one of the Medical School’s furthest distance learners. 
She explained why, out of so many medical schools across the world, she decided upon Warwick Medical School:  “This was the course that stood out to me; as one of only five GPs in a 28-bed hospital, taking time off to travel to courses is very difficult and expensive. 

“It’s flexible but challenging and the tutorial support is outstanding.  Their online forums offered me a professional lifeline that meant I was in touch with diabetes experts.   We have no consultants at our hospital and there is just me and one other nurse with diabetes care training – this teaching experience has really enhanced the treatment and care our diabetes patients receive.

Dr Gadsby is delighted with the increasing uptake of the online course and added:  “When you hear of the examples such as Dr Paver, it makes us even more determined to adapt our courses to make them accessible.  We want to share our teaching expertise to help improve the care delivered to patients not just across the UK, but right around the world.”

World Diabetes Day is celebrated on 14 November and helps to highlight the research and treatment being developed. 

Ends....

Notes to Editors:
If you would like to interview Dr Gadsby or Bernadette Paver, or for further information, contact Kate Cox in the Communications office on +44 (0)2476 150483, m:+44(0)7920 531221 or kate.cox@warwick.ac.uk.