Welcome to your Human Factors for Patient Safety course

Our Course Aims

This course specifically focuses on Human Factors within the Health and Social Care sectors, with the main purpose being to increase the safety of patients, service users and staff. We do however introduce experience from other high-risk sectors in order to provide perspective and learning opportunities. We anticipate that your cohort will include a diverse range of people from front line staff to those with senior leadership roles. This will provide you all with a unique opportunity to share your experiences with respect to patient/service user/staff safety and wellbeing and to discuss similarities and differences across the wide reach of Health and Social Care.

If you have selected to undertake the MSc, you will cover the PgCert in year one and then extend your insights and capabilities, to achieve a deeper understanding of the philosophy, theories, science and application of Human Factors within Health and Social Care sectors in years two and three. As part of this process, you will need to have the confidence to use data to justify your interventions, therefore you will undertake a module addressing research methods in Health and Social Care settings before your choice of a research dissertation or project-based change

Year One and your first Module:

Introducing Human Factor - 20 Credits, Level 7
The Systems Approach - 20 Credits, Level 7
Let's Talk "Risk" - 20 Credits, Level 7

Your staff team

We want to make sure you know some of our team before you arrive. Hopefully this will help you recognise us and ensure you know who you can contact if you need any additional help and guidance.

Dr Edward Tolhurst

Associate Professor

I am a Senior Lecturer and qualitative researcher in the field of dementia, ageing and care. I am based in the Postgraduate team and course leader for the MSc in Medical Education. I am also a member of the University Research Ethics Committee.

Edward's profile

Ben Woodrow-Hirst

Lecturer

Gavin Johnson

Course Director

Course Director and HCPC registered Paramedic. Areas of interest include Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors within the pre-hospital emergency environment.

Gavin's profile

Charlotte Phillips

Senior Lecturer

Dr Paul Bowie

Professor

I am a chartered ergonomist & human factors expert and a healthcare safety and improvement researcher. My research mainly focuses on safety investigation practices and translation and evaluation of human factors concepts and methods to healthcare.

Paul's profile

First activity

We start the course on Monday 19^th September with the first release of course materials taking place Saturday 17^th September. You will have access to your Blackboard Organisations site from Friday 16^th September so that we can help you if you are having any access difficulties.

Find the Discussion Board menu, on the side menu bar, positioned above ‘Live Working’ (see above). Click on this and the topic Introductions will appear. When it opens, type in your name and Introduce yourself…. Read what others have put and see if you have a similar background. We will have introduced ourselves too.

If you are available to join in with our Blended pathway students then please join us Live Virtual to say hello. To use Live Working it is best to access BlackBoard through Chrome or FireFox web-browsers. The Live Working area is accessed from the Left hand menu bar underneath Discussion Boards. Our Live Introduction is taking place on Monday 20^th September at 09.30 hrs GMT. Make sure you have sorted out camera and microphone access before you try to join in. The space will be open 10 minutes before the start-time for last minute checks.

How do we Access the Course?

The following link provides some short tutorials on how to access our systems. Most importantly I need to emphasise that our Blackboard course is accessed via Blackboard Organisations rather than via Course modules (this is so that whether you have signed up for the blended or the distance learning pathway, PgCert or MSc we can all work together) otherwise things are the same. Press Control Key and click on this link with your L mouse button:

https://sway.office.com/wgE30QZRHQiaVbyk?ref=Link&loc=play

This provides short videos on how to get on-line, how to access your University student email, how to log into Blackboard and join a class, including setting up your camera and microphone.

Blackboard Organisations ‘Human Factors for Patient Safety’ will be unlocked and available from Friday 16^th Make sure you select Organisations, rather than courses, from the Blackboard menu and then click on the icon in the centre of the icon to enter the course pages.

Where is the link to Organisations?

You will see your name and below Courses you will see Organisations – click on this.

The screen will now show the icon ‘ Human Factors for Patient Safety’ - click on this (note that the lock icon will show open (currently showing closed).

When you double click on Human Factors for Patient Safety you will enter via the announcement page.

Course handbook

Please take the opportunity to access your Course Handbook and first Module Handbook from Saturday 17th September.

Academic skills

Whether you're joining us from school or college, or you're returning to education after some time away, everyone can benefit from the Academic Study Skills resources provided by the University library.

The Academic Skills team is here to support you throughout your academic journey and to help you gain the skills you need to reach your full potential. They can assist with academic reading and writing skills, give advice on how best to plan assignments, and help improve your time management.

The library's Academic Skills Guides offer the key information to make studying easier and give a comprehensive guide to the learning resources and services we offer.

Staffs CampusConnect

Staffs CampusConnect is our student-led community app for new students. Connect with other people from your course, hometown or country, and even those with similar interests.

To register, please ensure you use your Applicant ID (Student Number) that you received in your offer letter, and the email address you used in your application to us.

Register for CampusConnect

Welcome website

Our welcome website will provide you the link to your new student life. It's all about how you find your place at university, including everything from how to meet friends, feel confident in doing your academic work, being a member of your Student Union and getting involved in Union Societies, Academic Societies, Sports, Volunteering or representing your peers in your School.

Part of this Welcome Week - we have an exciting program of University and course level activities planned for you for your first week in September. We are also building an extended program for you to join a series of events throughout the first half of the autumn term. Further details will be shared with you via the Welcome website and Students' Union pages over the coming weeks.

Welcome website

Check your email

Please make sure you check your personal email account regularly over the next few weeks. We will be sending you lots of information about Welcome Week.

We look forward to welcoming you to the course in September and meeting you virtually, either at the Live Introduction session or during some of our live Tutor Led Discussions or during your Academic Mentor tutorial meetings.