University of South Wales

Postgraduate Diploma in Pain Management

Validated by University of South Wales

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As life expectancy increases with advancements in technology and medical understanding, the demand for effective pain management solutions grows. Our Postgraduate Diploma in Pain Management, an online, part-time course, is designed to meet this growing need. Our online pain management diploma provides healthcare professionals with essential knowledge and skills in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to pain management, addressing the increasing prevalence of debilitating pain-related conditions.

This online pain management diploma equips medical professionals with advanced skills and knowledge to address a variety of pain-related conditions effectively. Whether it's for doctors, nurses, or allied health professionals, this Diploma in Pain Management is an invaluable resource for those seeking to enhance their competency in this essential aspect of healthcare.

Our pain management diploma ensures flexibility, allowing busy professionals like you to learn at your own pace without compromising your current responsibilities. Enrol now on our online diploma in pain management and join a community of healthcare professionals committed to excellence in pain management education.

Our diploma in pain management has been approved by the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom (RCP), enabling graduates of this programme to receive CPD points as accredited by the RCP.

PgDip Pain Management

Next intake: March 2025Key Facts

Awarding University
University of South Wales
Commitment
Part-time
Exit Points
PgDip
12 Months
Class Size
15 - 20
Application Deadline
7th March 2025
Course start date
10th March 2025 (view full module dates)
Format
100% Online
Total Fees
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Our online pain management diploma covers a wide range of pain-related conditions and meets the educational needs of both primary and secondary healthcare professionals. This highly practical and affordable pain management diploma emphasises direct application to current topics, case studies, and processes pertinent to your own remit and country of practice.

Alongside that, you’ll be able to collaborate with students from all over the world from various disciplines. This will provide you with clinically accurate and relevant information in the field of pain management that you can immediately apply in your clinical practice, while also expanding your network and broadening your career opportunities.

On successful completion of this pain management online diploma, you’ll be able to:

  • Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the care of patients in pain management.
  • Critically evaluate current research in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary pain management.
  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of self-care promotion for acute and chronic pain.
  • Deliver management strategies for the investigation and treatment of patients with pain conditions.



Next intake: March 2025 Key Facts

Awarding University
University of South Wales
Commitment
Part-time
Format
100% Online
Exit Points
PgDip
12 Months
Duration
12 months
Class Size
15 - 20
Application Deadline
7th March 2025
Course start date
10th March 2025 (view full module dates)
Total Fees

Why Study a Pain Management Postgraduate Diploma with Learna

We have over 10 years’ experience delivering online courses, giving you access to flexible, affordable distance learning in partnership with world-leading educators.

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100% Flexible

Our courses are 100% online. No fixed study times mean you can log in and learn whenever and wherever.

Multidisciplinary - study in a group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

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Expert Led

All of our programmes are authored and developed by world leading experts in their field.

Our faculty are selected due to their subject expertise, experience and teaching abilities to ensure the highest standards of educational excellence.

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Career Boosting

Get a University Validated postgraduate qualification in just 1 calendar year instead of 2 academic years.

40% of our alumni reported an increase in salary 2 years after studying with us.

Who is this course for?

Our online diploma in pain management works to fit around your schedule and is ideal for Doctors, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Practice Nurses and those with related undergraduate degrees (such as Clinical Nurse Specialists, Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Dentists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Podiatrists and Rehabilitation Specialists) or equivalent professional qualifications and background experience who wish to gain specialist knowledge in the field of chronic pain management.

How Will I Learn?

You'll learn through our flexible, interactive online platform, which allows you to engage with clinical cases, complete assignments, and collaborate with fellow students at times that suit your schedule. There's no fixed timetable—simply log in daily to participate in the week's activities.

Learn through engaging discussion

Our teaching approach is highly interactive, using small groups of 10-20 students to foster a collaborative environment where you can engage in thoughtful discussions and receive guidance from your tutor. You'll have access to learning resources and discussion forums that encourage ongoing interaction and deeper engagement with the material.

Throughout your studies, you'll receive support from a dedicated expert tutor and our Student Support Team, ensuring you have the resources needed to navigate the course successfully.

Curriculum

Our online diploma in pain management allows you to study for just one calendar year and is a part-time, distance-learning course. The course is worth 120 credits and comprises six modules of 20 credits, each running over a period of six weeks.

Module Aims
To develop an advanced understanding and knowledge of the underpinning causes and associated experiences of pain.

Module Content

  • History and epidemiology. Biopsychosocial model with gender consideration
  • Chronic versus acute pain e.g.distinctions
  • Pain science e.g. physiology of pain systems and syndromes. Taxonomy of pain systems
  • Current evidence/research
  • Severe pain syndromes
  • Patient considerations (spiritual/social/ethical/occupational)
  • Global impact on a person in pain (spiritual/social/ethical/occupational)

Learning Outcomes

  1. Application of the biopsychosocial model to the varied presentations of pain
  2. Apply knowledge of complex pain mechanisms to the differentiation between, and impact of, acute and chronic pain

Module Aims
Enhance the knowledge and understanding of different types of pain with an emphasis on clinical importance.

Module Content

  • ISP taxonomy of different types of pain
  • Acute vs. chronic. Importance of early recognition and prevention of chronicity. Clinically important aspects of acute and chronic pain; difference between nociceptive and neuropathic pain.
  • Cancer/Visceral
  • Headache/Neuropathic
  • Fibromyalgia/musculoskeletal
  • Understanding of pain changes in the light of new evidence

Learning Outcomes

  1. Critically discriminate between different types of pain
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of the complex clinical considerations that need to be taken into account in different types of pain

Module Aims
To develop a critical knowledge of the clinical principles and practice of pain assessment and management.

Module Content

  • Assessment
  • Measurement
  • Diagnosis and Prognosis
  • Treatment modalities - Primary Care (British Society Guidance 26/8)
  • Alternative treatment modalities
  • Clinical management (British Society Guidance 28/30)
  • Roles, responsibilities and management

Learning Outcomes

  1. Critically analyse the assessment and treatment of patients with different pain presentations.
  2. Critically appraise treatment modalities in different clinical scenarios

Module Aims
To develop an understanding of different treatment approaches to pain within the context of overall approach to pain management.

Module Content

  • Physiology/Pharmacology /Medication
  • Psychology/Cognitive Behaviour
  • Manual therapies
  • Patient Education/Self-Management/ Preventative Education
  • Functional Rehabilitation
  • Surgery and Post Surgery Care
  • Deployment of different modalities for maximum effect

Learning Outcomes

  1. Critically analyse current evidence related to multi-disciplinary approach of treating different types of pain
  2. Critically evaluate the risk and benefits of different approaches to pain management

Module Aims
Students will have an understanding and appreciation of pain across the life-span and experience.

Module Content

  • Older People
  • Infants and children
  • Disabilities including those with limited communication skills
  • Pregnancy
  • Vulnerable populations
  • Pain in individuals with substance abuse
  • Looking at how pain will present itself in all groups
  • Considering similarities and differences
  • Physical and psychological disorders
  • How pain changes
  • How to communicate in pain and cognitive impairment
  • Working with vulnerable populations (mental health issues, homelessness, learning disabilities, delirium, dementia)
  • Social aspects of pain (stigma, social isolation, labelling stigma, labelling isolations)
  • Enhancing communication with different social groups

Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate ability to manage pain in a variety of complex situations and /or populations
  2. Demonstrate ability to communicate with populations who have complex/specific or changing needs

Module Aims
To draw on the knowledge and understanding of previous modules to critically evaluate the development of interdisciplinary pain services

Module Content

  • Evidence supporting interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary of pain
  • Organisational services The consequences and influence rising from organisations
  • The management team in a clinical setting
  • The role of evaluating organisations, clinical settings (the way care is organised)
  • The realistic expectations of the practitioner and carer
  • Emerging ideas of services
  • How emerging updated guidelines and impact of services.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Critically analyse the benefits of inter and multidisciplinary pain management in a clinical setting and the consequences within healthcare schemes
  2. Demonstrate expertise in organising approaches to pain management

Assessment Methods

This programme emphasises learning through active participation in case-based discussions, reflection, and real-life scenarios. Students engage with clinical cases that mirror everyday practice, fostering problem-solving and evidence-based application from the very beginning.

Across the modules, assessments are integrated with learning. Each week, you will work through two to three clinical cases, discussing and reflecting on them with peers under the guidance of an expert tutor. These discussions form the core of your learning and are also the basis for your assessments.

Our innovative teaching methods are designed to help you translate this learning into real-world clinical practice. You'll need to regularly log in to participate in discussions, ideally on a daily basis, and commit approximately two hours per day to your studies. Our dedicated Student Support Team is available to assist with any challenges you may encounter, from navigating our online platform to managing deadlines.

How Foundational Knowledge is Developed

The programme is structured so that foundational knowledge is introduced through carefully designed clinical cases. Each case is crafted to highlight essential concepts and progressively deepen your understanding as you apply critical thinking and evidence-based analysis. This hands-on approach ensures that you are not only acquiring theoretical knowledge but also learning how to apply it in a practical, clinical setting.

This programme is suited for professionals who thrive in an online, discussion-based learning environment. Please note that this course focuses on interactive, applied learning through peer collaboration and case discussions. You will be fully supported, encouraged and led through the programme to success and graduation!

  • Every week students are presented with two/three clinical case-based scenarios that are reflective of every day clinical practice and research.
  • Tutors will post a number of questions and prompts to aid students in a formal discussion of each case.
  • These discussions are facilitated throughout by your tutor and are then assessed at the end of every module.

For this assessment, students will work on a group assignment and/or an individual assignment.

  • Group assignments are designed to hone skills in the multidisciplinary, holistic approach to modern treatments and patient management by requiring group participation in a single piece of work.
  • Individual assignments are designed to hone skills in academic career progression through such tasks as reviewing papers, developing scientific posters or abstracts, peer-reviewing, social media activities, patient information leaflets and essays.

The reflective journal is used by students throughout each module to monitor personal progress. This is guided by weekly feedback from your tutor and is graded at the end of every module. The journal typically includes the following:

  • Initial expectations and reasons for taking the course.
  • Module and/or personal learning objectives.
  • Description of events, issues and learning points within current personal practice.
  • Change in every day practice due to knowledge gained on each module.
  • A description of what has been learned during the module.
  • Students are provided with case-based problems in the form of a one-hour timed examination.
  • The exam consists of 30 'Single Best Answer' questions.
  • Students are required to complete the exam online within the set time.

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements
Since our pain management diploma is conducted entirely online, it's accessible to both UK and international registered healthcare professionals providing all who join the course with flexibility to learn whenever and wherever they are.

Applicants will typically hold a first degree or equivalent (including international qualifications) in a relevant professional healthcare or management field.

Registered healthcare professionals or experienced managers working in the healthcare field, without these recognised qualifications will be considered on an individual basis and a wide range of prior experience may be taken into account. In some cases, applicants may be asked to submit a piece of work for assessment in order to confirm that they are able to work comfortably at postgraduate level, and demonstrate the requisite clinical and professional knowledge.

Documents Required

  • A copy of your updated CV including your address and date of birth.
  • A copy of your undergraduate degree certificate.
  • The name and email address of someone who is able to provide a reference, this can be a work colleague, employer or former tutor.
  • A detailed personal statement explaining why you would like to undertake the course.
  • A copy of your proof of English competency (see below).

English Language Requirements
Proficiency in the English language is also essential to completing our courses. If English is NOT your first language, we ask for proof of competency during the application process. We are able to accept an IELTS overall score of 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 for each band) or an equivalent qualification.

If you do not meet these requirements, please don’t worry. The University of South Wales run a number of English Language Programmes at the Centre for International English to prepare you for your academic studies. You can also contact our admissions team on admissions@diploma-msc.com for more information on the qualifications we accept.

Course Fees

Total Course Fees for UK & International Students for March 2025:
£5,040

Option 1: Upfront Payment in full. Option 2: Interest free payments every other month for the duration of the course.

DateInstalmentsUp-Front Payments
Deposit£840£5,040
1st May 2025£840
1st July 2025£840
1st September 2025£840
1st November 2025£840
1st January 2026£840

† Deposits are non-refundable
†† Prices are subject to review following each intake

Option 3: Lower your monthly payments by spreading the cost for between 2 and 8 years with a loan from our lending partner Lendwise*.

*Subject to eligibility criteria.

lendwise

Learna | Diploma MSc has a partnership with Lendwise which is a leading private student loan provider, to help UK students fund their course fees should they require financing. Lendwise is a UK-based education finance platform through which candidates can fund their postgraduate and professional qualification studies at leading educational institutions.

A Lendwise loan comes with a fixed interest rate for the duration of the loan (between 2 and 8 years) and no early repayment penalties. The interest rate offered will depend on the overall applicant profile and the application process is entirely online.*

*Other sources of funding are available.
Learna | Diploma MSc does not offer financial advice, recommend or endorse any financial product. You should always check the suitability of the product that is of interest to you. If you are in any doubt as to its suitability, we suggest that you seek independent professional advice.

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Why Learna

We have over 10 years’ experience delivering online diploma courses, giving you access to flexible, affordable distance learning in partnership with world-leading educators.

Our courses are some of the most affordable of their kind, providing value for money without compromising on quality. We also don't apply an international surcharge. No fixed timetable means you can log in & learn on the go, at your convenience.

Being totally online means we can select the very best tutors and resource editors, no matter where they’re located.

Connect with multidisciplinary people around the world to expand your insights & broaden your career prospects.

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