University of South Wales

Postgraduate Diploma in Renal Medicine

Validated by University of South Wales

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people have recently applied for this course

The kidneys play a vital role in maintaining overall health within the body, and renal diseases can have a significant impact on a patient’s well-being and quality of life. Therefore, thorough knowledge of renal medicine is crucial for healthcare professionals, as an understanding of renal function and dysfunction is essential for accurate diagnosis and effective management of kidney-related disorders.

Our part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Renal Medicine has been designed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge to deal with renal afflictions confidently and effectively while optimising patient outcomes.

Our Renal Medicine programme 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 Renal Medicine

Next intake: March 2025Key Facts

Awarding University
University of South Wales
Commitment
Part-time
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 renal diploma is designed to improve your management of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, as well as to provide you with the confidence, knowledge, and skills you need to improve patient treatment and care in renal medicine. Our renal programmes are completely flexible, allowing you to fit your studies around your family, work, and lifestyle commitments.

The online diploma is scenario-based with a clinical focus and is based on extensive research with primary care practitioners; it is highly relevant for front-line healthcare professionals and includes the most recent developments in renal medicine. On successful completion of our online renal diploma, you’ll be able to:

  • Without being a kidney specialist, at a primary care level, you can confidently diagnose and treat patients with kidney disease symptoms.
  • Make use of your new knowledge and skills to help prevent or slow the progression of chronic kidney disease and to ensure timely referral to secondary care.
  • From a primary care standpoint, assist in the treatment of dialysis and transplant patients.
  • Consolidate your knowledge to provide the best possible patient care and service outcomes.



Next intake: March 2025 Key Facts

Awarding University
University of South Wales
Commitment
Part-time
Format
100% Online
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 Renal Medicine 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.

Experts

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 renal diploma is specifically designed for healthcare professionals frequently seeing patients who aren’t renal specialists who display symptoms of kidney disease.

You should be working as a healthcare professional (HCP), either in the UK or overseas, in a role in general practice, or a secondary care HCP managing patients with systemic diseases that may affect the kidneys.

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 renal medicine 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.

Equipping you with the knowledge and skills to be able to confidently diagnose and initiate management of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Providing you with the knowledge and skills to be able to confidently manage AKI patients and understand when referral to secondary care is appropriate and necessary.

Helping you to confidently manage CKD patients and understand when referral to secondary care is appropriate and necessary.

Giving you a comprehensive understanding of systemic disease on the kidney and how to provide evidence-based care for these complex conditions.

Enabling you to confidently manage general medical and surgical problems in the dialysis and transplant patient from a primary care perspective.

Equipping you with the skills and knowledge to provide patient-centred care that empowers them to access healthcare advice and treatment options pertinent to their circumstances, and helping them to make informed decisions that maximises their quality of life.

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.

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.

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.
  • 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

Since our online renal diploma is conducted entirely online, it's accessible to both UK and international registered healthcare professionals.

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

Registered healthcare professionals 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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