Program Overview

Program Overview

The First Contact program is a short course designed to enable clinical practitioners to develop their knowledge of common presentations of undifferentiated diagnosis and explore related differential diagnoses. This course aims to facilitate the delivery of a comprehensive management plan to optimize patient safety and outcome.

Course Details

• Duration: 6 days
• Delivery Format: In person
• Start Date: May 2026
• Award: Microcredential (20 credits)
• Campus: Birmingham (Edgbaston)

Course Overview

This short course will appeal to clinical practitioners working within advanced roles in primary and urgent care settings from multi-professional backgrounds who have direct clinical responsibility for the assessment and management of patients presenting with undifferentiated diagnosis. The course will develop your knowledge of common presentations seen within these clinical settings and explore related differential diagnoses, including red flag and must-not-miss diagnoses, to facilitate the delivery of a comprehensive management plan to optimize patient safety and outcome.

Learning Outcomes

On completion, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the broadened level of responsibility, accountability, and autonomy of working in a first contact role, acknowledging the limits of your own competence and professional scope of practice in line with your respective code of professional conduct and governance systems.
2. Demonstrate an integrated understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of common first contact disorders, injuries, or diseases seen within primary and urgent care settings across the life continuum.
3. Present a systematic approach for selecting appropriate and realistic differential diagnoses based upon identification of key presenting signs and symptoms obtained through an appropriately focused clinical history and examination, through clinical case-based discussions.
4. Apply synthesis of this clinical knowledge to formulate a comprehensive management plan utilizing contemporaneous clinical research to support clinical decision-making, including requirements for further diagnostic investigations and pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
5. Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the importance of appropriate patient referral, follow-up, or discharge, including safety netting approaches, to optimize patient safety and outcomes in the primary and urgent care setting, including managing the complexities of uncertain diagnosis and life-threatening presentations.

Assessment

• Oral Presentation: 50%
• 1,500-word Essay: 50%

Course Dates

• 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th May 2026
• 4th and 11th June 2026

Teaching Staff

The course is delivered by academics from the University of Birmingham, including Mrs. Toni Taylor, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Entry Requirements

• Degree Level Entry Requirement: Applicants are required to hold a degree.
• Advanced Practice Role: Applications must be in an advanced practice role at the time of application.

Fees

• Microcredential (Home): £1,211
• Non-credit: £1,011.20

Application Process

You can choose to study this course as either a microcredential or a non-credit CPD short course. Please note the deadline for submitting an application:

• Applicants Eligible for Home Fees: Apply a minimum of 6 weeks before the module start date.
• Applicants Eligible for Overseas Fees: Apply a minimum of 3 months before the module start date.