Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health

Programme Highlights

Jointly organised by the Division of Graduate Medical Studies and the Department of Paediatrics, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health (GC2) is designed to provide continued professional development for physicians who are motivated to advance their clinical expertise in the delivery of child development and adolescent health in the community and their family practice.

This certificate comprises of 3 individual academic courses which aims to equip and empower physicians in establishing collaborative therapeutic relationships with families, recognise early signs of common learning, emotional, behavioural and health problems in school-going children and provide holistic management for adolescents in primary care settings.

The courses are taught by highly experienced specialists in related fields including paediatrics, child development, adolescent medicine , family medicine, lifestyle and weight management, psychiatry and psychology, sexual health, dental, dietetics, and complementary health.

Apply for our Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health and be part of a community of physicians who continually pursue lifelong learning to improve their practice!

Who Should Attend

General practitioners, family physicians and community paediatricians who are caring for children and adolescents in the community.

Registration Period & Course Structure

• The application period for courses under the Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health (Semester 2 AY24/25 Intake) will be from 04 Oct – 1 Nov 2024.
• Participants who complete the following 3 courses will receive a ‘Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health’. For more information on the course content and fees/funding, click on the course titles below.
• Participants will have to sign up for the individual courses under the ‘Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health’ in the NUS Online Application Portal. 
• The Graduate Certificate in Child Development and Adolescent Health is one of two Graduate Certificates that is stackable to a Graduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Health (GDCAH). To find out more about the GDCAH, click here.

Benefits of Attending

• Upskill and learn how to better address the healthcare needs of the child and adolescent in the community
• Be part of a community of family physicians who continually pursue lifelong learning to improve their practice

Course Agenda

• Course 4: Early Childhood Development (CAH5104)
  Touchpoints are periods in the first years of life during which the child’s spurts in development result in disruption in the family. The succession of touchpoints in a child’s development functions as a map that can be identified and anticipated by both parents and care providers. As parents would benefit from affirmation of their child’s development and the nurturing environment they have provided for their child, this short intensive 3-day course teaches healthcare professionals caregiving themes that matter to parents (as opposed to traditional milestones). It will develop a model of practice that establishes collaborative relationships with families presenting to our primary healthcare, laying the foundation for strong family bonds.

• Course 5: Holistic Care in School-Aged Children (CAH5105)
  This course emphasises the general practitioner’s (GP’s) role in prevention and early identification of common learning, emotional, behavioural and health problems in school-going children – learners will be equipped with skills to recognise these problems as school-going children frequently present to the primary are setting for minor ailments. Apart from timely and appropriate referral to specialist care when required, learners will be imparted skills to provide advice to parents, offer community-based resources, and lifestyle modification counselling to these children.

• Course 6: Adolescent Health (CAH5106)
  This course emphasises the general practitioner’s (GP’s) role in providing holistic management for or of an adolescent/young adult (10 – 24 years old) presenting to primary healthcare and identifying biopsychosocial risks and/or conditions requiring specialist referral. Learners will be imparted skills on understanding psychosocial assessment such as H.E.A.D.S.S, how to conduct a youth-friendly consultation while effectively applying respect for the young adult and patient confidentiality. Common medical problems in adolescence will also be taught, and learners will also be equipped with motivational interviewing strategies to facilitate adolescent behaviour change.

Minimum Entry Requirements

1. M.B.B.S. degree or equivalent
2. At least 2 years post-registration
3. English language requirement: Applicants whose native tongue or medium of undergraduate instruction is not English must fulfil a minimum level of English proficiency (TOEFL)

Mode of Training

• Face-to-Face
• Completion of online learning & self-study materials