The best way to find out about what its like to study at the Centre for Applied Dementia Studies is from students themselves. Kate Lester completed the MSc Dementia Studies last year; here she shares her thoughts about the course and studying online:
I decided to apply for the MSc Advanced Dementia Studies course as my life had hit a plateau. The prospect of being nearly thirty years of age, with a soon to be three year old son, made me realise that I needed to focus on achieving a new goal. I loved my job as a Dementia Care Coordinator, but I wanted to further my knowledge in dementia care practices to help support my team in delivering exceptional person-centred care.
I had looked at a number of courses on the internet but the idea of having to give up work to go and study at a University full-time was daunting. The fact that the MSc Advanced Dementia Studies course was three years, part-time and distance learning was just perfect as it provided the flexibility that I required to continue working and looking after my son.
The course itself was split into different modules; some were mandatory and others you could choose from to gain the credits required to successfully complete each year. The content was easily accessible, tutorials were held with the module leaders throughout each semester and your personal tutor was only a phone call or email away. There was always someone you could turn to for support or advice and I learned after the first semester that the study guide is an essential tool to download!
I enjoyed learning about other people’s practices within their workplaces. Being able to share experiences and listening to other learner’s stories of caring for people living with dementia, from all over the world, was truly inspiring.
The course allowed me to learn important leadership skills and enabled me to gain confidence in order to not only embrace change, but to be the one to make changes within an organisation.
For anyone sitting at home thinking that it’s time they did something for themselves, that they aspire to deliver person-centred care to people living with dementia, or that they just want a new challenge, then my advice would be to apply.
Written by Kate Lester (previous student)
