Graduate Diploma Diabetes Care

The programme is aimed at advancing the range, breadth and depth of professional knowledge and skills in the care of persons presenting with diabetes.

The Graduate Diploma in Diabetes Care is aimed at the professional preparation of registered nurses who wish to specialise in diabetes care.  This strand is designed to meet the professional development needs of nurses/midwives caring for people at risk of or with a diagnosis of diabetes in clinical settings. 

You will learn how to provide care and advice at a specialist level for patients with more complex diabetes needs. You will also learn how to provide a service that is evidence based, and aims to improve quality of life for people with diabetes.

Blackboard, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that supports online learning and teaching, is used extensively. The clinical placements provide students with excellent opportunities to learn from experts in other hospitals and/or within their own hospitals; students attend multidisciplinary lectures and tutorials and engage in supervised practice in order to develop and refine specific clinical skills.

This programme can be taken over 1 year (full time) or 2 years part-time. The academic year runs from September to May and is broken down into two trimesters. Assessments are varied (assignments/short examination questions/MCQ/case presentation/practical examination) and occur at intervals throughout and at the end of the trimesters.

Core Modules:

• Nursing Knowledge Philosophy and Practice (Autumn Trimester)
• Research Methods Applied to Healthcare  (Spring Trimester)

Specialist Modules:

• Specialist 1 Diabetes Care (Autumn Trimester)
• Sepcialist 2 Diabetes Care (Spring Trimester)
• Specialist 3 Diabetes Care (Spring Trimester)
• Clinical Practicum (Diabetes Care) (Full Year)

Students who are taking the programme part-time over two years will take the core modules in year 1 and specialist modules in year 2. 

The approximate number of days required for the specialist modules 1,2,& 3 is as follows: 10 days in trimester one and 13 days in trimester two. 

On completion of the graduate programme you will have attained a highly regarded qualification which is recognised internationally for nurses/midwives caring for patients with diabetes. You will gain advanced clinical experience in diabetes care, as well as theoretical knowledge to provide a high level of specialist care to people with diabetes.

The Graduate Diploma in Diabetes Care provides you with the comprehensive knowledge and skills required to manage a defined case load, working unsupervised and using specialist diabetes nursing/midwifery skills to assess the needs of the person with diabetes and to plan, implement, document and evaluate care. Many graduates also proceed to assume CNM/Educational/Clinical Facilitator roles.

• All applicants must hold a primary degree in Nursing or Midwifery or equivalent and be engaged in relevant clinical practice with an appropriate client group
• All applicants must be entered onto the appropriate division of the Nurses/Midwives Register maintained by the NMBI

Specific requirements

• All applicants must have a minimum of one year’s post-registration experience, including at least six months caring for people with diabetes
• Candidates must be employed in the clinical environment caring for people with diabetes prior to commencing the course and for the duration of the course
• Other criteria to be used in the assessment of the application include number of years of experience, and evidence of ongoing professional development

PLEASE NOTE - THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION DOCUMENTS IS 01 AUGUST 2020

• Original transcript(s) including date and grading of degree award (non UCD Graduates only) & notarised English translations where relevant
• Nurse applicants: A current photocopy of NMBI registration
• Other health care professionals: A current photocopy of registration with professional registration body
• Copy of Birth Certificate or Personal Page of Passport
• Signed Declaration Form by Employer
• Completed Professional Reference Form
• Nurse applicants: Completed Clinical Competence Assessor Nomination Form signed by the nominee
• Evidence of proficiency in English language (applicants whose first language is not English)

Applications are made online through UCD Applications. ​Applicants may be required to undertake an interview (either face-to-face or via telecommunication) as part of the admission process.

Please note that all applicants are required to pay a €50 application fee. Your application cannot be processed fully unless the application fee has been paid.

Apply online

The fees for your programme can be found at the links below. Search using your major code (the four-digit code beginning with 'X' which can be found in the key information box on this page).

• EU fees information
• Non-EU fees information

Please note that UCD fees are subject to change annually. The fees shown include the student centre levy which must be paid by all students. 

If you are being funded to do your programme, please make sure your organisation gets in contact with Student Payments at the following email address: student.payments@ucd.ie. Please note that all applicants are required to pay the €50 application fee. Your application cannot be processed fully unless the application fee has been paid.

More information about fees is available on the UCD website at the link below:

• General information about UCD Fees

If you have any queries about your fees, please contact Student Payments at the following email address: student.payments@ucd.ie

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) applications must be submitted online through your SISWeb account.

There are two instances in which you can apply to have recognised prior learning taken into account when applying for a programme in UCD.

1. RPL for admission to a UCD programme

If you are a prospective student seeking admission to UCD and you do not meet the required admissions criteria as set down for a particular programme of study in UCD, you may apply to be admitted based on prior learning.

2. RPL for exemption from a module or modules on a UCD programme

If you have been accepted onto a UCD programme and wish to have credit transferred towards the requirements of the UCD programme of study, you may apply for RPL from a module or modules.

When applying for RPL, please note the following:

• You must submit your application for RPL as early as possible and preferably before you commence the relevant module/stage/programme.
• An application for RPL relating to a particular module should be submitted before the third week of the trimester in which it is offered. Applications made after this date will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances.
• Your application will be reviewed by the Taught Graduate Standing Committee and Programme Board. You can expect to hear of the outcome or status of your application typically within four to six weeks of submitting it (depending on committee schedules).
• Please note that in some cases your application may not be successful or you may not receive RPL for the amount of credit for which you applied, therefore you must register for, attend and participate in the module or modules until you have been informed of the decision of the School Programme Board.
• If your application is not successful, you are responsible for all assessments associated with the module.

TO APPLY FOR RPL PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:  https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=APPLY

Please read the UCD Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning at this link: UCD Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning