Course information

Presentation

The ‘Master in Maternal-Fetal Medicine offers advanced education in maternal-fetal care. The training consists of a theoretical-practical part and four face-to-face weeks in Barcelona.

The theoretical-practical part includes an online training through specific modules to acquire basic and advanced knowledge, as well as different practical tasks such as discussing clinical cases and submitting images to validate the acquisition of the needed skills. This part is supported by an interactive platform consisting of discussion forums and Masterclasses taught by experts in the field.

The second part of this Course consists in 4 face-to-face weeks in Barcelona. During these weeks there will be Meet-the-Professor sessions, practical workshops on invasive procedures, advanced simulation lab and clinical cases discussions. (See more details in the academic guide).

Target audience

Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, with at least a 2-year dedication background on fetal-maternal medicine*

*The academic syllabus of the Master includes topics not directly related to imaging. Professionals interested in a version of the course focused on imaging and , therefore, suitable for radiologists and sonographers, please send an email to xriba@medicinafetalbarcelona.org

General Objetive

Participants will receive high-level training in all relevant aspects for the practice of maternal-fetal medicine in provided by sub-specialists with a consolidated reputation and experience in clinical practice, teaching and research.

Teaching structure

The teaching program includes 6 thematic modules covering all relevant aspects for the practice of maternal and fetal medicine. Each module is open for completion by participants for 6-8 weeks. A seventh module includes the Research Project.

Online theoretical modules and evaluation tests

Each module contains videos with theoretical content that can be seen online. These modules have a determined duration and will be carried out consecutively. Whenever a module is completed, there will be an evaluation test by multiple-choice questions that can include images and videos, with specific deadlines of completion.

Masterclasses

The Masterclasses are interactive sessions with the professors that will be scheduled in the form of live online webinars, in which the students will ask their questions to the experts, with the objective of solving any doubts that may have remained. These sessions will be held before the end of the online exam period of each module, and they will be coordinated by a moderator to ensure that they run smoothly.

Practicum

For each module, a set of ultrasound images must be obtained by the participant and sent in electronic format through her/his personal interactive platform. Images must be obtained according to pre-established criteria for the acquisition, quality and magnitude, and include virtually all common ultrasound exams conducted in the practice of advanced fetal medicine. The images will be assessed and scored by the tutors of the course; the students will receive a personalized feedback that will allow them to detect possible pitfalls in order to improve their clinical skills. The objective of this part is to provide decision making and problem-solving tools in ultrasound scanning that are essential in the doctor’s daily clinical practice.

Clinic cases resolution

A forum will be created for each module using the Moodle platform. The students will be given access once the module is open. It will constitute the place to share questions and doubts regarding the studied topics. The directors of the module will propose clinical cases to generate a debate between the students.

Face to week

From May 6 to 17 May, 2024
From January 13 to January 24, 2025.

The course includes a 4-weeks period in Barcelona, that consists in:
1. Meet-the-Professor sessions, in which the students will be able to discuss in person the most relevant aspects of each module with expert professors in that specific area of knowledge.
2. Practical workshops on invasive procedures, with the use of simulators and guidance from experts in these procedures.
3. Clinical cases sessions, in groups of 10-12 participants, where some examples of real clinical cases will be discussed to put the knowledge acquired in the different modules into practice. Participants will be asked to present their own clinical cases and they will be discussed within the group with the supervision of an expert.

Research project

The students should elaborate a final research project that will be evaluated by the expert committee. There are two modalities of final project to choose:
• Systematic review of the literature on a current subject related to the content of the course.
• Original research in the student’s own setting.

The topic of the final project must be proposed by each student.You must fill in the form on the virtual campus with the title and justification of the proposal. The deadline for uploading is 30 December 2023.
The scientific committee will establish the definitive topic for each student’s project and assign a tutor to guide the student during the project’s development. It is necessary to pass the final project assessment (the passing score is 70) to obtain the university degree.

Course duration:

From September 14, 2023 to March 31,2025

Organization:

Fetal I + D Education Barcelona

Course directors

Eduard Gratacós

Francesc Figueras

Scientific committee

Dr. O. Gómez

Dr. M.D. Gómez Roig

Dr. J.M Martínez

Dr. T. Cobo

Dr. F. Crispi

Dr. E Eixarch

Dr. M. López

Dr. A. Borrell

Scientific coordinator and webmaster

Dr. Lina Youssef

Academic coordinator

Ms. Mercè Sabaté

Technical Secretariat

xriba@medicinafetalbarcelona.org

posgrado@medicinafetalbarcelona.org

WhatsApp +34 692 904 531 +34 692904539

Venue:

The presential part will take place in Barcelona, Spain.

Registration fees:

12000€

Payment:

• Once the application is accepted, a payment of 3000 € must be made within 10 days after receiving the acceptation. This amount will not be refunded in case of cancellation.case of cancellation

The rest of the payment 9000 € can be made in a maximum of 3 fractions of 3.000,00 € before the start of the course.

Pre-registration and selection criteria:

The number of places is limited. To apply, it is necessary to fill out the pre-registration form within the established period. Registrations will be available until places are filled.

Pre-registration requirements:

• To be a medical doctor.

• To fill in the form in the Pre-Register section with the requested information, your CV and a motivation letter.

• To send a Reference letter by mail: xriba@medicinafetalbarcelona.org

• The receipt of your application will be confirmed within a maximum of one week from the date of submission.

Note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scoring

• CV (3/10): research and teaching experience; and professional achievements.

• Reference letter (3/10).

• Motivational letter (2/10).

• Country of origin (2/10): applications from countries with less than 3 other candidates will be awarded 2 extra points, for distributive purposes.

Selection results

Selected applicants will receive an email indicating that they have been accepted with the necessary information to start the registration process.
• We recommend you to read previously the information available on our website in the section “to take into account before preregistration”.
• Applicants not admitted will receive an email indicating that their application has not been accepted.
• Pre-registration requires a commitment to accomplish the planned educational activities to pass the course, including the evaluations and the submission of images and clinical cases in each module within the established deadlines (including a recovery period). Thus, we request that you do not submit your pre-registration application if you are not sure that you can accomplish the course requirements, either because you are not able to attend the presential part, or meet the deadlines for the submission of images, exams, payments, etc.

Cancellations

In the case of abandoning the course, the applicant must present a letter to the course coordinator, requesting the cancellation of his/her registration. The registration fee will not be refunded.

Course Certificate

• A diploma that certifies the completion of the "Master in Maternal-Fetal Medicine " will be issued by Maternal Fetal Medicine Barcelona with a qualification certificate. To obtain the course certificate, it is essential to pass all the theoretical and the practical parts of each module.
• After satisfactory completion of all tests and materials required, participants will be provided with a university Diploma. It is a university-specific master's degree* awarded by the Continuing Education Institute-IL3 at the University of Barcelona. The name of the diploma awarded by the University will be: “Master’s degree in Fetal Medicine” and it has 62 ECTS credits.

*What is a university-specific degree?

University specific degree courses from the University of Barcelona are intended for the specialization and the higher education of practicing professionals.

The specific university degrees are specialized studies with different denominations (master, postgraduate, expert, etc.) and do not require the validation of institutions such as ANECA. They are designed to respond in an agile way to the needs posed by the labour market and the society, so they aim to achieve objectives like:

• Providing specialized training with immediate professional application.
• Updating the professionals’ knowledge to promote the training related to professional practice.
• Establishing a connection between the academic activity and the social reality (this objective is endorsed by the organization of these degrees through agreements between public institutions and private companies).
A university specific degree has the same validity inside and outside of Spain, since it is a curricular degree of non-regulated studies approved by the councils of the universities, and protected by the Organic Law of Universities, which accredits the student's continuous education.

To take into account before pre-registration

• In order to validate a degree certificate awarded by a university or centre of higher education abroad, it is necessary to carry out specific procedures to verify the existence of the institution that issued the degree and the studies that have been completed, with the legalization of foreign documents.
• Information on the legalization procedure should be obtained from the university at which the course of study was completed, consular services in the country of issue, or the competent authority in each case. For more information also access the webpage of the University of Barcelona: http://www.ub.edu/acad/en/admission/international/postgraduate.htm
• This procedure should only be carried out by applicants who have already been selected for the course.

Contact information

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