How our courses work

Developed by practicing healthcare professionals and specialists in their field, content is carefully chosen to be as current, accurate, and useful in clinical practice as possible.

With almost two decades of tried and tested transformational education, and the proven legacy of this education found in service excellence across the UK, the impact of our training is improving the quality of treatment and care received by people with neurological conditions every day.

'The things you can't get from the books' – a unique learning style

We use a variety of techniques, including small-group discussion with an emphasis on case-based learning, question and answer sessions, and a definitive veering away from a didactic learning model. Recently we have expanded into virtual education, with a digital learning space, online webinars and virtual conferences, and hybrid MasterClasses utilising the benefits of both virtual and in-person learning in combination.

Intermodule projects

'On the job' learning is also prioritised through the intermodule projects, which the majority of MasterClasses have built in as a core course requirement. These projects also provide the opportunity for mentoring between the modules so that delegates can work with the support of an experienced healthcare practitioner.

Accreditation

All of our courses provide delegates with an attendance certificate which they can add to their personal portfolios. Additionally, the Academy MasterClass programmes are approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (RCP) of the United Kingdom, and many of our MasterClasses award continued professional development (CPD) credits. Credits are subject to approval of the final programme and vary by course.

Examples from previous years include:

• Advanced Parkinson's MasterClass: awarded 24 category 1 (external) CPD credit(s) (2018).

• MS Foundation MasterClass: awarded 30 category 1 (external) CPD credits with 12 external credits claimable for an MSc or equivalent activity (2020).

Full conditions are available via the RCP website.

Educational variety

We also provide supplementary education on an ad hoc basis, with a range of roadshow events, webinars, podcasts and videos available to meet a variety of needs. During 2020, for example, from March onwards, we provided a huge range of webinars with speakers across the globe sharing their experience and research around COVID-19 and discussing practical ways to support people with neurological conditions in the unprecedented local and global environment.

Becoming part of the community

All course graduates are enrolled in our MasterClass clinical network, where they can forge relationships with peers, collaborate on projects, contribute to national initiatives, or continue their professional journey with the Academy as a speaker, mentor, or Faculty member. We also encourage continued professional development, and a number of delegates go on to take, not only the next level in their initial choice of specialism, but to branch out and refine their understanding of other neurological conditions too.