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A full-time workload meant Gerard needed the flexibility to complete his postgraduate education online. After graduating with a Masters of Psychiatric Medicine, he explains why HETI Higher Education was the right choice.
By Gerard Shorrock, Psychiatrist, Macquarie University Hospital and Masters of Psychiatric Medicine graduate.
Choosing where to study my Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Medicine was easy. My full-time workload meant it was pretty much impossible for me to attend face-to-face classes on campus, so I really needed to go somewhere that would let me study online from experts. I was pleased to see HETI Higher Education offered flexible learning, so I could either attend classes on campus or log in to participate in lectures online.
I was pleasantly surprised how well the online classes were delivered at HETI Higher Education. I thought the streaming would be terrible and it would be hard to hear, but the quality was excellent. The recorded lectures were clear, the software was easy to use, and the videos loaded really quickly. It was really easy to just get stuck into my studies after a busy day at work.
The course also offered a broad range of subjects that were delivered by experts, which was really important to me. I wanted to know that the people teaching me weren’t just educators, but people with current real-world experience. I didn’t know what to expect at the start, but they were all so welcoming and helpful I always felt like I could approach them to clarify something or get support.
Apart from being online, the most beneficial aspect of the course for me was the fact that it was really practical and relevant. I would listen to a lecture on sleep or cognitive behavioural therapy and apply that knowledge to my patients the very next day. I didn’t expect postgraduate education to directly inform my practice in that way, but it was fantastic.
I also learned aspects of Psychiatric Medicine that don’t usually get taught in postgraduate education, such as the unit on children and young people. I haven’t been exposed to that area very much during the course of my work, so it was a good opportunity to understand how childhood development shapes mental health in adults and the evidence base underpinning that.
The course also provided me with some useful advice in my first year on how to study and prepare for exams. So it wasn’t just clinically relevant, but really practical and useful information as well. Studying at HETI Higher Education also meant I could go straight from the Graduate Certificate to the Graduate Diploma and Masters, without having to switch or reapply.
I continued studying at HETI Higher Education after my Graduate Certificate and graduated this year with a Masters of Psychiatric Medicine. It’s given me a breadth and depth of knowledge in psychiatry that I wouldn’t have otherwise gained, as well as the skills I need to further my research in the years ahead. Looking back, I’m so glad I chose HETI Higher Education. It was definitely the right option for me.
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