Upgrade your qualification and advance your health and wellness career in a shorter time frame with the Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation).
Develop your capability in critical and professional/clinical reasoning for specialist practice, leadership and management in professional settings.
SIT is now offering this course in HyFlex ('Hybrid-Flexible') which combines face-to-face and online learning. This offers you the ability to study from anywhere. Full-time or part-time on campus options are also available.
Six months full-time
Blended delivery and part-time options available
2023 Semester 2: 17 July to 24 November
The Zero Fees Scheme applies to this programme.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Science (Wellness and Rehabilitation) is aimed at wellness and rehabilitation practitioners wishing to undertake a short programme of study in order to extend and update their knowledge and skills.
The areas of focus in this programme are:
The programme is tailored to the individual study needs of each student. Public and private sector organisations employing graduates of the Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation) will benefit from the knowledge and specialist skills that the graduates have acquired during their programme of study.
The programme will be delivered through a blended learning method. Full-time or part-time on campus options are available as well. Blended delivery allows students to study from anywhere. This course is taught using a mix of online learning, practical experience, classroom teaching and compulsory block courses in Invercargill.
Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Science (Wellness and Rehabilitation) students will undertake a coherent programme of 60 credits approved by the Programme Manager, comprising a compulsory paper:
WR800 Wellness and Rehabilitation Principles
and an approved paper from the following list:
WR801 Advanced Practice to Support Older Persons’ Well-being
WR802 Advancing Specialist Practice
WR803 Case Management
WR804 Cardiovascular, Pulmonary and Metabolic Health
WR805 Musculoskeletal and Neurological Rehabilitation
WR806 Pain Assessment and Management
WR807 Special Topic
Paper descriptions:
This course enables practitioners to develop knowledge and skills in lifestyle wellness coaching to improve people’s health habits and coach people towards achieving their personal, health and fitness goals. Practitioners will also apply the principles and practices of an interdisciplinary and client-centred approach to wellness and rehabilitation within their clinical or industry setting to enhance lifestyle management and healthy outcomes.
This paper recognises the diversity of the older adult age group and the complex relationship between determinants of health, health status and well-being. With the steady increase in the number of older people, many of whom will experience chronic disease states and/or declining functional abilities, it is vital that advanced practitioners are able to assess, plan, deliver and facilitate appropriate evidence-based care and services for this age group. The paper examines the scope of independent/collaborative practice in relation to health promotion, maintenance and restoration of health, preventative care, rehabilitation and/or palliative care and encourages the generation of new approaches to the delivery of expert care in different settings.
This paper enables students to develop advancing specialist skills within their clinical or industry setting. Through the use of a professional portfolio, students will demonstrate competencies consistent with an advancing specialist practitioner role: leadership, consultancy, involvement in standard and policy setting and monitoring, research and theory utilisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and expert clinical practice.
Students will reflect on case management as a complete approach to wellness and rehabilitation, emphasising empowerment rather than dependence. This paper will enable students to approach wellness and rehabilitation from a holistic perspective through taking a specific client, or group of clients, with a common health need. Students will consider the role of client assessment, interventions, collaboration, and evaluation of intervention with the emphasis on the client's empowerment.
The paper will explore cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic health and wellness. This paper assumes knowledge of the body's response to normal anatomical/physiological function and directs the student towards a progressive and more critical understanding of altered, complex health states. This will include the multiple interrelationships of physical activity for daily living, exercise physiology and exercise prescription to complement and inform advanced wellness practice. Students will design and implement quality integrated wellness and rehabilitation programmes for clients with cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic health conditions. Students will reflect on case management as a complete approach to wellness with an emphasis on empowerment rather than dependence.
WR805 Musculoskeletal and Neurological Health
The paper will explore musculoskeletal and neurologic health and wellness. This paper builds on knowledge of the body's response to physical activity, normal anatomical/ physiological function and directs the student towards a progressive and more critical understanding of altered, complex health states. This will include the multiple interrelationships of physical activity for daily living, exercise physiology and exercise prescription to complement and inform advanced wellness practice. Students will design and implement quality integrated wellness and rehabilitation programmes for clients with musculoskeletal and neurological health conditions. Students will reflect on case management as a complete approach to wellness with an emphasis on empowerment rather than dependence.
WR807 Special Topics (2021)
This paper is used to explore current issues and make use of the particular expertise of individual staff members, including visitors. Students will critically examine recent developments and emerging issues in a specified topic area.
Nutrition for Wellness
The course will investigate current issues of nutrition as therapy for wellness. The emphasis will be on nutrition strategies for specific populations in New Zealand.
Graduates of this programme may seek employment in the private or public sector undertaking a range of roles including: ACC case manager, advanced massage therapy practitioners, clinical leadership and clinical specialist roles, complementary and integrative medicine professional, disability support services manager/professional, health promotion advisor, rehabilitation professional, spa/clinical practice manager, specialist advisor and health management roles, wellness, and life style coach.
Students will have completed all requirements of a bachelor degree in a relevant field (such as chiropractic, health science, massage therapy, medicine, naturopathy, nursing, occupational therapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy, sport and exercise) with at least a B grade average at Level 7.
Special AdmissionNotwithstanding the above admission criteria, in exceptional circumstances, a mature aged applicant who can show evidence of ability to succeed in the programme may be considered for admission, provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme, or has relevant industry experience, which is deemed to meet the required standard for entry.
Provisional Part-time AdmissionAn applicant who does not meet academic criteria may be provisionally admitted to enrol in one or more papers. Upon successful completion of the paper(s), the student may apply for special admission.
English Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or
Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment
IELTS test - Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6 TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 590 (with an essay score 5.5 TWE) TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 79 (with a writing score of 21) Cambridge English Examination - C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 176. No less than 169 in each skill. OET- Minimum of Grade C+ or 300 in all sub-tests NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 5 (Academic) or (Professional) b) Level 5 Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 58 with no band score lower than 50 Language Cert - C1 Expert IESOL (LRWS) with HIGH PASS and no less than Pass in each skill or C2 Mastery IESOL (LRWS) with PASS and no less than Pass in each skill Trinity ISE- ISE III with no less than pass in any band
New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
The overall programme of study requires 60 credits for successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation). In order to be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation), a student must have been credited with all required papers as specified in the programme schedule.
Please note: students failing to attend for 80% of timetabled programme hours may forfeit the SIT Zero Fees entitlement.
Papers within the Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation) programme in are assessed using a criterion referenced approach. Students will be awarded, as appropriate, a summative grade for each paper that is completed. This grade will be recorded by faculty staff and included in the student’s individual transcript result that is forwarded to students at the conclusion of the academic year.