Professional Certificate in Pain Sciences

Course structure

Pain Theory and Science

This course provides the background knowledge that guides and rationalises the assessment and management of people with pain. It introduces an applied overview of pain theory, covers important pain–related terminology and explains the biological, psychological and social contributors to pain. It integrates the principles of the pain sciences into clinical decision-making frameworks, explores the mechanisms through which pain treatment strategies effect change and provides an overview of common pain states.

Course aim

The aim of this course is to develop an advanced understanding of the biological and psychosocial contributors to the pain experience and their relevance for pain assessment and management.

Course content

Current models for the clinical engagement of pain; the biopsychosocial model of pain; working pain definitions; pain mechanisms and contributors; integration of the pain sciences into clinical reasoning models; pain deconstruction into pathobiological mechanisms; clinical pain states.

Course outcomes

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe the biological and psychosocial factors that contribute to pain.
2. Synthesise theoretical models of pain to explain its complexity from a biopsychosocial perspective.
3. Describe the functions of nociceptive, immune, autonomic, neuroendocrine and motor systems in pain.
4. Identify clinical signs and symptoms that are associated with pain-related mechanisms.
5. Apply pain sciences principles to the assessment and management of people with pain.

Pain Education

This course focuses on pain-related communication and education. Most clinical guidelines clearly state that education is first line treatment and, as health professionals, we aim to assist our patients to make informed choices about their own care. Educational techniques and strategies are often glossed over in both the pain literature and undergraduate training. As a result, clinicians often don't understand why pain education is important and what it involves. They are also unsure how to go about it, unsure of what content it should include or how to tailor it to the needs of individual patients. Finally, they are often unsure how to evaluate whether their educational strategies have hit the mark. This course aims to address each of these issues.

The overarching intent of Pain Education is to assist health professionals talk about pain to their patients and colleagues and assist them to become effective pain educators in their communities. As an advanced understanding of pain is core competency of a pain educator, certificate students must have successfully completed the course in Pain Theory and Science prior to commencing Pain Education.

Course aim

The aim of this course is to develop health professionals’ understanding and application of pain-specific education within a multidisciplinary pain treatment framework.

Course content

Theories of adult learning and conceptual change, teaching styles, teaching and delivery strategies, curriculum development for target audiences, presentation techniques, student-centred approaches, educational evaluation, enablers and barriers to learning, communication strategies, and ethical considerations.

Course outcomes

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Discuss theoretical approaches to adult education and their application to pain education
2. Apply a range of teaching strategies to maximise learning in clinical and other education settings.
3. Design and implement learner-centred education programs for clinician, patient and general public contexts
4. Critically reflect on the design, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning activities
5. Explain pain effectively within a biopsychosocial framework