WA Dementia Training Study Centre
for Health-Care Professionals

The WA DTSC is funded through the 'Dementia as a National Health Priority' federal initiative and brings $1.3 million to the Centre over 3 years. It aims to develop a career path for health professionals working with people with dementia in metropolitan, remote and rural WA. It is a unique and innovative multidisciplinary collaboration that combines significant tertiary educational capacity and experience, industry knowledge and service delivery environments, practical experience and health professional representation. The Centre will address the training needs of nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers and psychologists, and other allied health professionals.

The WA DTSC has adopted a four-level approach to learning:

Level 1: Undergraduate

Focus on complimenting existing content within current curricula, adaptation of case studies, learning exercises; focus on increasing awareness and application of foundation knowledge in relevant disciplines.

Level 2: Professional Practice

Focus on increasing knowledge and competence in current practice settings, improving recognition and early intervention/referral, expanding staff development programs, raising awareness among employers.

Level 3: Specialist Practice

Focus on developing specialist roles, expanding knowledge and competence, raising awareness of evidence-based-practice, preparing for 'new' specialist roles.

Level 4: Advance Professional Practice

Focus on leadership research and practice roles within disciplines and settings, preparing for 'advanced practice' (nurse practitioner, GP specialist).

The WA DTSC has identified training competencies for each of the four levels listed above.

Educational activities will include, but not be restricted to, workshops, structured courses, mentored practical learning experiences, as well as articulation with other existing courses. Strategies will also be developed, in partnership with appropriate representatives, to meet the needs of rural and remote practitioners as well as Indigenous and CALD communities.