As part of the development of the BSLM Learning Academy, we have been building towards offering our own qualification in Lifestyle Medicine, and are proud to announce that this is now available.
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Course Overview
The BSLM Core Accreditation in Lifestyle Medicine is an interactive, immersive programme which will provide learners with the attitudes and theoretical knowledge behind Lifestyle Medicine. It builds on that foundation with the practical skills to enable Lifestyle Medicine theory to be used in work and personal life.
Our programme has been developed using our state-of-the-art Learning Management System. It will offer users a self-paced programme, incorporating continuous assessment; helping to reinforce and complement learning. The programme will consist of three levels with all learners beginning their journey with the “Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine” course, learners will be completing in-person requirements and assessments at milestones throughout and upon completion, will be accredited as a BSLM Lifestyle Medicine Physician, or Health Professional.
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Last Updated: October 21st 2024
Learn
Attitudes
The Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine
Develop
Knowledge
In-Depth Learning About the Six Pillars
Deliver
Skills
Putting Lifestyle Medicine Into Practice
The course is designed to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to holistically assess the impact of lifestyle on a patient’s health and empower them to make the necessary changes. It also responds to the current medical and political climate which is increasingly focused on lifestyle related disease prevention.
In the initial part of the course, learners will build a comprehensive background knowledge of key lifestyle factors and their health consequences. These will include sleep, healthful eating, physical activity, social connection, avoidance of harmful substances and mental wellbeing. As the learner progresses through the programme, they will learn how to apply knowledge in a lifestyle centred consultation, building skills in history taking, development of a lifestyle management plan and use of health coaching and motivational interviewing techniques. Learning is assessed through a blend of formative MCQs, at the end of each module, written assignments, and ending with a case study. You will be able to chose your final case study subject matter to fit your area of interest, be that pain, sleep, physical activity and so on.
Assignments are open-book, written pieces designed to consolidate learning at strategic points in the course. Assignment 1 is concerned with your understanding of lifestyle medicine as a field, why it is needed and where it fits in. Assignment 2 looks at your application of the 6 pillars. Assignments 3 & 4 are smaller pieces that explore your understanding of the skills used in lifestyle medicine and how you will apply the knowledge gained from the course whilst practicing safety and maintaining professional boundaries
We expect that the course programme will take between nine months and a year to complete; which will allow learners to fully benefit from the rich content provided via our advanced online learning system. However, we will retain a degree of flexibility to ensure that you can adequately fit the study period into your own busy schedules.
Find out more about the Lifestyle Medicine Core Accreditation by watching this video
Application and Process
The programme is now open for applications and can be purchased directly via our online store.
We have a separate tariff document which explains the pricing in greater detail. If you’d like to download a resource to support your request for funding through your Employer, follow the link below.
If you’d like to apply for funding, click here
Eligibility
Our programme has two levels:
Physician:
Suitable For: Licensed Medical Doctor
Health Professional:
Suitable For: Those holding a minimum of a degree level qualification in a Healthcare related field
BSLM is committed to furthering Lifestyle medicine education. If your qualifications do not match our minimum requirements but you feel as if you have other relevant experience then please contact us and we can discuss what options may be available.
The course content will be the same for both levels; the difference between the two is the assessment criteria.
In addition, support for learners will be provided throughout the programme and will be made available once the learner has signed up.
The BSLM Core Accreditation has 3 parts:
1:
Completion of Online Course Content
2:
In-person attendance to a BSLM Annual Conference (valid for 36 months)
3:
Successful Completion of Assessments
Maintenance Of Certification
Following completion of the Core Accreditation programme learners will be eligible to join a Maintenance of Accreditation Programme, managed by BSLM. Completion of the requirements of this will nullify the need to resit the programme after 10 years.
By purchasing the full programme learners will get the first year of the Maintenance of Accreditation included.
Rationale
Training in lifestyle medicine is proposed in response to the current public health emergency in lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (Hay et al., 2017). The NHS long term plan (NHS, 2019) signals a shift towards preventative medicine, in which lifestyle medicine has a central role.
Furthermore, cultural aspects of health inequalities are becoming increasingly evident (Sundmacher et al., 2011). There is a current movement in higher education (Singh, 2010) and medicine, to decolonise curriculum, recognising the diversity of healthcare professionals and the populations they serve (Nazar et al., 2015). By its very nature, skilfully delivered lifestyle medicine will include careful consideration of culture as a vehicle for lifestyle change (Katz, 2014) and thus this programme provides a potential way to address this.
Certification (Accreditation) demonstrates your commitment to, and expertise in, Lifestyle Medicine, augmenting your clinical or public health practice, with a solid grounding in preventing, managing and reversing chronic and lifestyle-related disease.
Benefits:
An Investment in your medical future
Global Community of like-minded health professionals
Professional Credibility
Early adopters to share the evidence-based field of LM
Positive impact on the wider society
Personal well-being
Click here to view and buy the course!
Any registrations post sell out or after mid August 2024 will provide a ticket for BSLM2025 in Newcastle
Contact Us
To find out more about the BSLM Core Accreditation in Lifestyle Medicine, please contact us at office@bslm.org.uk and we will be happy to answer your queries.
It is not compulsory to become a member of the BSLM to sign up for the BSLM Core Accreditation. Of course, we hope you see value in the benefits it provides, from free and discounted monthly events and courses to being part of a community of likeminded healthcare professionals. Our network is growing through your support to the Charity, and with that increases the opportunity to get lifestyle medicine education to where it’s needed the most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there an in person attendance requirement?
A: Yes, to pass the LMCA programme all learners are required to have accumulated 10 in-person CPD hours. At present, this requirement can only be satisfied via attendance at the BSLM Annual Conference.
Q: I have attended BSLM conferences in the past, do they count towards LMCA in-person requirements?
A: If you attended either BSLM 2021 (Edinburgh) or BSLM 2022 (Tottenham) in-person, then this will count towards your in-person learning requirement.
Q: I signed up for the IBLM Diploma but deferred, can I transfer to this course?
A: Yes! If you decided to defer your IBLM Diploma then your Certification payment and/or LMBRC course purchase (evidence required) can be redeemed against joining the LMCA programme. Prices to transfer are listed as below:
| Transferring Physician | To Upgrade |
| Already Paid | £1,395.00 |
| With In Person | £355.00 |
| With LMBRC | £250.00 |
| With Both | – |
| Transferring Health Professional | To Upgrade |
| Already Paid | £1,195.00 |
| With In Person | £155.00 |
| With LMBRC | £250.00 |
| With Both | – |
Q: I have already purchased the LMBRC course, will studying that text allow me to complete LMCA?
A: No. We have designed the LMCA programme to offer an immersive programme with a model of continuous assessment based on local context and practice. The course materials have been designed and written with a UK audience in mind, as have the related assessments. Whilst there is a lot of commonality between the two courses, the LMCA content will need to be studied to ensure the best opportunity to complete the programme successfully.
Q: Do I get all the course content/materials immediately?
A: No. The nature of the LMCA programme is that of a spiral, whereby further content becomes available once you have passed the assessment of the content you have been studying. All learners will start with “Lifestyle Medicine: A Foundation Course” and upon passing the assessment for this module will then have access to the individual pillar courses. This is similar in principle to University learning.
Q: Is there an option to pay in installments?
A: There is currently no option to pay in installments. We are looking at the logistics of this and hope that this is something that we can offer in the near future.
Q: My employer will fund me, can they be invoiced directly?
A: There is an option at the Checkout Stage of purchase to “Pay by Invoice” please complete this and add any details that may be necessary, and an invoice will be forwarded to the relevant payee. Once payment has been received you will be enrolled onto the programme.
Q: I have previously sat IBLM Diploma, do I need to take LMCA?
A:No. There are a lot of similar themes between the IBLM Diploma and LMCA, with the end goal being the same, it may be that you would find it repetitive and great that you’re already certified. However, all of the courses that make up the LMCA will be able to purchase standalone, so you may wish to study a specific one of those, or one of our other Learning Academy courses
Q: I started by completing stand-alone courses but, have done a few now and wish to complete the full Core Accreditation, what can I do?
A: If a standalone course that is part of the LMCA programme has been purchased then there would be a pro-rata reduction in the cost of the overall programme, if you were to upgrade .
Q: Is there a specific time of the year the BSLM Core Accreditation starts and finishes?
A: No, Learners can start at any point of the year and work at their own pace. You have a maximum period of 30 months to complete and a reminder that pre-requisites, like in-person attendance must be within that 30 months period
Q: Is there any impact to my qualification status if I do not join the MOC?
A: In accordance with international standards, health care professionals must recertify in a chosen field every 10 years. The maintenance of certification was created as an alternative to that but failure to join or adhere to the requirements, would mean diplomates must repeat the accreditation
Q: Who is eligible to sign up for the Core Accreditation?
A: Those with a primary medical degree or primary healthcare degree are eligible to sign up to the physician and healthcare professional programmes respectively. We recognise that some careers follow non-standard routes. If you do not fit one of these categories but are still interested in studying then please contact us directly to discuss eligibility.
Q: How long will it take me to complete the programme?
A: We anticipate it will take 60 hours to study the content provided in the Core Accreditation programme, plus additional time needed to write your assessments. As mentioned elsewhere in the FAQ, you have 30 months to complete the programme. The majority of students complete within 12 months, which works out at an average of 5 hours per month for course content, not counting time spent on completing your assessments.