Healthcare (Professional Practice)
- Level: Top-Up Pathways
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Part Time
- Location: City South
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
The professional practice programme is a flexible, practice led programme that aims to meet your professional development needs in which ever healthcare area you are working in and your current academic level. It aims to facilitate the development of knowledgeable and proactive solution focused professionals, who are able to apply theory to practice in order to provide and promote best quality care/outcomes in their practice.
Please note that the delivery of this programme in 2020/21 will be fully online in semester one.
What's covered in the course?
The programme offers a range of standalone modules and specialist awards from acute care to tissue viability (see below for a list of routes) to suit your needs. You can study a single module that is relevant to your practice or several to make up a full named award.
A varied range of learning and teaching approaches are used throughout the modules and programme to cater for the wide variety of students who access the programme from across the country. The underlying principle to the learning, teaching and assessment strategies for the Professional Practice Programme is the relationship between theory and practice and making the links to relevant, evidence based and current practice as you progress with your professional development. The programme team are from a range of health care backgrounds and specialists in their own right with continued close links to practice.
Teaching will be both online and face to face, with the face to face teaching at the city South campus.
Why Choose Us?
- Clinically focused content
- An opportunity to examine your practice critically
- A strong focus on current issues and an emphasis on the practical application of knowledge
- Flexible study options – chose to study over one or more academic years
- Each module has a bespoke "Moodle" based website which contains all module documentation, handouts, links to key documents and supplementary articles of interest
- Ongoing support from staff both academically whilst in university to facilitate your development as a learner
- Excellence in delivering high quality standards of flexible and bespoke academic provision for post qualifying practitioners
- Links with healthcare providers
- State-of-the-art facilities.
New £10,609 postgraduate loans
If you are completing the MSc Professional Practice, you may be able to take advantage of the government’s plans to make loans of up to £10,609 available for postgraduate study.
This course is open to International students
Discover the School of Nursing and Midwifery
Visit our School site for more student work and extra information.
Course Accreditations
Post Registration Education Provider of the Year Winner
- UK students
- International students
Award:
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- TBC
- £800 per 20-credit module
Award:
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- TBC
- £800 per 20-credit module
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Entry requirements
Following the introduction of the 2018/9 regulations students are required to complete a minimum of 100 credits at BCU to be awarded a degree. Therefore students who did not complete their Dip H.E. or 240 credits at the institution will need to complete a 40 credit level 5 portfolio module in addition to 60 credits at level 6.
Students who think this applies to them are advised to contact the Professional Navigators to discuss further.
Course structure
You can choose to study this programme as a complete pathway award or as a standalone module, dependent on your individual need and the needs of your organisation. All programmes offer a convenient part-time format to fit around home and work commitments
Pathway awards in Healthcare can lead to:
- Module only Professional Practice Level 6
- Module only Professional Practice Level 7
- BSc Professional Practice
- BSc (Hons) Professional Practice
- Grad Cert Professional Practice
- PG Cert Professional Practice
- PG Dip Professional Practice
- MSc Professional Practice
How to apply
Complete the online application form via the link above, including the name of the pathway or module you are enrolling onto.
Professional practice routes
Have a look at all of our Professional Practice Healthcare routes available.
Degree (Level 6)
In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 40 credits):
Year 1 Pathway Award – Exit Award: Grad Cert / BSc Professional Practice (Healthcare)
Year 2 Pathway Award (BSc (Hons) Only) – Exit Award: BSc (Hons) Professional Practice (Healthcare)
In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the List of Additional Optional Modules* for Year 1 and an additional 40 credits for Year 2.
*Any appropriate module (relevant to Pathway / Speciality) from University / Faculty portfolio as agreed with the Pathway Leader.
Postgraduate (Level 7)
In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 40 credits):
Year 1 Pathway Award – Exit Award: PG Cert Professional Practice (Healthcare)
Year 2 Pathway Award - Exit Award: PG Dip Professional Practice (Healthcare)
In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the List of Additional Optional Modules * for Year 1 and an additional 40 credits for Year 2.
*Any appropriate module (relevant to Pathway / Speciality) from University / Faculty portfolio as agreed with the Pathway Leader.
MSc
Year 3 Pathway Award – Exit Award: MSc Professional Practice (Healthcare)
Option 1
In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete the following CORE module (totalling 60 credits):
Option 2
In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete the following CORE module (totalling 40 credits):
In order to complete this route a student must also successfully complete at least 20 credits from the List of Additional Optional Modules*.
*Any appropriate module (relevant to Pathway / Speciality) from University / Faculty portfolio as agreed with the Pathway Leader.
Degree (Level 6)
Pathway Level
Modules completed
Exit Awards
Postgraduate (Level 7)
Pathway Level
Modules completed
Exit Awards
Student Nursing Times Award Winner
Post Registration Education Provider of the Year
Course dates
Download the course dates for all of our Professional Practice modules here.
Teaching and learning
A variety of teaching and learning methods, both in the classroom and online, are used in line with the flexible design of the programme. There is also a range of assessments used depending on your module choice. However the programme aims to ensure that both the teaching and assessments are clearly related to practice assessments.
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC)
International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.
BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
We boast up-to-date, innovative facilities that simulate the real situations that medical staff may come across.
These resources are essential in offering students a hands-on introduction to health and social care practice. Much of our teaching is carried out within our state-of-the-art, £30m Seacole Building, which houses cutting-edge facilities.
Take a virtual tour of our skills suites at Seacole
In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that students learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. These include the only mock operating theatre in an English university and a cutting-edge radiography virtual clinical training facility, virtual ward and virtual case creator.
Virtual Case Creator
For pre-registration nurses and midwives, Virtual Case Creator software contains a range of scenarios to let you experience birthing situations and decide on appropriate interventions in a safe environment.
Hospital Ward
Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. They contain ‘Sim Men’, which are demonstration dummies that develop ailments, allowing you to treat them as you would a real patient and build your confidence in reacting to the changing needs of patients.
The Hospital Ward can be adapted from a low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.
Part of the package is our SIM baby, SIM man and Mega code kid. There are also nursing manikins for fundamental skills teaching and various equipment to support essential skills teaching, such as blood pressure monitoring venepuncture and cannulation equipment.
Skills Practice and Care Enhancement facility
The SPACE (Skills Practice And Care Enhancement) learning facility lets you further practice the skills taught in class, at your own pace and convenience.
It is fully stocked with the specialist items and equipment needed for procedures such as taking blood pressure, giving an injection, abdominal examination of a pregnant woman and caring for ill babies in an incubator.
Biomedical Laboratories
We have recently installed new laboratory facilities to help you explore understand the scientific principles underpinning many of our courses. The physiology laboratory is equipped to help you learn about the way the human body works by performing investigative experiments. The biomedical science laboratory is undergoing an upgrade over the summer and will allow you to learn about anatomy, cellular processes, immunology and enzymology in a hands-on way that links directly to day-to-day health care.
Simulation Manikins
We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and Simulation babies (SIM babies) which are leading edge, anatomically correct manikins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills.
The SIM men and SIM baby manikins are complete with software, which is used to replicate real symptoms, and are enhanced by the manipulation of for example blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM Man can also “talk” to the students which adds another dimension to their use in teaching clinical skills and in simulation exercises.
Mary Seacole Library
The Seacole library, based at City South Campus, is one of the UK's largest specialist health education libraries. The state-of-the art facility offers an extensive range of range of information and reference materials set out in a relaxing environment, conducive to studying. There are comfortable seating areas, group study areas, a silent study area and private study rooms.
The Seacole building houses a large open access IT Suite which comprises of 96 PCs, full colour printers, photocopiers and scanners. Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:
- Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
- Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
- Microsoft Office software
- Research and statistical software
- Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home
Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.
The IT Suite offers extended opening hours and is supported by a specialist Open Access Assistant during term time. In addition to the open access PCs within the IT Suite, there are 12 networked student PCs available within Seacole library.
Alison Simons
Senior Lecturer
Alison was a cancer nurse for 18 years looking after patients with a variety of cancer and receiving a variety of treatments. She was the junior sister of a mixed oncology ward within a large teaching hospital. Alison then went on to become a professional development sister responsible for the educational needs of 200 oncology and haematology nurses.
Samantha Toland
Senior Lecturer in Haematology
Sam has been a cancer / haemato-oncology nurse for 18 years, having worked initially in Haemato-oncology and stem cell transplant, she then went on to become a Chemotherapy nurse trainer, responsible for the chemotherapy training and education of all nursing staff in a large teaching hospital trust.
Victoria Skerrett
Senior Lecturer
Victoria has worked in mental health nursing and nurse education since 1998, with her time in practice being spent in Forensic Mental Health settings and as a Community Mental Health Nurse. She entered mental health work after studying Theology at the University of St Andrews and the University of Birmingham to further her interest in the way in which people make sense of their life experiences.
In addition to academic studies in Theology and Nursing she took an MA in the Philosophy and Ethics of Mental Health at the University of Warwick, focusing on the function which extraordinary experiences, such as voice-hearing and delusional beliefs, might have in the life of the person experiencing them. Her dissertation focused on psychotic phenomena and religious experience. Victoria has since been a member of the advisory panel for the healthtalk.org psychosis project.
During her time at BCU Victoria has developed case studies and simulation for nurse education, she has helped to design OSCEs, and has developed a number of video resources. She is the Pathway lead for the Forensic Mental Health Pathway for post-qualifying students, and also the coordinator of the Nursing in Society Module for the undergraduate nursing programme.
Enquiries
For any enquiries about this course please contact the course leaders on:
- Tel: +44 (0)121 331 7012
- Email: Alison.Simons@bcu.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0) 121 331 7012
- Email: Samantha.Toland@bcu.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0) 121 331 4533
- Email: Victoria.Skerrett@bcu.ac.uk
International Enquiries
If you are an international student please contact the international office for more information on entry requirements:
- Tel: +44 (0)121 331 5389
- Email: international.enquiries@bcu.ac.uk
Professional Navigator
The Professional Practice Programme consists of a selection of modules that can be studied on their own or as part of an award. For help in deciding which modules to study or your outcome award please contact our Professional Navigators on navigator@bcu.ac.uk
Professional practice routes
Have a look at all of our Professional Practice Healthcare routes available.