Advanced Clinical Practice - MSc
Currently viewing course to start in 2023/24 Entry.
Advanced clinical practitioners are experienced clinicians who demonstrate expertise in their scope of practice (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, 2018)....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Part Time
- Location City South
- Award MSc
- Start date September 2023
- School School of Health Sciences
- Faculty Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences
Overview
Advanced clinical practitioners are experienced clinicians who demonstrate expertise in their scope of practice (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, 2018). Advanced clinical practice is delivered by experienced, registered health and care practitioners and is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making (Health Education England (HEE), 2017).
If you have any questions or queries about the course, please contact Sharon Bishop before applying. You can email Sharon.Bishop@bcu.ac.uk.
What's covered in this course?
Through evolving professional roles, practitioners are increasingly encouraged to develop advanced clinical skills, critical thinking and problem solving which enables them to meet the changing needs of patients through the development of new, accessible approaches to care and service delivery. This innovative course is designed to inform, enhance and develop practitioners’ advancing clinical roles, incorporating the four pillars of advanced practice; clinical practice; leadership and management; education and research (HEE, 2017).
You will be supported within the University setting as well as your own organisation to build on existing professional skills, knowledge and experience in order to develop the advanced skill set required of an autonomous practitioner, whilst meeting the complexity of modern healthcare challenges. Provision of opportunities to investigate, critically appraise and understand the evidence base for practice will develop your critical awareness, in order to further improve and advance practice through strategic development, leadership, education and innovation. You will be required to identify a clinical supervisor who will be able to support you throughout the course.
We are committed to providing excellent, innovative, learning, teaching and assessment experiences. We use technology to enhance your learning, through lectures, seminars, skills, simulation and virtual learning. Engagement of practice partners and service users in all areas of learning, teaching and assessment is integral to our approach. Our evidence based curriculum will empower you to develop and maintain high quality, safe and effective interdisciplinary advanced clinical practice provision.
Completion of this Masters course and successful integration of the advanced practice capabilities into the workplace provides you with the foundation for further career and academic development and progression, such as the attainment of Consultant Practitioner status and further doctoral studies.
Accredited By
This course is accredited by:
“I've been educated, trained and supported throughout my entire career by Birmingham City University. I've been very impressed right from my first days as an undergraduate, and they seem to be very focused on what nursing requires in terms of skills, knowledge and a critical ability out there in the clinical practice ”
Mark Radford
Why Choose Us?
- Winners of the Student Nursing Times Post-Registration Education Provider of the Year Award 2017
- Student satisfaction - 100% of students were happy with this course. (PTES 2021)
- This course follows the Health Education England framework
- The BCU ACP course is part of the West Midlands HEI ACP Advisory Group
- Reputation for excellence – we have over 20 years’ experience of training advanced practitioners and are one of the largest and most diverse providers of health and social care education in the country
- Enhance your professional credibility - we will enrol you in the region’s largest provider of qualified health and social care professionals to the NHS
- Our tutors have a range of clinical experience including Critical Care, Emergency and Urgent Care, and Primary Care, across regional and national developments in Advanced Practice.
- Benefit from our strong partnerships across health and social care providers both within the UK and internationally
- Learn in our £71 million campus with state-of-the-art environments and access to our cutting-edge virtual technologies and one of the UK’s largest specialist health education libraries
Studying with us during the Covid-19 pandemic
The University has put in place measures in response to Covid-19 to allow us to safely deliver our courses. Should the impact of the pandemic continue in future years, any additional or alternative arrangements put in place by the University will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
OPEN EVENING
Join us for an on-campus Open Evening where you'll be able to explore our campus and facilities in person. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: Wednesday 26 April
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
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Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) |
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3 years post-registration clinical experience will be required. This experience needs to be related to the clinical environment within which you will be working at an advanced practice level |
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Evidence of study at level 6 in relevant subject area gained within the previous 5 years |
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Be employed in a role where there is an agreement from the employing organisation that the applicant will be supported and developed to work at an advanced practice level. This will include the need to allow protected learning time for both attendance at University and additional time for practice learning |
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Identification of a clinical supervisor |
Consideration may be given for applicants with significant clinical experience who have not completed a first degree but have level 6 credits, or applicants whose academic level 6 credits were awarded more than 5 years prior to applying to complete the course. Candidates will be required to complete pre-offer work for assessment by the course team to deem suitability for entry onto the course.
Qualifications and clinical experience that are not listed will be considered on an individual basis.
All applicants will be interviewed.
Applicants must provide a completed and signed clinical manager support form completed at interview.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MSc
Starting: Sep 2023
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 3 years
-
TBC
International students
Sorry, this course is not available to International students.
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.
Important information about fees in year 2
In your second year the fees that you will need to pay will depend upon which of the following routes you take:
1. You will need to complete Non-Medical Prescribing for Health (V300) (NMP course) for 40 credits, if this is appropriate for your role and allowed by your professional regulatory body. You will also be required to undertaken one core 20 credit module. If this is the case, you will need to pay for the NMP course and the fees for one 20 credit module.
By way of indication only, the fee for the 40 credit NMP Course for the academic year 2022/23 is £1976. The cost of the core 20 credit module will be approximately one third of the annual fees as shown above so around £872.
2. If you have previously completed a NMP course, you may be eligible to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for 20 or 40 credits (depending on the credits gained) from this into the MSc. You will still be required to complete 20 or 40 credits during this year. You will complete one core module for 20 credits. You may need to take one optional module from a range of level 7 20 credit modules within the Faculty. The fees for Year 2 will be reduced by approximately a third depending on the optional module taken. Once you have selected your optional module you will be provided with further information about the reduction in fees for Year 2.
3. If you have not completed a NMP course previously, and if it is not appropriate for you to do so (if your regulatory body does not permit this), you will be able to select 2 optional 20 credit modules from within the Faculty. The fees for Year 2 may be similar or slightly reduced, depending on the optional modules taken. We will help you to select your 2 optional modules during your first year of study and then any adjustment to the fees for Year 2 will be calculated and fully explained to you.
If you have any queries about the appropriate route for you and the fees that will be payable in your second year then please contact Sharon Bishop on Sharon.Bishop@bcu.ac.uk.
Personal statement
Students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.
Your postgraduate personal statement is going to shine a light on your personal experience, academic success, personal skills and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Your passion and motivations
Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?
Why this course?
Show that you’ve researched the course offering. What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Is it the lecturers? The modules? Etc.
What makes you a good postgraduate candidate?
Tutors want to know that you can handle postgraduate study, so show them how your undergraduate experiences or work life has equipped you for a more advanced level of study. Key areas to address are research and group work but this can vary depending on your chosen course.
Relevant academic or work experience
Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills? How do these specifically relate to the course you are applying for?
You should also mention your future plans and how a postgraduate qualification fits in. Try to look beyond your postgraduate study – do you plan to jump straight into a specific career or follow your studies with a research degree? Lastly, use plain, professional English and, where possible, utilise the language of your chosen industry.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
Course in Depth
Level 7 - Core Modules
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):
This core module will introduce you to the context and positionality of working at an advanced practice level. You will be introduced to the four pillars of advanced practice (clinical practice; leadership and management; education; and research) and the distinct capabilities attributed within these. You will be supported to consider how these may be developed and applied within your own specific environments. Through a critical reflective approach, you will develop self-awareness of your own practice and how this can be enhanced as you develop your autonomous advanced practice. This will be done in context of legal, professional and ethical frameworks, ensuring that your professional practice is underpinned within these considerations.
This core module will enable you to effectively apply knowledge and underpinning theory of health and pathophysiology in performing your role within the advanced practice pillar of direct clinical care. Key features of this module are:
- Consultation / history taking
- Holistic patient examination
- Application of anatomy and physiology of body systems to discern health need
- Diagnostics – supporting tests/ investigations
- Clinical judgement and decision-making - critical
- Documentation and record-keeping
This core module aims to facilitate the development of knowledge and skills in order that you are able to work at the level of advance practice. This module will support you in leading and managing complex situations, where you will be making decisions that impact on service delivery and outcomes for a wide range of stakeholders. The module will address the key learning required in relation to the three pillars of leadership, research, and education and how these influence service improvements and innovations within clinical practice. This module will explore the need for change and innovation in healthcare with particular insight towards quality and effectiveness of service provision, and will closely relate to your real world of work.
This module provides you with the opportunity to complete a piece of work around a chosen topic in order to demonstrate competence in the planning, implementation, analysis and evaluation of a service progression and improvement project. The aim of a service development project is to bring about an organisational change for which there is existing evidence, or in response to policy/practice drivers. Any data collection and analysis, associated with a service development project, aims specifically to inform the local development and is not intended to have wider generalisability or transferability, although there will likely be recommendations that other practices may benefit from. Effective use of change management theory and methods will be central to a service development project.
This final core module of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice course is designed to enable you to critically reflect on the skills, knowledge and behaviours you have developed across all four pillars of advanced practice. You will be expected to consolidate your learning and experience, developed on the course and in practice, ensuring your professional portfolio is up to date. You will be directed to ensure critical reflection and evaluation of your own scope of practice. The module assessment is designed to reflect the key academic and practice based knowledge, skills and behaviours you have developed during the course aligned to the four pillars of advanced clinical practice.
Level 7 - Optional Modules
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
This module will prepare the student to safely, competently and compassionately undertake the role of an independent and supplementary prescriber to meet the needs of clients/patients and carers with whom they work. It is seen as the vehicle by which professional knowledge, skills, understanding, analysis and theoretical frameworks of prescribing can be examined, synthesised and re-considered. The fundamental assumption of the course is that becoming skilled in prescribing is as much about process as product. It is not just about adding new tasks but also about building upon previous knowledge, understanding and intellectual skills and re-defining and reviewing work processes.
This module will prepare the student to safely, competently and compassionately undertake the role of a non-medical prescriber to meet the needs of clients/patients and carers with whom you work having met HCPC standards. It is seen as the vehicle by which professional knowledge, skills, understanding, analysis and theoretical frameworks of prescribing can be examined, synthesised and re-considered. The fundamental assumption of the course is that becoming skilled in prescribing is as much about process as product. It is not just about adding new tasks but also about building upon previous knowledge, understanding and intellectual skills and re-defining and reviewing work processes.
The goal of non-medical prescribing is to enable swifter and speedier access to medicines for patients/clients and carers. It is an activity that requires the health care professional to expand their understanding, skills and knowledge in developing their prescribing role whilst adhering to relevant Professional Code of Conduct/Ethics.
- The choice of modules will be discussed with you and the Course Lead
- We have a range of CPD modules available
Download course specification
Download nowCourse structure
Your first year involves an introduction to the context, frameworks and capabilities of advanced level practice. The four pillars of advanced practice (clinical practice; leadership and management; education; and research) will be integrated through the modules, and you will be expected to develop across all of the pillars through the academic and clinical practice elements of the year. You will be supported to develop your patient/ service user consultation, assessment and decision making processes, supported with through evidence based theoretical teaching and practice-based learning.
In the second year, you will further develop your advanced practice capabilities across the four pillars. Through completion of the core module, you will be able to identify and justify the need for new, evidence based innovative service provision. You will also complete Non-Medical Prescribing for Health (NMP) (V300) if this is appropriate for your role and allowed by your professional regulatory body. Where this is not appropriate, you will be able to select two optional modules from a range of level 7 modules within the Faculty. If you have credits from previously completing the NMP course, you may only need to take one optional module.
For your final year, you will undertake the service development project that you developed in Year 2. You will be supported by a designated academic supervisor, and you will have the opportunity for shared learning with other students through action learning sets as you progress. You will have the opportunity to share your innovation through a showcase event. In the last module, you will be expected to consider, evaluate and consolidate your progress across the capabilities of advanced level practice.
What do I need to do?
You must have the full support and agreement from your employers that you are in an appropriate role or a trainee role to work at an advanced level, with appropriate governance for you to practice. It is important you have protected time to attend the module teaching and to work with your mentor/ supervisors in order to develop your capabilities. Confirmation of this support will be required prior to commencing the course.
You will be expected to have an appropriate mentor for the duration of the course. In addition, there will be additional requirements for support, supervision and assessment during the ‘Assessment’ module in Year 1.
You will be expected to keep an ongoing professional portfolio which will evidence your development across the four pillars. Elements from your portfolio will be key in many of the module assessments. Guidance will be provided about this. You may also be expected to maintain a portfolio by your credentialing body (such as RCEM). We will be able to guide you as to how these can complement each other.
The Centre for Advancing Practice
This programme is accredited by the Centre of Advancing Practice.
Health Education England’s Centre for Advancing Practice has been established to standardise post-registration education by accrediting advanced practice courses that achieve the standards outlined in the multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework.
Practitioners who have completed accredited education programmes will be eligible to be listed on the Centre’s Advanced Practice Directory. Programme accreditation from the Centre for Advancing Practice will bring a new level of consistency to the workforce and help showcase advanced practice within health and social care.
Employability
Enhancing Employability skills
Advanced clinical practitioners can move into a range of different fields within the health care sector, specialising in a number of areas. The assessment, clinical decision-making and differential diagnostic skills you’ll hone here will enable you to progress into roles as health care professionals, practising holistically in partnership with patients and their families.
Placements
Practice development takes place in your normal practice setting. Practice learning facilitators are identified to support you. These are normally a consultant or GP and a senior professional from your own discipline. They will work with you to assist you in achieving the required clinical competencies.
Facilities & Staff
We have invested £340 million in our facilities, including an upgrade to our Skills and Simulation facilities at City South Campus. We boast up-to-date, innovative facilities that simulate the real situations that you may come across in the workplace. These resources are essential in offering you a hands-on introduction to health and social care practice.
Mock Wards
These are set up to look like typical hospital wards, with four to six bays. Depending on the topic in hand, different manikins can be used as patients and relevant equipment is provided to practise clinical skills. Some of the manikins are interactive and can simulate different scenarios e.g. some allow you to cannulate, check pulses, intubate etc, and some can talk to you. One ward is often used as an adult ward, and the other as a child ward.
These rooms also allow for scenarios to be set up for other professions such as dietetics, paramedic science and social work.
The Operating Theatre and Recovery Suites
The operating theatre and recovery suite gives you the sense of what it would be like in a real surgical environment.
These spaces emulate the full surgical journey from anaesthetics, through surgery and into recovery. ODP students can practice a range of skills including gowning, hand washing, preparing instrument trays, and working with a patient. Nurses and midwives may experience a surgical placement and need to go to theatre or be part of the midwifery team involved with caesarean sections. Many other Allied Health Professionals may also see patients in recovery if necessary.
Home Environment Room
This space is used to simulate non-clinical settings, as not everything health professionals deal with is hospital based. This is used for simulations of home visits and home births. It also houses soft matting and a bubble machine that are used by the Learning Disability Nursing team.
Assisted Living Space
This space replicates a flat and is used for scenarios such as home visits. The sitting room area provides a different space to practise skills and simulations and work with service users and other students.
Assisted Kitchen
This specially designed kitchen has different areas where you can practice cooking, cleaning, boiling the kettle etc., with someone who has actual or simulated visual impairments. There are adapted devices to help, and simulation glasses for you to wear to experience visual impairments.
Physiotherapy Room
This is a space for physiotherapy students to use, with various equipment to practise client meetings.
Radiotherapy Planning Computer Suite
Our computers allow you to plan hypothetical treatments, in terms of angles and directions, ensuring that radiotherapy reaches where it is needed on a patient’s body.
Radiography Image Interpretation and Reporting Stations Computer Suite
These facilities allow you to view and analyse x-rays.
VERT - Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training
This room contains 3D technology to view virtual patients and look at trajectories for treatment.
Radiotherapy
This room contains the same bed/couch used when patients are given radiotherapy treatment. While students of course do not administer radiotherapy in this room, it does allow them to practise adjusting the equipment to make sure both it and a patient would be in the correct position to receive treatment.
Telehealth Room
This room allows for small group teaching in a central area (large boardroom type table) with fiv small telehealth booths down either side. These are to allow all our health professions students to practise delivering healthcare and advice remotely, either over the phone or on a video call. This addition to our teaching reflects moves in the sector to offer more flexible access to healthcare services, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Imaging Academy
This new facility is a larger version of our existing image interpretation computer facilities and forms part of the West Midlands Imaging Academy hub, funded by Health Education England. These expanded facilities will mean we can further develop our courses and expertise in radiography and imaging.
Speech and Language Therapy Resource Room
Our Speech and Language Therapy Team have developed a collection of tools, books and resources to help you learn and understand the implications of a speech or swallowing limitation. You can practise one to one client meetings and clinics and use the video recording equipment to review role play scenarios.
Our staff
Sharon Bishop
Senior Lecturer/ Programme Director, MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
After qualifying, Sharon developed experience across a range of clinical environments before gaining a staff nurse post in Intensive Care. During this time she undertook the ENB 100 (Adult Critical Care course) as well as ENB 998 (mentorship qualification). She progressed in this speciality, ultimately attaining a senior role. Sharon has always had...
More about SharonMary Hutchinson
Senior Lecturer/Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Mary Hutchinson is a Senior Lecturer in Advanced Clinical Practice who works clinical sessions as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) with a Midlands Out-of-Hours Service co-located with the local Emergency Department. Her clinical career encompasses many aspects of Urgent and Emergency Care from Staff Nurse in a community hospital Casualty...
More about MaryKatherine Lemon
Senior Lecturer in Advanced Practice and Non-Medical Prescribing
Katherine qualified as a Children’s nurse in 2003 and spent the next 5 years rotating between several specialties including general paediatrics, planned surgery, adolescent and neonatal care and emergency medicine. She then went on to train as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Paediatric Emergency Medicine.
More about KatherineHelen Cope
Course Leader for MSc Transforming and Leading in Healthcare
Helen has spent 25 years as a consultant running her own business, helping healthcare and private sector organisations nationally and internationally improve their practice and innovate. She has an HR and Organisational Development background and is a keen advocate of change. Focused on effective, engaging and innovative teaching, Helen...
More about Helen