Advanced Clinical Practitioner Masters Degree Apprenticeship
Key Details
- Award
- Master of Science
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Project Overview
The School of Health Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA) is delighted to offer the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) Degree Apprenticeship to UK-based registered healthcare professionals looking to advance their practice and obtain a masters-level academic qualification in advanced clinical practice.
The programme is accredited by NHS England Centre for Advancing Practice and aligned to the Health Education England Multi-Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England (HEE, 2017). If you are working in an advanced practice role, this allows for you to register with NHS England as an Advanced Practitioner on successful completion of the programme.
Our programme is based on the four pillars of advanced practice: clinical, leadership and management, education, and research. . You will gain the knowledge, insight and skills to progress patient care and your career to the next level, whilst furthering your skills in research appraisal, evidence-based practice, and decision making.
Reflecting UK and international benchmarks, our Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship programme has been designed to help experienced professionals meet the challenges of working in an ever-changing health and care sector head-on, with improved ways of working and a positive impact on patient health.
The MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship will be typically completed over three years, and you will study at level 7.
You will access core and optional modules appropriate to meeting the organisational requirements of your advanced clinical role in practice. Following regular progression points you will demonstrate your academic preparedness before completing the ‘End Point Assessment’ which is the final part of this integrated master's degree Apprenticeship.
On successful completion of the programme, you will have met the Degree Apprenticeship Standard for Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
The MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship consists of successful achievement of 180 module credits at level 7, from core and optional modules.
For the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship 120 module credits are compulsory:
- Advanced Clinical Assessment (20 credits)
- Managing Yourself and Leading Others (20 credits)
- Understanding Evidence to Lead and Advance Practice (20 Credits)
- Quality Improvement Project (40 credits)
- End Point Assessment (20 credits)
Years 1 & 2:
You will experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, which have been carefully considered to demonstrate learning across all the pillars and principles of advanced practice.
Formative and summative assessment strategies across the programme include written assignments, unseen examinations, case studies, practical examinations, group presentations and portfolio development.
Some of the optional modules are subject to entry requirements, and in some cases, professional, statutory or regulatory body requirements apply, see below.
If you would like to study any of the below as stand-alone modules - visit our CPD section.
Course Modules
In Years 1 and 2, Students must take the following core modules: Managing Yourself & Leading Others (20 credits), Using Evidence to Lead & Advance Practice (20 credits), and Advanced Clinical Assessment (20 credits).
Managing Yourself and Leading Others
Code HSC-7126D or HSC-7126E (20 Credits)
The aim of this module it to support you in developing a critical understanding of efficient and effective leadership, in order to manage yourself and lead others. You will be empowered to lead innovative change and organisational development through the fostering of a shared sense of leadership and responsibility for the success of the organisation and the development of quality services.
Using Evidence to Lead and Advance Practice
Code HSC-7192D or HSC-7192E (20 Credits)
This module will introduce the concepts and skills of evidence-based practice. In doing so, it will explore and critically analyse core theories, policies and models that support and underpin evidence-based practice. You will be facilitated to turn clinical and leadership queries into advanced practice focused questions, from which you can search the evidence. You will be supported to identify effective strategies for identifying and communicating the need for change associated with national and international quality standards and findings from research. You will also be introduced to a range of quantitative and qualitative research data collection and data analysis methods. These can be used to measure the impact of change in terms of quality improvement and transformation at the point of care within your area and scope of practice.
Advanced Clinical Assessment
Code HSC-7196D or HSC-7196E (20 Credits)
This module will enable you to conduct a systematic clinical assessment of your patient’s health status and consequently rationalise your decisions. The overarching philosophy of this module is that assessment in advanced practice is about a level of practice, rather than particular pre-set practical skills. The module takes a flexible approach to learning and assessment which enables learners to develop and demonstrate advanced assessment practices specifically relevant to their role. It is therefore suitable for health professionals from most professional backgrounds including nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, OPDs, physiotherapist, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and other allied healthcare professionals. It is also suitable for professionals working in a wide range of clinical settings, sectors and specialities, as long as their role includes assessment of patients.
Students will also select a further 60 optional module credits from the following list:
- Advanced Communication
- Advanced Practice in Mental Health
- Advanced Stoma Care
- Advancing Practice in Dementia Care
- Clinical Decision Making
- Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessment
- Foundations of End of Life Care
- Independent Prescribing
- Interventional Radiology Practice
- Long Term Conditions
- Mental Health Across the Lifespan
- Minor Illness
- Minor Injuries
- Newborn Infant Physical Examination
- Pathophysiology: A Nature-Nurture Approach
- Paediatric Examination and Assessment
- Policy Implementation and Evaluation
- Working with Older People: Biopsychosocial Approaches
- Advanced Learning Disability Practice
- Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory Practice
- Diagnostic Interpretation
- Facilitating Clinical Research in Practice
- Perinatal Mental Health
- Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine for Healthcare Professionals 1 – Systems and Resources
- Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine for Healthcare Professionals 2 – Human Factors and Special Circumstances
- Professional Recognition Portfolio
Year 3
You will experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, which have been carefully considered to demonstrate learning across all the pillars and principles of advanced practice.
At the end of your third year, you will complete the End Point Assessment module which is bespoke and essential to your apprenticeship as it will demonstrate your occupational preparedness for the role of Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
Quality Improvement Project
Code: HSC-7191X Credits 40
Quality Improvement leads to positive change within healthcare practice with the aim of improving outcomes and enhancing care. This module will equip practitioners with the knowledge and skills to facilitate a small-scale quality improvement project appropriate to their scope of advancing practice and the context in which they work.
Supportive and flexible learning resources and opportunities are offered in six blocks of online learning delivered over the first 12 weeks of the module.
Throughout the module, learners will have the opportunity to individually gain feedback and guidance on the design, implementation and evaluation of their projects.
End Point Assessment
Code: HSC-7024D Credits 20
The aim of this module is to provide the apprentice with the opportunity to demonstrate the roles and responsibilities and behaviours of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner within their scope of practice as set out in the Occupational standard for Advanced Clinical Practice degree (Level 7). This module brings together all the required learning outcomes, knowledge, skills and behaviours of the ACP studied during the whole programme and tests apprentices’ comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the curriculum. The Summative Assessment is synoptic. This means that there is no ‘new’ content per se but there will be support sessions, formative activities and assessments and off the job learning to prepare you to demonstrate your expertise. The module will provide the final 20 credits of your award. The summative synoptic assessment elements are prescribed within the National End Point Assessment Plan and comprise:
- Open Book Examination of 2 hours
- 50% contribution to final grade
- Presentation of Practice comprising 2 elements which also contribute 50% to final grade:
- 1,500 word Clinical Practice change report (submitted online)
- 35 minute presentation to a panel.
Degree Classification
Bachelors (Hons) degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Equivalent evidence of recent study in the last 5 years includes:
• Two or more degree level 6 CPD modules achieving 55% and above
One or more Masters level 7 CPD modules achieving 50% and above
Degree Subject
Health Care subject
• GCSE English at Grade C/Level 4 or above, or Functional Skills Level 2, or any qualification that is listed on the ESFA approved equivalent qualification list.*
• GCSE Math at Grade C/Level 4 or above, or Functional Skills Level 2, or any qualification that is listed on the ESFA approved equivalent qualification list.
*If you studied English as a 2nd language overseas please email apprenticeships@uea.ac.uk for advice.
Additional Entry Requirements
Current professional registration with a minimum of 2 years post registration practice experience. Must already be qualified as a Nurse, Midwife, Paramedic etc.
You must have employer support to undertake this apprenticeship as it is levy-funded, subsequently your employer apprenticeship lead will need to confirm that you will be given the time and resources required for the programme.
Students for Whom English is a Foreign Language
We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English or those whose degree was not taught in English. To ensure such students benefit fully from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. We also will require a certain standard to be achieved on the written element of the test. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:
IELTS: 7.0(minimum 6.5 in all component)
PTE: 76(minimum 67 in all components)
All scores must be less than two years old.
Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests.
INTO UEA run pre-sessional English courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich).
Intakes
This course is open to UK applicants only, the annual intake for this course is in January each year.
How to Apply
Apprenticeships are levy-funded and subsequently require employer support. The apprenticeship fee set for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship is £12,000.
The process is employer-led. This means that the opportunity to apply is advertised by employers and not via the university.
Employers will either advertise internally to candidates who already work for them, or externally to new candidates via the NHS Jobs website and once the programme is advertised, applicants will be required to complete an initial Expression of Interest form (EOI). Initial employer shortlisting will be based on the EOI and shortlisted candidates will then be asked to formally apply to the University via secure link.
For a copy of the full programme brochure please contact hsc.apprenticeships@uea.ac.uk.
We are looking to work with employers and organisations to form new cohorts for these courses, and to create new programmes, tailored to meet the needs of individual organisations.
For employers considering placing a number of employees on the apprenticeship programme, there is an opportunity to discuss bespoke content within the course that takes account of sector-specific issues. For more information about working together or supporting an employee via an apprenticeship please visit:
Benefits of working with UEA
Our academic staff include world-leading experts with knowledge and insights that can benefit a wide range of sectors, employers and job roles.
We have experience in delivering flexible learning online and face-to-face, using innovative and engaging tools and technology.