About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: B99J12
- Applications: University
- Level: Postgraduate
- Department: Nursing and Midwifery
- Campus: Glenside Campus
- Duration: 36 months part-time
- Delivery: Part-time
- Programme leader: Jackie Younker
Introduction
This flexible course is designed to develop and enhance skills that are required to become an advanced practitioner. It is suitable for experienced health and social care practitioners who are currently functioning as advanced practitioners or who are developing towards this level of autonomous practice.
In developing this course, the Department has collaborated with members from a range of professions with varying roles in organisations including service managers, practitioners and educationalists.
Structure
Content
Modules studied are as follows:
Postgraduate Certificate
| Meeting the Challenge of Advanced Practice (compulsory) | 20 credits |
| Optional modules (two from a varied range of Master's modules) | 40 credits |
Postgraduate Diploma
| Advanced Practice in Context (compulsory) | 20 credits |
| Health and Social Care Research, Methods and Methodologies (compulsory) | 20 credits |
| Optional module (from a varied range of Master's modules) | 20 credits |
MSc Advanced Practice
| Dissertation | 60 credits |
| or | |
| Dissertation and | 40 credits |
| Optional module (from a varied range of Master's modules) | 20 credits |
Core modules
Meeting the Challenge of Advanced Practice/Advanced Practice in Context
These core modules run as an essential thread interwoven throughout the first and second stages of the course and across the full academic year. This approach will permit you to fully engage in action learning in order to challenge existing perspectives and place theoretical knowledge in the context of practice. Through a process of active exploration of issues and challenges within your peer group, you will achieve the aims of the course by reflecting on the self in order to meet the challenge of your own advancing practice and then supportively challenge the context that you are functioning within.
Health and Social Care Research: Methods and Methodology
This core module considers the role of research and evaluates the range of methodologies and strategies adopted in health and social care projects. This module aims to develop your research knowledge in addition to supporting you in your dissertation work. The module may be taken either at Postgraduate Certificate level or Postgraduate Diploma level. Alternatively, you may choose to complete the module prior to a 40 credit dissertation module.
Dissertation
You may choose either to complete an empirical study of 40 credits to support an aspect of your practice, with a further optional 20 credit module in an area of your role requiring development. Alternatively, if you have a particular research interest or are already established in your role, you may wish to develop your own independent learning through a more substantial 60 credit dissertation which will enable you to explore in some depth an aspect relevant to your advanced role.
Optional modules
A range of specialist focused and optional modules have been developed specifically for this course that will help you meet the learning outcomes of the course in full. In particular, the choice offers you the flexibility to prepare you for the range of role changes and equip you with sophisticated negotiation and decision-making skills to manage the service as practice evolves.
Specialist focused optional modules include:
- Occupational Science
- Specialist Midwifery Practice
- Technical Reporting Radiopharmacy
Optional modules include:
- Applied Pharmacology
- Clinical Examination Skills for Advanced Practice
- Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice
- Evidencing Work-based Learning
- Independent Study
- Legal and Ethical Issues and Dilemmas in Health and Social Care
- Policy and Practice
- Biological Principles of Disease Processes
Course delivery
This course is offered on a part-time basis over two to three years.
Year 1
Meeting the Challenge of Advance Practice module will run from October to May. Two further optional modules will be taken (one each semester) to permit the practitioner to complete on the three year part-time course.
Year 2
The Advanced Practice in Context module will run as above from October to May. Two further optional modules will be taken (one each semester) to permit the practitioner to complete a further 60 credits during one academic year. The compulsory Health and Social Care Research: Methods and Methodologies module may be taken in either in Year 1 or 2, with the dissertation being completed towards the end of the calendar year for those students wishing to complete within two years.
Those students wishing to pursue the three year option will complete either a 60 credit dissertation or, depending on how they wish the course to best meet their needs in practice, complete a 40 credit dissertation with a further 20 credit optional module.
Teaching and learning
The course offers a wide range of teaching and learning strategies which are student centred, including action learning sets. The process of action learning allows you to engage fully in exploring challenges and issues relevant to practice in order to challenge existing perspectives and place theoretical knowledge in your own practice context. Other learning strategies include critical evaluation, directed reading, discussion groups, seminars, group work and your own practice.
Study time
This course will enable you to work in a collaborative way to meet strategic health and social care targets. These targets will be met through:
- advancing the boundaries of health and social care through interprofessional leadership and workforce development
- applying the principles of advanced practice to their working context
- demonstrating innovation, enhanced decision-making, problem-solving and change management within advanced practice
- operating within a multi-cultural context that is responsive to health and social care
- engaging and encouraging research, evaluation and systematic reviews of practice
- promotion of life-long learning activities in yours and others development plans
Assessment
A wide range of assessment methods are incorporated into this course, each one appropriate to the nature of the specific module. A module assessment normally comprises the application of theory to the your own practice.
Special Features
Study facilities
The Department is superbly equipped with an extensive range of teaching and learning resources. The Library on the Glenside Campus is one of the best health care libraries in England with a huge selection of books, journals, and audio-visual materials including access to specialist health and social care software packages.
Information technology provision is in the form of multimedia laboratories, smart boards, innovative projects such as 'multicasting' to deliver teaching material and various health and social care databases enabling students to carry out searches of available literature relating to topics of interest.
At the main Frenchay campus there is 24-hour access to computing facilities.
Entry
Entry requirements
Applicants normally have:
- An honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area
- Five years' experience in health and social care
- Evidence that their current level of practice forms a pre-requisite stage required for advanced practice
- Explicit evidence of the ability to practise at, or develop towards, the level required to enable them to reach the aims of the programme
- Evidence of support from practice for the student to develop in, or towards, an advanced practice role.
Fees
Full details of fees for this course can be found on our postgraduate fees pages.
For funding options, please see our funding and scholarships information.
Students will be liable for the payment of tuition fees, which are due in full at registration unless an employer is sponsoring you or you are paying by direct debit.
If you are currently receiving means tested benefits you may be entitled to reduced fees. For further information contact the Student Services team on +44 (0)117 32 82822 or e-mail: hsc.studentadvisers@uwe.ac.uk.
For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit direct.gov website or tel: +44 (0)800 100 900.
How to apply
Please apply online using the link on the right hand side of this page.
If you are an employee of a NHS trust funded by the NHS South West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) you should contact your Trust Coordinator/Manager for an application form.
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011