Health And Social Care BTEC Diploma/Certificate

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE BTEC DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE
These courses are designed to give you a firm grounding in Health & Social Care, helping you to learn the skills and abilities required for work or future study in all aspects of care, health or people-centred work. The courses include theory & practical sessions, and work experience placement. They are particularly aimed at students who are interested in a career in this area, including nursing / midwifery, community care, social work, or in teaching. The BTEC National Diploma is equivalent to 3 GCE A levels while the BTEC National Certificate is equivalent to 2 A levels

Are there any special requirements?
You should have a genuine interest in working with people in caring establishments and learning through practical experiences and research, as well as classroom work, and prepared to go on a work experience placement in a H&SC setting.

You must be willing to have a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, as you must have clearance to work with vulnerable people in care settings when on visits or work experience.

What and how will I be studying?
You will have a mixture of classroom-based lessons, group work, practical sessions, group and individual visits, and the chance for independent study. You will also undertake a work experience placement in a H&SC setting. In a typical lesson you will be taught relevant theories and background knowledge, which you will then apply to a real H&SC setting, client group or situation you are researching, whether real or a case study. These courses give you the opportunity to focus upon specific areas that interest you.

How is the Course assessed?
Your work is assessed internally by your teachers and externally moderated by Edexcel.

What skills will I need and be developing during the course?
As BTEC is coursework based you will need to enjoy this type of work. In addition to gaining knowledge about H&SC, you will develop your organisational skills and the ability to work to deadlines, and as part of a team.

Practical application of your knowledge is an important factor on these courses and you will have the opportunity to apply what you have learned to real life settings and situations. You will also have lots of opportunities to develop the research, team working and presentational skills valued by universities and industry.

What units will I be studying?
For both the Certificate and Diploma, students must take the following eight units:

• Effective Communication
  
• Equality, Diversity & Rights in H&SC
  
• Health, Safety & Security
  
• Development through the Life Stages
  
• Anatomy & Physiology for H&SC
  
• Professional & Personal Development in H&SC (work experience)
  
• Sociological Perspectives for H&SC
  
• Psychological Perspectives for H&SC
  

For the Certificate, you must also study 4 specialist units. Diploma students must study 10 specialist units. We have a choice of 31 different specialist units and will select from them based on staff expertise and which are most appropriate for students' needs & interests. This will ensure the course is varied and interesting.

You will learn and use a variety of transferable skills throughout the course. These include collecting, analysing and interpreting data, communicating your findings in different ways, and identifying and developing the links between different parts of the subject. You will also have the opportunity to go into various care and health settings locally to investigate topics for yourself, apply what you have learned in class, and find information for your coursework.

What career opportunities are there?
BTEC Health & Social Care combines well with all AS and A level subjects, and students choices regarding what other subjects to take will depend on their interests and future career aims.

Candidates considering a degree in nursing or midwifery sometimes opt to take a science-based A level. With one of a range of National Curriculum subjects at A level, it supports applications for Teacher Training or Social Work. Health & Social Care provides the basis for a broad range of University courses, whether in Social Science, Education, Health Studies or other subjects. The variety of units studied provides students with a wide range of experiences and abilities, suitable for many different subjects.

You may choose to use your qualifications to go straight into employment, rather than go on to higher education. Because BTEC H&SC helps you to develop the transferable skills and key skills that employers are looking for, this course can lead to a very wide range of employment opportunities including further training in such areas as social work and caring as well as many other areas of work, particularly those which involve working with people.

...and what else?
There are no exams in these qualifications. There will be a wide variety of activities throughout the two years in order for students to gain an understanding of what working in H&SC is really like.