AS/A2 Health and Social Care

AS / A2 HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE (Applied)

Exam Board: AQA
Are you thinking about a career working with people eg nursing/midwifery, radiography, dietetics, speech therapy or occupational therapy, teaching, social work or the police? If so Health & Social Care is a really relevant and enjoyable subject. The course will help you learn how we care for and communicate with people, respecting their differences, disabilities and cultures. You will be able to investigate job roles in the caring professions, look at current issues in Health and Care, and carry out a piece of independent research on a Health-related subject of your choice.

Here at Paston Health & Social Care is taught by teachers who are also qualified and experienced in the field and so bring their real-life experiences to your learning. We are a very successful department, consistently achieving results above the National average. Particularly important is the two-week placement which you do in a Health or Social Care environment of your choice. This allows you to practise the skills that you have learned and may also help you to plan your future career. Some students go on a residential placement providing holiday care for adults with physical and/or learning difficulties, others work with children.

I would definitely recommend the Health & Social Care course at Paston. I didnt want to leave. Former student now studying for a degree in social work at Southampton University.

I loved my placement, getting to know the children really well and seeing them develop as I watched. Former student now studying for a degree in Education at Edgehill College, Liverpool in order to become a primary school teacher.

Students say they work hard on the course but enjoy it and would recommend it to other students. Students go on to university to study a wide range of degrees relating to Health & Social Care professions, others go directly into jobs such as care work where they can do further training.

This course goes well with Psychology, Sociology or Biology, where there are overlaps in what you learn, but last year was combined successfully with a wide range of other subjects.

AS Health & Social Care

In AS Health & Social Care you will learn:

What is a good quality of life, what are the skills and techniques which enable us to treat people well?
What are communication skills and how we use them? This involves more practical work practising these with fellow students.
What are Health, Illness and Disease?

You will carry out some research into peoples understanding of and attitudes to Health, investigate health screening tests such as blood tests and smear tests and look at the immunisation debate about MMR.

Assessment

One short-answer examination and two pieces of coursework involving research, analysis, evaluation and making a presentation.

Entry requirements

At least a C in GCSE English Language in addition to the Colleges entry requirement for AS study, No previous study of this subject required.

A2 Health & Social Care

In A2 you build on the knowledge and skills gained at AS and you will study:

Two different job roles and assess your suitability for them. You will compile a CV, write a personal statement, and apply for jobs or university courses as part of your course.
How we diagnose ill health and investigate the treatments available for specific disorders.
Research methods used in Health & Social Care and be assisted to undertake an individual research project of your choice.


Assessment One short-answer examination and two pieces of coursework.