MSc Advanced Clinical Practice

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner role offers an exciting and innovative way to deliver holistic assessment, treatment and care to individuals across a variety of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare settings including Healthcare in Justice and the Independent sector. As such, these skills are highly sought after by employers across a number of settings.

This course is open to practitioners registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) OR Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

To become an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, the following points should normally be met and the applicant must be in a role that has employer support for clinical placement and time to attend the course with a clinical supervisor/mentor in practice.

The programme will develop your knowledge and skills to work at an advanced level of clinical practice and has been designed around the Health Education England (HEE) Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England.

Year 1 will allow you to develop key aspects of the ACP role, including health assessment and clinical reasoning to provide an evidence-base to your patient consultations. You will review current practice and develop a service improvement initiative, demonstrating leadership and governance skills in line with the four pillars of advanced practice. You will study a total of 60 credits in year 1.

Year 2 will enable you to build on studies in advanced clinical practice and further develop your role in relation to research and workforce development areas. Most students will undertake a prescribing qualification in year 2. Those who hold a current prescribing qualification at level 6, will be able to either submit a claim for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and complete a piece of associated work for level 7 credits or undertake option modules that support practice. You will study a total of 60 credits in year 2.

Prescribing Studies - those needing to pursue a prescribing qualification (V300 or Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing) will undertake specific modules aligned with that qualification. The professional entry requirements laid down by the NMC, HCPC, or GPhC as a prerequisite to the prescribing course must be satisfied. Health service or industry nomination and support by a designated prescribing practitioner/assessor are expected in line with professional standards.

Year 3 Dissertation will enable you to evaluate critically, current research and evidence for advanced healthcare practice and to develop academic skills at a higher level.