Professional Practice: Cardiac Care Pathway BSc (Hons) Top Up

The BSc (Hons) Professional Practice Degree Cardiac Care Pathway is a top up degree for health care professionals who hold Diploma level qualifications who wish to achieve a higher educational award of a degree. It is open to a variety of healthcare professionals including nurses from a variety of specialities, health visitors, midwives, paramedics, and operating department practitioners. This programme satisfies the QAA Subject Benchmark statements – Health Care Programmes (QAA 2001).

This course meets the demands of the busy healthcare professional by offering part time study in which six modules are studied over a maximum period of five years, two of which are more specialised for those with an interest in cardiac conditions. Modules are studied face to face, blended or online. The programme aims to provide a mix of theoretical and clinical modules that are relevant to current professional clinical practice and the changing context of healthcare delivery.

Students can study between one and six modules, which offers a flexible approach to learning which can gain credit leading to 20 CATs points for a single standalone module to six modules for the full award: 120CATs. These choices support the organisational needs of the employer and the individual.

The cardiac care pathway is designed to enable students to deliver patient care and management related to a range of cardiac conditions in a variety of settings. Developments in technology and government policy generate a need to equip nurses and other health care practitioners with sound evidenced-based knowledge and skills to meet the changing demands of caring for the cardiac patient. This pathway gives students the opportunity to explore the advances in cardiac care to enable them to implement evidence based patient care in line with ongoing government agendas. ECG interpretation skills, along with application to patient care, will form an integral part of the pathway in requirement of the NHS knowledge and skills framework (DH 2004). In addition to the diagnosis and management of acute cardiac conditions, the pathway provides the student with the opportunity to explore the longer term implications of coronary heart disease, along with other developing services such as arrhythmia management and caring for adults with congenital heart disease. As the care and supporting services for cardiac patients continue to expand, the concept of delivering cardiac care needs to develop accordingly. The cardiac care pathway has been developed in response to this need and is designed to evaluate national guidelines that support the management of cardiac disease, and reflect on current practice to enhance care delivery in a variety of settings.

Mandatory modules

334CPD Acute cardiac management

397CPD Enhancing the delivery of cardiac care

300CPD Research and evidence based practice

301CPD Reviewing research for professional practice

Choose four option modules from:

306CPD Leadership and change in public service management

308CPD Mentoring and assessing in health care settings

338CPD Critical care transfers

345CPD Pain management

353CPD Work related study

359CPD Health assessment

386CPD Non medical prescribing degree 1

387CPD Non medical prescribing degree 2

392CPD End of life care

394CPD Smoking Cessation

395CPD Stroke care

This course can be studied part time.

There are a combination of teaching methods used including workshops, and seminars.

The course is supported by the University’s online learning space called Moodle. Here materials and resources are posted for students to read and prepare for sessions.

This course uses a wide variety of assessment styles including traditional essay based course work and exams, but also some practical based assessments may be required in some modules. This will be dependent upon the modules chosen from the options. To find out about the different modules you can contact the module leaders or look at the module descriptors.

This course uses a wide variety of teaching styles. Some modules may have 30 hours contact time and others may have blended learning consisting of online time and tutor contact times, some may solely be online. This will be dependent upon the modules chosen from the options. To find out about the different modules you can contact the module leaders or look at the module descriptors.

To apply for this course and to download our full course prospectus, please see the information about the Continuing Professional Development courses run by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

The benefits to you are:

• achievement of academic credit towards a named award of BSc Professional Practice, Cardiac Care Pathway;
• access to learning from subject and clinical experts;
• opportunity to network with a range of students who work with cardiac patients;
• ability to achieve developed critical thinking and clinical decision making skills;
• achievement of clinical competence in working with people with cardiac conditions;
• improved job satisfaction.

The benefits to your employer are:

• achievement of clinical competence in working with cardiac patients;
• enhanced ability to challenge practice and embed relevant evidence base to support quality care;
• enhanced ability to innovate and lead clinical practice derived from current policy initiatives;
• increased commitment to achieving and leading quality care service delivery.