MSc
Advanced
Clinical Practice

• The course features a programme structure based on a 50% theory and 50% practice divide in programme hours
• Assessment of practice learning through a portfolio of evidence allows the student to demonstrate their progression in practice

The programme aims to enable experienced professionals to:

• develop a systematic and critical knowledge and understanding of their specialist field of practice
• develop a critical awareness of current problems, gaining new insights at the forefront of their area of advanced practice that enable further strategic development of practice and practice knowledge
• enable practitioners to inform, enhance and develop their competency within their field of practice
• demonstrate advanced scholarship in their subject area through the planning and execution of level 7 enquiry

Having studied 60 credits in year one, students may exit with a Postgraduate Certificate. Year one comprises Clinical Assessment in Advanced Practice and Non-Medical Prescribing OR Clinical Assessment in Advanced Practice, Clinical Pharmacology for Advanced Practice and a negotiated/optional module (for non-prescribing practitioners) for the Advanced Clinical Practice generic route.

For the Therapies route students will study; Assessment And Intervention, Clinical Evaluation and either Clinical Pharmacology for Advanced Practice or a negotiated/optional module.

Students wishing to exit with a Postgraduate Diploma will have studied 120 credits, and will have completed 60 credits in year one plus 60 credits from year two. All students will have studied Research Methods and Advancing Clinical Practice plus either a negotiated module or an optional module. In this way, students will have a structured approach that meets their professional needs, but which allows shared learning across disciplines to take place. As the students are practitioners working in a multi-professional environment in clinical practice, this framework of common elements with the opportunity for optional modules builds on multi-professional learning, but promotes the development of the students’ professional practice within their own speciality.

In year three all students will study the Dissertation. This is a module that is core to all health masters programmes and which allows a variety of approaches to the final project. Within the advanced practice curriculum, it is expected that students will direct their enquiry to a topic important to them as practitioners, and to which they will bring a level of enquiry that demonstrates, and is related to, their position as an advanced practitioner.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.

To be accepted on to the programme candidates must:

• Hold current registration with a professional statutory body pertaining to their area of advanced practice.
• Hold a degree in a discipline cognate to their professional qualification or hold a non-graduate qualification which the university has deemed to be of satisfactory standard for the purpose of postgraduate admission. Candidates without a full honours degree at 2:2 and above will be required to submit a 1,500 word essay on a topic chosen by the admissions team as part of the induction process. This will be assessed using the level 6 academic criteria (Appendix I) and must demonstrate achievement at 50% or above for successful admission to the programme. Alternatively, recent successful completion of an appropriate level 6 module such as Research Methods, Non-Medical Prescribing at level 6 or Preparing for Master’s Level Study will allow admission to the programme, subject to programme team agreement.
• Have a minimum of two years full time equivalent post-registration clinical experience.
• Be employed in a clinical role with a high level of autonomy or Be able to secure a placement to the above for a minimum of two days per week or Be in a Trainee Advanced Practitioner role.
• Have a Designated Supervising Medical Practitioner (DSMP) (for those students undertaking Non-Medical Prescribing and Clinical Assessment in Advanced Practice modules) and have mentorship support during their practice placement from their employing organisation.

N.B. If undertaking Non-Medical Prescribing, further admissions criteria apply which will supersede those above (contact the programme lead for further information). If undertaking Mentorship in Practice or Learning and Teaching in Practice, students must satisfy the pre-requisites for these modules (contact the programme lead for further information). Students without a first degree who are accepted to the programme will be able to take the Non-Medical Prescribing module(where eligible) but may only take this at level 6 (in accordance with Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements).

Advanced clinical practice students will be assessed in a variety of ways. The balance between the different forms of assessment is determined by the different aims and learning outcomes of the modules.

Assessment methods include academic assignments, case studies, poster presentations and examinations.  As the programme is concerned with learning in practice, all students have a clinical portfolio which is completed as they progress through the modules. All students are required to have a DSMP and a mentor in order to support learning and assessment in practice.

On successful completion of the Advanced Clinical Practice/Advanced Clinical Practice (Therapies) course, students will be eligible to apply for advanced practice roles in a variety of settings, and in Wales, students will be eligible to use the title ‘Advanced’ on completion of the MSc. As it is validated by the relevant PSRBs, on completion of the Non-Medical Prescribing module, students will be able to record this qualification with their professional body (NMC, HCPC, GPhC).

The fees you pay and the support available may depend on a number of different factors. Full information can be found on
our fees & finance pages.

Please contact the programme leader Joanne Pike to discuss the possibility of accessing Welsh Government Funding for this programme.

You can see the full programme specification here.