Join our Postgraduate Open Day - Wednesday 20 March

Register now

Advanced Clinical Practice MSc/PGDip/PGCert

Start date
January 2024 and September 2024
Duration
Part-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees

2023/24: £10,170

2024/25: £10,530
More details on fees and funding


This course is also available as part of a Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship

This programme offers you the opportunity to advance your practice through the selection of modules designed to enhance your ability to undertake roles within advanced practice. Invaluable to your career progression, it will enable you to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed, patient-centred clinical practice.

Scholarships for 2024 entry

The University of Birmingham is proud to offer a range of scholarships for our postgraduate programmes. With a scholarship pot worth over £2 million, we are committed to alleviating financial barriers to support you in taking your next steps.

Each scholarship has its own specific deadlines and eligibility criteria. Please familiarise yourself with the information on individual scholarship webpages prior to submitting an application.

Explore our scholarships

This programme is accredited by the Centre for Advancing Practice.

The Centre for Advancing Practice Accredited Course

Health Education England’s Centre for Advancing Practice has been established to standardise post-registration education by accrediting advanced practice courses that achieve the standards outlined in the multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework.

Practitioners who have completed accredited education programmes will be eligible to be listed on the Centre’s Advanced Practice Directory. Programme accreditation from the Centre for Advancing Practice will bring a new level of consistency to the workforce and help showcase advanced practice within health and social care.

 

Our aim at the University of Birmingham is to support practitioners registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to develop the practical knowledge and theoretical understanding required to undertake advanced clinical practice roles across the healthcare sector.

Aligned to the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England, the programme has been developed to extend learner’s competence to advanced clinical practice level with the support of theoretical and experiential learning; with high quality, research-informed, person-centred care at its heart.

As a student on the programme, you will benefit from the flexibility of choosing from a range of specialist clinical modules delivered within the School of Nursing and Midwifery and across the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. There is also the opportunity to further your knowledge in the Leadership and Management, Education, and Research pillars through the selection of further optional modules in year two to meet your specific developmental needs.

Exit awards available are:

  • PGCert Advanced Clinical Health Assessment and Decision Making
  • PGDip Advancing Clinical Practice
  • MSc Advanced Clinical Practice

Why study this course?

This HEE Accredited MSc Advanced Clinical Practice programme facilitates the development of highly skilled registered allied health professionals, nurses and midwives to enable the delivery of clinical practice to an advanced level within a variety of clinical specialities and practice areas. With a clear focus on the four pillars of advanced clinical practice, this innovative course has been designed in collaboration with service users, healthcare professionals and employers. It meets the challenges encountered by current healthcare services and providers by preparing dynamic and reflective practitioners to ensure effective delivery of care for patients with increasingly complex needs. Drawing upon theory, research and clinical experiences the programme will enable learners to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice.

Why study this course at Birmingham?

  • The programme is aligned to the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England, with core modules in year one exploring the four pillars of advanced clinical practice.
  • Invaluable to your career progression, this programme will enable you to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice.
  • Learning in year two permits a greater level of flexibility according to individual module selection, with modules including Independent Prescribing (subject to professional regulations) and a range of specialist clinical modules delivered within the School of Nursing and Midwifery and across the wider College of Medical and Dental Sciences.
  • The final year research project will allow you to undertake a service evaluation within your own clinical practice area. You will then disseminate your findings through a report prepared for publication and a clinical poster presentation.
  • You will have the opportunity to work collaboratively and network in a multi-professional learning environment with experienced practitioners, academic and teaching staff from a wide range of clinical specialities and practice areas.
  • The flexible mode of delivery will suit you and your employer needs through a blend of online and on-campus delivery.

List of skills

  • Reflection within Advanced Practice
  • Advanced Clinical examination skills
  • Clinical reasoning and investigations
  • Specialist knowledge development
  • Independent prescribing Certification
  • Creating and applying evidence, research skills

Modules

You will have the opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours through the selection of modules designed to enhance your ability to take on key clinical roles within organisations. The clinically focused course integrates core modules, including Advanced Physical Health Assessment, Advanced Clinical Decision Making, and The Reflective Advanced Practitioner, with the opportunity to undertake the independent prescribing route in year two or alternatively, a clinical/research route. Within both routes, there is the opportunity to choose a specialty specific module to meet your individual work-based requirements. Enhanced understanding of Anatomy and Physiology (through the use of our prosectorium), the development of understanding in anatomy and physiology (enhanced through the use of our prosectorium), pathophysiology, pharmacology and advanced health assessment skills, along with associated work-based learning experiences, facilitates effective clinical reasoning and evidence-based decision making within practice.

Core modules

  • Advanced Physical Health Assessment* (20 credits)- NB: Students will need to undertake supervised clinical practice
  • Advanced Clinical Decision Making* (20 credits) 
  • The Reflective Advanced Practitioner (20 credits)
  • Advanced Practice Research Project (40 credits)
  • Creating and Appling Evidence* (20 credits)

Route 1: Prescribing route

Incorporates the Practice Certificate in Independent Prescribing (for students eligible to undertake independent prescribing qualification). Students must complete and pass both to record their prescribing qualifications with their regulatory body.

  • Prescribing: scientific principles and safe practice (20 credits)
  • Prescribing: safe effective practice (20 credits)

Please note: Students will need to undertake 90 hours of supervised clinical practice relating to prescribing practice over the duration of these modules.

Route 2: Research or clinical route

You will choose a further two option modules from within the School of Nursing and Midwifery or the wider College of Medicine and Dental Sciences in line with your clinical specialist area of practice or role development requirements.

Options modules can include:

*These modules are available on a stand-alone basis.

All students taking the MSc must complete the dissertation module and carry out an independent research project.

Final year students have produced fundamental service evaluations whilst receiving close academic supervision and support. Some examples include Sickle Cell Anaemia, pain assessment and administration; MRI Imaging and Early intervention within Metastatic disease; Frailty, and the management of co-morbidities.

You are required to complete supervised practice within your clinical area with the support of practice supervisors and assessors and maintain a clinical portfolio reflecting the four pillars of advanced clinical practice.

During clinically focused hours, you will be under direct and/or indirect supervision by your allocated practice supervisor or assessor to facilitate the completion of competency-based assessments and the development of a comprehensive evidence-based portfolio. This will demonstrate developing competence across the four pillars of practice throughout the three years of the programme. You are encouraged to engage with specialty specific competencies from your respective Royal Colleges or Specialty Societies to supplement your portfolio development during the duration of the course.

Read more about the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England

Fees

Home

MSc:

UK 2023/24: £10,170

UK 2024/25: £10,530

International

This programme is not available for international students. Please see our MSc Advanced Practice in Healthcare programme which has been designed with international students in mind.

How To Apply

Application deadlines

The deadline for applications is 2 December 2022 for the January 2023 intake, and 31 August 2023 for the September 2023 intake.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

Typical entry requirements:

  • Current registration with one of the statutory regulators of health and care professions i.e. NMC or HCPC or GPhC
  • At least 36 months of clinical experience post qualification
  • You should normally hold an honours degree in your clinical field of practice. If you do not hold a degree, please contact us before applying to discuss your suitability for the programme.
  • You will need to demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development that shows an ability to study at Masters level.

All routes require current registration with the NMC, HCPC or GPhC and full support from your employing organisation to facilitate the requirements of the clinical supervision. You will also be asked to complete an educational audit form for your clinical practice area, along with a practice assessor nomination form during the application process.

Please note: the ability to offer the independent prescribing route is subject to professional regulator approval. For this route, you will need to provide evidence of current professional registration and current DBS clearance.

International students:

This course is not available for international students. The MSc Advanced Practice in Healthcare programme is offered within the School of Nursing and Midwifery designed with international students in mind.

Please note: this programme does not offer a route to NMC, HCPC or GPhC registration/employment in the UK.

International Requirements


As a Birmingham student, you will learn from world-leading experts, as well as your clinical peers. From the outset you will be encouraged to become an independent and self-motivated learner. We want you to be challenged and will encourage you to think for yourself within your professional role, essential for advancing your clinical practice.

The modules within the programme are delivered differently. On-campus learning in year one is delivered across two-day blocks, every two weeks to a fixed schedule enabling work commitments to be balanced. Learning in year two permits a greater level of flexibility according to individual module selection, with modules including Independent Prescribing (subject to professional regulations) and a range of specialist clinical modules delivered within the School of Nursing and Midwifery and across the wider College of Medical and Dental Sciences.

Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, self-directed learning, and assignment preparation.

There is an on-line portfolio that exists across all three years and a requirement for tri-partite meetings with your nominated practice supervisor and assessor.

You will participate in a range of teaching styles such as lectures, eLectures, small group tutorials, presentations, peer group learning, self-study etc.

Lectures are delivered by subject specialists, NHS clinicians, service users and carers. Many of the lectures are from visiting experts who practice and/or research in their specific field. The course is academic in nature and you are expected to use the delivered content as a springboard for further self-study. All programme presentations and materials are available on Canvas (the University’s on-line learning platform) for follow up after lectures.

You will have access to a comprehensive support system that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors and welfare tutors who can help with both academic and welfare issues.

Programme Administrator:
acp@contacts.bham.ac.uk 

Programme Lead:
Jason Pritchard
j.pritchard.3@bham.ac.uk  

Assessment Methods

The programme has a variety of assessment styles including written assignments, oral presentations, Clinical Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, and written examinations. The research project follows the protocol for a service evaluation that will be linked to leading change in your field of practice. It will be supervised by an academic related to your professional field of practice or speciality within the University and supported by a series of lectures and online resources. You will be expected to maintain a portfolio of evidence reflecting your developing competency in the four pillars of advanced clinical practice throughout the course.

This programme is aimed at multi-professionals from a variety of clinical settings who want to develop their research and leadership skills and clinical expertise at Masters level. This programme will be of interest to those wishing to work at advanced levels of practice or those who are currently working as specialist practitioners in bespoke clinical areas.