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Advanced Clinical Practice MSc/PGDip

Learn about the course below
Code
Nursing: PGB70D / PGB71C
Midwifery: PGB72C / PGB70E
Mental health: PGB76G / PGB7MC
Primary Care Nursing: PGB7PC / PGB7PD
Start
January 2024
Duration
2 years part-time (PGDip)
3 years part-time (MSc)
Up to 60 credits of RPL
Attendance
Part-time
Fees
£63 per credit (UK) *
Course leader
Nursing: Tina Moore
Midwifery: Anabel Halawi
Mental health: Alfonso Pezella
Primary Care Nursing: Tina Moore

Our Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) degree will enable you as an experienced practitioner working at an advanced level to meet the nationally agreed advanced clinical practice criteria. This will include the four pillars of advanced practice (clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research) in order to further develop your role as an advanced clinical practitioner.

Why study MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice at Middlesex University?

The core focus of the programme is the recognition of and building on previously acquired knowledge and skills, combined with workplace learning and supplemented with virtual live and on-demand pre-recorded modules. Key to the programme is the relationship between the trainee, your clinical supervisor and your University tutor.

This course has been designed with four main pathways depending on your experience and chosen career path. You can graduate with any of the following titles:

  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Nursing)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Midwifery)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Mental Health)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Primary Care Nursing)

Whether studying for a PG Diploma or an master's degree, you will benefit from our pre-programme consultation and advice which continues throughout the course. You'll also benefit from our unique personal tutoring system which takes a proactive approach and echoes the values of ‘building success for all’, helping you to reach your potential as a qualified advanced clinical practitioner.

As an experienced practitioner working at an advanced level, we know that you have the makings of an advanced clinical practitioner having already gained academic qualifications and experience. Our job is to capture that past learning, to work with you and your clinical supervisor to build on your experience by identifying work-place learning opportunities.

Course highlights

  • Recognition of prior learning wherever that takes place
  • Focus on work place learning
  • Pre-course consultation and advice
  • Tripartite reviews: clinical supervisor, practitioner, university tutor
  • Clinical supervisor preparation and on-going support

Find out more

Sign up now to receive more information about studying at Middlesex University London.

What will you study on MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice?

You’ll work alongside your clinical supervisor and personal tutor to follow an initial self- assessment of capabilities and design a unique programme of university study and workplace learning. This personalised approach to learning will enable you to demonstrate the capabilities within the ACP domains of advanced practice, education, research and management and leadership.

We have four different specialisms for this course depending on your area of interest:

  • MSC/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Nursing)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Midwifery)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Mental Health)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Primary Care Nursing)

ACP capabilities within each domain will be demonstrated in the workplace or university and then documented through a series of reflective narrative accounts supplemented with appropriate evidence in a portfolio. You’ll do this as part of the module entitled Capabilities of Advanced Clinical Practice which is one of two core modules in the programme. The second is Advanced Practitioner Enquiry – this aligns with the capabilities within the research domain.

What will you gain?

On successful completion of the MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice programme, you’ll be entitled to the professional title of Advanced Clinical Practitioner having demonstrated capabilities with the four domains of ACP practice. Successful practitioners will have acquired a range of advanced level skills which will offer you further career progression and/or progress to masters or doctoral level studies.

You’ll have developed skills required to share your advanced knowledge and expertise across the local, national and international arena and to act as supervisors of other advance practitioners.

You will also build a reputation for yourself, act as a role model and be known as an expert within your field of nursing/midwifery.

Modules

  • Modules

    • Capabilities for Advanced Clinical Practice (30 credits) - Compulsory

      Advanced clinical practice is delivered by experienced, registered health and care practitioners. It is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making. This is underpinned by a master’s level award or equivalent that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research, with demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competence.

      Advanced clinical practice embodies the ability to manage clinical care in partnership with individuals, families and carers. It includes the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings, enabling innovative solutions to enhance people’s experience and improve outcomes.  
      (Health Education England, 2017).

      This module provides an opportunity for those working in an advanced level of practice to integrate, synthesise, and demonstrate the application of knowledge around an area of specialism through clinical case presentation in the workplace.

      In addition, you will be supported in demonstrating through a reflective and systematic way, your journey in developing and advancing the capabilities that are required for Advanced clinical practice as outlined by the Practice Standards Framework (Health Education England and Royal College of General Practitioners). This will be demonstrated through a portfolio of evidence

    • Advanced Work Based Project (60 credits)

      This module is a culmination of your Masters study and provides the opportunity to synthesise professional and academic learning. It will support you to undertake a substantial work based project that is designed to develop your own professional practice and address a practice, organisational or service issue that you have already identified in your workplace or professional field. Building on your understanding of advanced practitioner inquiry methodologies, you will be encouraged to consider improvement and leadership strategies to support the successful management of your project with the potential to deliver real outcomes that can transform practice.

    • Advanced Practitioner Inquiry (30 credits)

      This module is designed to develop your understanding of a range of advanced inquiry and research methodologies appropriate for practitioners, in order to design a real work based project or practice development activity that has clear objectives related to your own professional development or the development of practice in your setting. you will be expected to focus on specific service, organisational or practice related issues and take initiative and leadership. It will explore approaches to advanced practitioner inquiry and innovative research methods appropriate for your area of practice. It will enable critical reflection upon your position as a ‘practitioner or insider researcher’ and the ethical implications that could arise during the project.

    • Capabilities of Advanced Clinical Practice (30 credits)

      Advanced clinical practice is delivered by experienced, registered health and care practitioners. It is a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making. This is underpinned by a master’s level award or equivalent that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research, with demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competence. (Health Education England, 2017).

      Advanced clinical practice embodies the ability to manage clinical care in partnership with individuals, families and carers. It includes the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings, enabling innovative solutions to enhance people’s experience and improve outcomes. (Health Education England, 2017).

      This module provides an opportunity for those working in an advanced level of practice to integrate, synthesise, and demonstrate the application of knowledge around an area of specialism through clinical case presentation in the workplace.

      In addition, this module will facilitate and support the student in demonstrating through a reflective and systematic way, their journey in developing and advancing the capabilities that are required for Advanced clinical practice as outlined by the Practice Standards Framework (Health Education England and Royal College of General Practitioners). This will be demonstrated through a portfolio of evidence.

    • Advanced Practitioner Enquiry (30 credits) - Compulsory

      This module is designed to develop your understanding in a range of advanced inquiry methodologies appropriate for practitioners, in order to design a real work based project that has clear objectives to related to your own professional development or the development of practice in your setting. You will be expected to focus on specific service, organisational or practice related issues and take initiative and leadership. You will explore approaches to advanced practitioner inquiry and innovative methods appropriate for your area of practice. You will be able to critically reflect upon your position as a ‘practitioner or insider researcher’ and the ethical implications that could arise during the project.

    • Advanced Work Based Project (MSc pathway only) (60 credits) - Compulsory

      This module is the culmination of your master's study and provides the opportunity to synthesise professional and academic learning. You will be supported to undertake a substantial work-based project that is designed to develop your own professional practice and address a practice, organisational or service issue that you have already identified in your workplace or professional field.

      Building on your understanding of advanced practitioner inquiry methodologies, you will be encouraged to consider improvement and leadership strategies to support the successful management of your project and to deliver real outcomes that have the potential to transform practice.

  • Year 2

    • Capabilities for Advanced Clinical Practice (30 credits) - Compulsory

      MODULE DESCRIPTIONS COMING SOON

  • Year 3

More information about this course

See the course specification for more information about typical course content outside of the coronavirus outbreak:

Optional modules are not offered on every course. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.

How is the MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice taught?

You will be taught used a student centred approach. This is designed to support and develop mastery of  knowledge and understanding of your area of professional practice. There are a variety of teaching and learning strategies used within this programme, all of which are designed to support you and to allow you to have equal and equitable opportunities to optimise your potential, support, independence and autonomy of learning  and facilitate your development as Advanced Clinical Practitioner.

Stimulating and innovative learning opportunities will be available whether within the University, online or in your workplace. Learning will be supported and facilitated by the programme leader, module leaders, clinical supervisor and personal tutor.

Assessment

Your skills and knowledge are assessed by the use of a variety of methods, which are informed by the University and School Assessment Strategies together with the HEE/RCGP ACP capabilities.

Assessment methods may vary according to the type and focus of the module which may include: Reflection on practice, oral presentations of case studies, presentations, portfolios, OSCEs, reports, clinical audits/evaluation, research/project proposal.

  1. UK
  2. International
  3. How to apply
  1. UK
  2. Additional costs

How can the MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice support your career?

On successful completion of the MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice programme, you’ll be entitled to the professional title of Advanced Clinical Practitioner having demonstrated capabilities with the four domains of ACP practice within your specialism.

You will be able to practice as an ACP within a job role which will have been identified by your employer and as such, you will be the right person, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time (HEE, 2017).

We have four different specialisms available for this course:

  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Nursing)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Midwifery)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Mental Health)
  • MSc/PGDip Advanced Clinical Practice (Primary Care Nursing)

Anabel Halawi
Senior Lecturer in Midwifery

Anabel has experience of teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Past experience includes working in several Trusts as a midwife for 20 years and being the team leader for a vulnerable womans team.

Tina Moore
Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing

Tina has a breadth and depth of experiences teaching nurses both pre- and post-registration. She also works for the NHS as a clinical advisor.

Alfonso Pezzella
Senior Lecturer in Mental Health

Alfonso teaches on a variety of topics including research methods, SPSS, mental health, LGBTQ+ issues and transcultural issues in health.


We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.

Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.

Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.

At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.

Other courses

Nursing Studies MSc / Nursing Studies (Top-up) MSc

Start: September 2024

Duration: 2-3 (max 5) years part-time

Code: PGB70Y

Mental Health Studies MSc/PGDip / Healthcare Studies PGCert

Start: September 2024

Duration: 2 years part-time

Code: MSc: PGB76B, PGB71C

Nursing Studies MSc / Nursing Studies (Top-up) MSc

Start: September 2024

Duration: 2-3 (max 5) years part-time

Code: PGB70Y

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