Advanced Clinical Practitioner
Award
MSc
Duration & study mode
typically 3 years part time
Additional information
Course starting dates
-
Online with optional face-to-face learning: September
This exciting course provides an opportunity for nurses and allied health professionals to explore the developing role of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
This programme is suitable for those working in the field of Adult or Mental Health who have the ability to adapt and respond to the evolving advanced practitioner role within a variety of clinical settings across specialisms.
Our programme is contemporary and has been mapped to the NHS Education Scotland 4 Pillars of Practice throughout the curriculum. You will explore the key dimensions of Advanced Practice: Clinical Practice, Leadership, Facilitation of Learning, Evidence, Research and Development.
The content of our programme is focused on the development of competencies within the four pillars of advanced practice and therefore you will cover the following areas throughout your studies:
Our Advanced Clinical Practice module is based within your own clinical area and requires 200 hours of advanced practice to be demonstrated.
in UK for Teaching Quality for Nursing (The Times / The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019)
OVERALL STUDENT SATISFACTION iGraduate Survey 2018
The course structure has been designed to build upon learning from previous modules as you progress, which I found helpful. Experienced staff have always been available to offer guidance when I have needed it. I have already recommended the course to a number of my colleagues as it supports patient-centred, safe and clinically effective practice.
Stewart McCorkindale, Advanced Clinical Practitioner student and Senior Nurse, Learning Disabilities and Advanced Nurse Practitioner, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate & Post-experience Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
You should normally hold an Ordinary bachelor's degree in a relevant health or social care-related discipline, or equivalent.
Relevant previous academic credit and/or prior learning may be considered.
If you possess other academic, vocational or professional qualifications deemed to be equivalent then you may also be considered.
You must hold Professional Registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
You should have a minimum of three years’ experience within your field or practice.
You should normally be currently employed as an advanced clinical practitioner or have secured a trainee/seconded position in an advanced clinical practitioner role, in order to complete the assessment requirements of the modules in this course.
You must also have the full-support of your employer and an identified Practice Assessor/Practice Educator in order to be able to undertake this course.
We may be unable to consider applications from those individuals who aspire to work in an advanced clinical practitioner role (ie currently do not work in such a role).
UWS has two versionos of the Independent & Supplementary Prescribing module; one at SCQF Level 9 and the other at SCQF Level 11.
This course uses the SCQF Level 11 version of the module (NURS11153) and it aims to prepare practitioners to be safe independent and/or supplementary prescribers within their scope of clinical competence.
The module has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and will lead to the annotation of an independent/supplementary prescriber on the appropriate professional register.
Delivered via a using a hybrid model of teaching and learning, there is an additional and compulsary, facilitated and supervised work-based learning element within your area of practice.
All applicants must therefore have the support of their employing organisation to undertake the module. Employers must agree to support a total of 84 protected learning hours, in addition to 90 hours of learning in practice.
To satisfy the module requirements, you must have one year’s clinical experience working within the clinical environment where you will be prescribing.
Independent & Supplementary Prescribing Module (Nurs11153) Additional Information (PDF)
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.
General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)
Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see section below for more details).
SOCIAL WORK DEGREES
For our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.
For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:
* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science programmes, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:
* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.
West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*
*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
Our MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner will develop your knowledge and ability to create robust and credible advanced practice skills which impact on health outcomes across the clinical setting. Upon graduation you will become an advanced practitioner who can practice safely and will be aware of advanced practice developments as they occur on a global basis. You will also have the ability to adapt and respond to the evolving practice role within a variety of clinical settings.
The first year of the programme comprises the following core modules:
The second year of the programme consists of the additional following core module:
To complete the second year, you will select one option module. The following modules are an example of what may be offered:
The final stage of your studies is an opportunity to complete the master's dissertation module:
*Independent & Supplementary Prescribing may not be required by certain professional groups (registered with HCPC - Allied Health Professions). In such cases, this module will be replaced by another optional module.
This course uses a hybrid model of delivery and although the majority of the programme will be online, there will be opportunities to attend Lanarkshire Campus.
Our course adheres to educational principles which reflect the expertise of students and accommodate their motivation to learn. This will be achieved through teaching and learning approaches that encourages the autonomous independent learner.
Through innovative assessments strategies, you will be encouraged to reflect on your learning and to share your experience further, providing an opportunity for inter-professional learning within the academic setting.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
ASSESSMENT
Coursework normally includes: essays, case studies, portfolios of written work as well as your dissertation, and our practical assessments will normally include presentations, work-based learning and objective structured clinical examinations.
Our aim is to provide an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating course of study that will prepare you for a successful career as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
The following are a selection of senior clinical and educational roles that you may wish to consider:
Opportunities for further study include PhD, Professional Doctorate and Education Doctorate study.
The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.
In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.
Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:
The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.
Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.
For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.
Please contact the course leader for details of the additional costs associated with this course.
Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.
Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as a postgraduate student.
Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
EU students studying at postgraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at postgraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.
Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.
If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.
Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.
All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.
The first stage of the process is to complete the initial application form. You will then receive a follow-up email with further instructions relating to your application including documents that you will need to forward to support your application, e.g. degree transcripts and certificates etc.
Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.
Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate.
An ATAS certificate may be required for certain taught postgraduate master's degrees for international students at UWS.
For the latest information on ATAS and details of eligibility and how to apply for a certificate check the UK Government's dedicated ATAS web pages.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.