Course description
Programme description
- Tuition from leading experts.
- Seminars and lectures given by leaders in healthcare from around the world.
- A multi-faculty environment providing interprofessional learning.
Options include:
- Advanced assessment skills
- Prescribing (for eligible practitioners)
- Clinical specialities
- Teaching and learning in practice
- Leadership
- Health policy and NHS reform
A maximum of two advanced or specialist practice portfolios can be used to demonstrate learning from other sources, for example individual study days or in-service training. Students may elect to follow pathways which focus on particular specialisms or cognate areas.
For some of these pathways, completion of a practice portfolio can be used to demonstrate eligibility to register advanced or specialist practitioner status with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (subject to ratification by the NMC). Availibility of a particular pathway is subject to sufficient numbers of students electing to take the compulsory modules on that pathway and cannot be guaranteed in each year.
Students who focus on other clinical specialities in selecting their options and assignment topics may apply to add that speciality to the award title (eg advanced practice - intermediate care).
Pathways
Cancer Care, Cardiac Care, Case Manager/Community Matron, Child Health, Critical Care, Diabetes Care, Education, Gastrointestinal Nursing, Leadership, Midwifery, Neuroscience Care, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Public Health Nursing (Health Visitor, School Nursing), Women’s Health Care.
Programme format and assessment
This programme is part-time with taught sessions comprising a mixture of one day per week attendance and study blocks, although students may elect to study more intensively. Students select from courses rated at 15 or 30 credits. Students may elect to undertake one or more practice portfolios (15 credits each) where practice accounts are used to demonstrate specialist or advanced practice.
Programme modules for MSc, PG Dip, PG Cert Advanced Practice
Advanced Assessment for Primary Healthcare Nursing
The aim of this course is to enable experienced primary healthcare practitioners to acquire advanced understanding, knowledge and skills in identifying and defining complex patient/client/family needs through the use of clinical decision making. Assessment is by seen examination and a portfolio of practice assessment. Practitioners undertaking this module must be working in a clinical area where they are able to practise clinical examination and history taking and where they are able to identify a medical or advanced health care practitioner who can provide supervision in practice.
Advanced Assessment Skills
This course combines skills development with theoretical and guided study to provide knowledge and skills for higher level clinical practice. Learning is facilitated through skills based workshops with demonstration followed by practice of history taking and clinical examination, lectures followed by discussion, and guided self study.
Developing Cancer Nursing Practice
This course aims to facilitate the personal and professional development of cancer nurses engaged in advancing cancer nursing practice and cancer care service delivery. The aim is to equip practitioners to work effectively within their organisational structure and to critically analyse the scope of their current role. Drawing upon their practice, participants will critically consider the contribution that nurses make to the organisation and delivery of evidence-based cancer care, generation of nursing knowledge and the social and political context of cancer care practice. Practitioners will be exposed to the policy and practice context of inter professional working, in order to explore issues that facilitate and constrain inter-professional work and develop skills to promote effective inter-professional working. The course centres on the evaluation of cancer nursing practice, key professional social and political influences and working strategically within organisations. This focus underpinned by support for the personal development and learning of individual practitioners on the course. To facilitate this practitioners will have access to a Coach (a senior Health or Care Practitioner). The Coach will facilitate the practitioners learning within their practice or service context and will enable them to identify their individual learning needs to achieve the course outcomes.
Dissertation (Healthcare)
Project work continues for 12 months, with 30 days assigned for contact with academic staff. Additional time is needed for data collection during the course of the students work. The relevant interests and expertise of both students and supervisors determine the nature of projects. Careful design and measurement is emphasised. In addition to individual supervision, regular seminars and tutorials are offered to encourage and support students and these sessions are used by the students to present ideas for their projects and to facilitate discussion of problems encountered. A report of no more than 20,000 words must be submitted. It should include critical evaluation of the existing literature in the area and an appropriate presentation of the students work. Sucessful completion of taught MSc elements (postgraduate diploma) is a pre-requisite for this module.
Evidence-based Decision Making in Healthcare
This course aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge required to identify best evidence for your practice. It focuses on searching for, appraising and synthesising evidence from health care research. You are introduced to a range of electronic databases for accessing evidence and the principles of systematic review. Learning is facilitated through lectures, workshops and a student-directed search for evidence to address a question emerging from your own practice. Issues surrounding research implementation and evidence at the level of the individual practitioner and the health care organisation are addressed. Assessment is by means of a review of literature which answers a focussed question utilising explicit methods.
Health Care Research
Research related to health care is reviewed using a problem-solving approach. Stages in the research process are discussed. Topics include identifying a research question, defining an area of investigation, planning and justifying research activities and ethical considerations. A wide range of research methods are studied, including descriptive, experimental and evaluative techniques. Advantages and disadvantages of qualitative and quantitative, and inductive and deductive approaches are debated and principles of measurement and scale construction are addressed in conjunction with appropriate approaches to data analysis. You will be introduced to the use of computers in data analysis and are given an opportunity to gain hands-on experience. Runs on one whole day per week from January to March.
Issues in the Conduct of Healthcare Research
This course aims to raise awareness of issues that arise inthe conduct of research, from writing research proposals to the publication of findings. It will be useful for students embarking on a research or service development project, for new researchers wishing to develop their skills, and for healthcare professionals seeking to evaluate healthcare services. Issues covered in the course include gaining funding, managing research schedules, involving users in the research process, working with external agencies, addressing ethical and political issues in research, and managing aspects of the data collection process - for example overcoming poor response rates and managing group dynamics in focus group research. Learning is facilitated through lectures, recommended reading and seminars. The seminars provide a series of How to... sessions that facilitate application of concepts learnt during the Principal Methods for Healthcare Research course. For example: How to develop an interview schedule, or How to run a focus group. These seminars enable students to gain a practical understanding of the research process.
Prescribing for Nurses & Midwives
This course is intended for eligible students wishing to prescribe using supplementary or independent prescribing. The course is delivered through interactive e-learning alongside seminars. Most of the seminars will be taught alongside pharmacists who are also undertaking a prescribing qualification. Prospective students wishing to take this course as an option in a programme of study are advised to contact the course leader to determine eligibility before applying.
Principal Methods for Healthcare Research
This introductory course aims to provide students a broad knowledge of research approaches and techniques used in healthcare research. It intends to promote students understanding of, and enhance skills for critiquing research articles. Further it aims to promote the development of skills required to undertake a research-based project in the future. The course is essential for students who have not previously studied research methods or who would benefit from revision of this knowledge. It will consider philosophical bases for research, traditions and features of qualitative and quantitative research designs, data collection tools used in qualitative and qauntitative research and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. This course is a precursor for the second research methods course, Issues in the Conduct of Healthcare Research.
Professional Development & Organisational Change
This course will enable students to critically appraise and utilise organisational and management theories in order to facilitate the development of individuals and groups. Examples of this include continuing professional development, motivation, the management of change and manpower planning.
Rehabilitation and Intermediate Care
This course will address concepts, policies and clinical practice in rehabilitation and intermediate care. Topics include assessment processes in intermediate care and rehabilitation including the single assessment framework, identifying suitable clients, evidence for particular service configurations (eg stroke units, nurse-led care, hospital at home) and specific therapeutic interventions (eg bladder care, CBT for motivation/ orientation). Current policy developments (eg NSF for older people) joint working with social services and interprofessional team working will be used to set these issues in context. Runs from June to July. May not run every year - contact course leader for details.
Tuition fees
PT Home: £1950 (2008)
PT Overseas: £5925 (2008)
FT Home: £n/a
FT Overseas: £n/a
