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Transitioning to Advanced Clinical Practice

Module description

*Please note that Degree Apprenticeship programmes have variable start dates and modules are taught across the full year.

This longitudinal module is designed to support the development of your personal and professional skills essential for your role as an advanced clinical practitioner. The module will ensure that you are aware of the responsibilities of advanced clinical practice as aligned to the four pillars: clinical, education, leadership and research. The module will begin at the start of your educational journey and will allow you to develop and evidence some of the values, skills and knowledge integral to the advanced clinical practice role. This module will run across the second year of your study and will help to prepare you for the end-point assessment.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to support you in identifying and evidencing a range of the values, skills and knowledge implicit to the role and responsibilities of an advanced clinical practitioner. The activities that you undertake as part of your development will be discussed with your academic and clinical supervisors and the methods of evidencing these aspects of the role will be negotiated between the parties but led by you.

The module is structured around a series of small group discussion sessions, facilitated by an experienced health professional, in which you can reflect upon your clinical practice experience and academic learning on the Masters so far in a structured and supported way.  The discussions will be guided to cover (and regularly revisit) the four pillars of advanced clinical practice, how your own area of ACP aligns with external requirements, the appraisal and application of evidence to practice,  personal competences and learning needs, professional identity development, the personal and professional characteristics expected of an advanced clinical practitioner and teamwork in clinical practice.

You will receive peer and tutor support and feedback.  There will be the opportunity for tutors and students to identify specific learning needs and opportunities, and put in place plans to meet these by arranging access to resources such as recorded lectures and online activities from other modules within our wider postgraduate portfolio (see box below for examples of relevant modules).  In this way the module will be responsive to your needs on the module in order to ensure your specific learning needs are met, as well as the high level intended learning outcomes of the module.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Describe in detail the four pillars of advanced clinical practice as relevant to your own profession.
• 2. Explain how your own area of ACP aligns with external requirements such as the apprenticeship standard.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Appraise evidence and apply to work-related practice.
• 4. Analyse personal competences, roles and responsibilities in relation to life-long learning.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Evidence the personal and professional characteristics of an advanced clinical practitioner as expected of the role.
• 6. Contribute and collaborate with colleagues as part of a team.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the precise content of the module may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:

As well as evidencing examples within your professional practice as to how you demonstrate the values of an advanced practitioner, students will be supported to explore and demonstrate a range of capabilities, some of which are mapped to the following standards:

• Demonstration of cross professional working and active engagement in peer review of own and others practice (S3.2a, S3.4, K3.4)
• Awareness of risk and risk management including the range of evidence based strategies to mitigate risk and problem solving skills (S1.3d, S1.7, S3.7, K1.7, K3.7)
• An understanding of motivational theory and how this applies to health care (K2.1a)
• Organisational culture and how this relates to the students own professional roles and responsibilities (S2.4, K2.4a, K2.4b)
• Organisational and professional roles and responsibilities in relation to life-Long learning (K2.3c)
• Understanding of the importance of research, governance and quality standards as applicable to own profession (K4.1a, K4.3b)
• The importance of effective governance systems and methods that can be used to ensure systematic documentation is in place (K4.5)

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Re-assessment will be the same as the original assessment. Where you have been referred/deferred for any form of assessment detailed above you will have the opportunity to retake within a specified time period from the date that feedback was provided. 

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of deferral, your re-assessment will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment and the overall module mark will not be capped.

If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), the overall module mark will be capped at 50%. 

If you fail re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), you will be failed in the module. 

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Multiprofessional  Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Multi-professional%20framework%20for%20advanced%20clinical%20practice%20in%20England.pdf
• Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/
• Standards of conduct, performance and ethics: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/
• Standards for pharmacy professionals: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/standards/standards-for-pharmacy-professionals
• Good medical practice: https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance/ethical-guidance-for-doctors/good-medical-practice
• Learning journals: a handbook for reflective practice and professional development. Moon, Jennifer A.(2006)  Routledge 2^nd ed. (ebook)  https://encore.exeter.ac.uk/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1796609
• The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Schon, Donald A. (1991) https://encore.exeter.ac.uk/iii/encore/record/C__Rb3947412

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Reflective Practice for Health Professionals: Home  https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/c.php?g=656429&p=4615209

Key words search

Advanced clinical practice, education, research, leadership, management, reflection, clinical skills