- Postgraduate
Advancing Professional Practice MSc
Overview
This course is designed for experienced UK registered healthcare professionals who are looking to progress within their roles.
You may be moving towards a role in leadership or management, or you might be a practitioner pursuing a clinical route, for example in intensive care nursing, midwifery practice, mental health nursing or addiction studies. This course allows you to gain expertise in these areas.
You will develop skills in critical appraisal and decision making. You will also learn how to design strategies to manage complex scenarios and use evidence to generate innovative and creative solutions in your practice. By developing your professional skills and knowledge, the course aims to enable you to make a significant contribution to health and social care delivery.
You can choose to qualify with these awards:
- PG Cert - part-time for one year (up to two years maximum)
- PG Dip - part-time for two years (up to three years maximum)
- MSc - part-time for three years (up to four years maximum).
This course is based in Reading but we also offer MSc Advancing Professional Practice based in London.
Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:
Start date:
If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.
Why study Advancing Professional Practice with us?
What our students say…
Course detail & modules
This course is based in Reading but we also offer MSc Advancing Professional Practice based in London.
Staff and support
This course is run by the College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare. Our teaching staff are highly committed, passionate subject specialists with current clinical experience who will be there to support you during your course. You will have a personal tutor to guide and advise you throughout your academic life and will receive regular personalised feedback on your progress in theory and practice.
You will also benefit from a fantastic range of high-tech, innovative teaching resources and have access to the University’s mentoring service, making your learning fun and engaging.
Generic or specialist award?
The course allows you to choose from a range of optional modules to suit your clinical needs.
You can choose to qualify with a generic award in advancing professional practice or to focus your learning on one of the specialisms below:
- Midwifery
- Addiction studies
- Intensive care
- Psychosocial interventions
- Leadership
You will gain credits for each module you study, depending on the number of study hours involved. To be eligible for a badged award, you need a minimum of 40 credits from optional modules in your chosen specialism. Your final dissertation also needs to reflect the specialism of the award.
Accreditation
You will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as an Independent Prescriber if you successfully complete the ‘Independent and Supplementary Prescribing’ module as part of this course.
Alternative options
MSc Advancing Professional Practice is designed to offer a wide range of optional modules so you can tailor your study to your needs. If you want to develop your core advanced practice skills without so many options, you may be interested in MSc Advanced Clinical Practice.
You will study 4 x compulsory modules, plus your choice of optional modules depending on your focus. As well as the selection below, there are more optional modules here.
Compulsory modules
-
The Building Blocks of Transforming Your Professional Role
This module aims to establish baseline critical appraisal skills. You will develop expertise and competence to use new skills to improve your contribution to service delivery.
During this module there will also be a focus on developing your academic writing style and skills.
-
Leadership Strategies to Improve the Patient Experience
This module uses the NHS Leadership Academy’s Leadership Framework to help you to develop and practice strategies that will improve the way you lead in your workplace.
You will participate in a workshop facilitated with actors from The Common Air Project (CAP) using participatory behaviour change methodology known as ‘Interactive Theatre’ (IT).
-
Evidence-based Implementation of Improvement Methods OR Systematic Reviews: Principles and Methods
Choice either:
- Evidence-based Implementation of Improvement Methods
OR
- Systematic Reviews: Principles and Methods
-
Improvement Project OR Systematic Review of Evidence to inform Professional Practice
Choose from:
- Improvement Project
OR
- Systematic Review of Evidence to inform Professional Practice
Optional modules
-
Emergency Adult Care
This module has been designed for healthcare practitioners caring for patients of level 1 and/or level 2 dependency (acutely ill, injured or with the potential to develop critical illness). Supported by simulation sessions, you will learn how to improve clinical competence.
-
Improving Treatment Outcomes for Patients with Dual Diagnosis
On this module you will develop an understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems and problematic substance misuse. This will help you to provide evidence-based interventions in line with current policies and guidelines.
-
Care of the Critically Ill Adult (Enhanced and High Dependency Care)
-
History Taking and Physical Assessment
The module aims to develop the skills required to conduct a patient consultation: take a patient history, perform a physical examination, gather clinical data and accurately record findings. The practitioner will identify negative and positive findings, respond to clinical ‘red flags’ appropriately, and communicate clearly with professional colleagues.
The assessment for this module is:
- Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) – course requirement
- Written Assignment – 100%.
You must pass both elements of the assessment to pass the module overall.
-
Independent and Supplementary Prescribing
The module will explore the underpinning principles and concepts related to prescribing:
- Consultation, decision-making and therapy including referral
- Influences on and psychology of prescribing
- Prescribing in a team context
- Clinical pharmacology, including the effects on co-morbidity
- Evidence-based practice and clinical governance in relation to prescribing
- Legal, policy and ethical aspects
- Professional accountability and responsibility
- Prescribing in the public health content
- Physiology, pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutic relations to:
- Nervous system
- Cardiovascular system
- Respiratory system
- Renal system
- Gastrointestinal system
- Endocrine system
- Integumentary system
- Immunology
The assessment for this module is:
- Folder of evidence 50%
- Reflective Case Study 50%
- Written exam (multiple choice and short answer questions) – course requirement
- Structured Clinical Examination in Practice (SCEP) - course requirement
- Drug Calculation Exam - course requirement
You must pass all 5 elements in order to pass the course overall, plus satisfactory completion of the 26 study days and 90 hours supervised time in practice.
-
Infection Prevention and Control: Developing and Implementing Best Practice
-
Care of the Older Person
-
Midwives and Critical Care Practice
Entry requirements
You should:
- be a registered healthcare practitioner with a relevant professional body (NMC/HCPC) registration in the UK.
- working in an appropriate role so you can apply your learning during the course. You should have organisational support to undertake the course.
- ideally have a minimum of three years post-qualifying experience, but we also recognise talent and welcome rising stars. We are interested in applications from candidates looking to accelerate their career.
- ideally have a degree but we will consider applications from those without, in a senior professional role, who can map their professional experience to Level 6 descriptors (equivalent to the final year of undergraduate study). You would be asked to complete the mapping exercise after interview.
All applications will be reviewed on an individual basis by the course leader and candidates who meet the entry criteria will be invited to a short interview.
We look for students who show enthusiasm and a passion for the subject through previous study or professional experience.
If you have any questions about the relevance of your qualifications or experience please contact the course leader shown in the teaching staff.
Teaching staff
Dr Catherine Lynch
I have been leading various iterations of the Masters in Advanced Practice since 2009 at UWL, taking revised versions of the program through successful validation/revalidation ever 4 years. In addition, I led on the accreditation of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice programme with Health Education England in 2020. I am passionate about empowering healthcare practitioners with the soft skills to make a different in their practice and cite the discovery of emotional intelligence and transactional analysis amongst my highlights in academia. During the pandemic, I became a proficient user of graphic design software, predominantly using Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud, which I believe gives my students an immersive and entertaining, quality learning experience.
I have been leading various iterations of the Masters in Advanced Practice since 2009 at UWL, taking revised versions of the program through successful validation/revalidation ever 4 years. In addition, I led on the accreditation of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice programme with Health Education England in 2020. I am passionate about empowering healthcare practitioners with the soft skills to make a different in their practice and cite the discovery of emotional intelligence and transactional analysis amongst my highlights in academia. During the pandemic, I became a proficient user of graphic design software, predominantly using Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud, which I believe gives my students an immersive and entertaining, quality learning experience.
Study & career progression
This is a professionally focused course, designed to enhance your professional and leadership capacity in healthcare professions, and to allow career progression.
You could also continue your studies on our Professional Doctorate or PhD programmes.
How to apply
You can apply online at any time by following the link below.
Our application form will ask you for some information about:
- what you want to study
- your previous qualifications or experience
- your references
- how we can contact you.
Want to ask us a question first? We would love to hear from you. Contact us free on:
- 0800 036 8888
- courses@uwl.ac.uk
Apply for this course
What happens next?
We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.
In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an open day or join a campus tour.
Visit us and see for yourself
Talk to our tutors and find out about our courses and facilities at our next open day or join a campus tour.
We're here to help
Any questions about a course or studying at UWL? We're here to help - call us on 0800 036 8888 (option 2, Monday – Friday 10am-4pm) or email us on courses@uwl.ac.uk.
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Important notes for applicants
Disclaimer
*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.
**The National Student Survey 2022 and 2023 - Based on an average of all 27 questions. Excludes specialist institutions.
Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.
Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.
Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.
Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.