• Postgraduate

Advancing Professional Practice MSc

Register for open day
Register for open day
Overview

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.

A&E nurse in a blue uniform talking to a patient in a consulting room

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We support flexible study by offering some of our courses part-time or via distance learning. To give you real world experience before you graduate, we also offer some courses with a placement or internship. All available options are listed here. Your choices may affect some details of your course, such as the duration and cost per year. Please re-check the details on this page if you change your selection.

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Locations this course is taught at:
Berkshire Institute for Health
West London Campus (also offered in Reading)
Why study Advancing Professional Practice with us?

Why study Advancing Professional Practice with us?

A collage of students

What our students say…

I have learnt so much and made some amazing contacts within the group whose support has been unconditional throughout this process.
 
My career has gone in such a different direction, this week I was invited to a state of the art psychiatric hospital and research facility in Denmark, sharing work I am doing and being part of a project team for a new hospital. I never imagined and all due to the projects I completed during this MSc.

Carol Gee
Next
This course has simulation centres in London and Reading
Industry focused teaching
Top modern university London for nursing Times and Sunday Times 2023
Lifelong careers support from the UWL Careers Service.
Course detail & modules

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

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:

    1. Folder of evidence 50%
    2. Reflective Case Study 50%
    3. Written exam (multiple choice and short answer questions) – course requirement
    4. Structured Clinical Examination in Practice (SCEP) - course requirement
    5. 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

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

Teaching staff

Catherine Lynch profile picture

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

Study & career progression

Students laughing whilst working

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

How to apply

Search for courses

News

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 2023 and 2024 - Average of answers to all questions by registered student population. 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.