Overview
Further your career beyond traditional professional boundaries and expand the scope of your practice, to enhance patient care and improve healthcare service delivery.
Mapped to Health Education England’s (2017) Multi-professional framework for ACP, this multi-professional, personalised and adaptable course is designed for experienced healthcare professionals from a wide and diverse range of professions and settings.
On this flexible, individually-tailored pathway you’ll not only gain the academic qualification, but also transform your role and meet the competence and capabilities for ACP status recognition. You’ll study a hands-on, clinically-focused curriculum that puts patient care front and centre, whilst incorporating the other core pillars of education, leadership/management, and research.
You will be taught by experts in the field including academic lecturers, specialist and advanced clinical practitioners and pharmacists, and will benefit from using our outstanding on-site facilities, including our Clinical Simulation facility and Immersive Learning Environment.
Course Details
The ACP student at HSU will:
- Study on a multi-professional course which places you as a practitioner at the centre of learning
- Have access to expertise and skills from a wide range of professionals including non-medical consultants, advanced clinical practitioners, medical practitioners and guest lecturers at the cutting-edge of health and social care
- Be supported in clinical practice by workplace supervisors who are advanced clinical practitioners, consultants, specialist registrars or general practitioners
To earn your degree in Advanced Clinical Practice, you’ll need a total of 180 Master’s level credits. Usually, you’ll aim to gain around 60 credits a year by undertaking 3 units. To gain a picture of the curriculum check out the list of units below. Through this course, you will be supported by our academic team, who will be able to broaden your expertise and develop your critical thinking skills, engaging with evidence-based practice with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of patient care.
For more information see our Course Specifications.
Why you should study Advanced Clinical Practice at Health Sciences University?
- Study a hands-on, clinically-focused curriculum that incorporates the other core pillars of education, leadership/management and research, to assume more responsibility as a practitioner, enhance the capabilities of multidisciplinary healthcare teams and work towards constant improvements in patient care and service development and delivery.
- Access our Clinical Simulation facility, including our Immersive Learning Environment。
- Learn from a multidisciplinary team of lecturers, who are healthcare professionals with experience of working in the NHS.
- Get the academic and professional development requirements needed to meet the standards set by Health Education England’s Centre for Advancing Practice’s Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England (HEE 2017) (The course will be seeking HEE ACP programme accreditation imminently)
- Opt in, if you are already a prescriber Or study pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions, to enhance and advance your knowledge of pharmacology and optimising medication for service users.
Additional information
This advanced clinical practice [ACP] programme is mapped to Health Education England’s (2017) Multi-professional framework for ACP. This provides a structure to mould a flexible, individually-tailored pathway to gain the academic qualification, whilst transforming your role and meeting the competence and capabilities for ACP status recognition. Due to the multi-professional, personalised and adaptable nature of the course, it is appropriate for healthcare professionals from a wide and diverse range of professions and settings. With emphasis on workplace-based learning, alongside academic course delivery, the programme supports you to develop skills and knowledge, aligned to advanced level autonomous, independent practice. By completing the course and transforming your role, you will work at an advanced level of clinical practice, with direct patient care at the forefront, with the other pillars of research, education and leadership/management core to all elements of your practice. This can support you in delivery of high quality, safe, effective patient care and to initiate and implement innovative, person-centred improvements for patient and service outcomes.
Our aim at HSU is to support you, as an experienced healthcare professional to advance your professional practice, to develop the practical knowledge and theoretical understanding required to undertake an advanced clinical practice role. You will be supported in your workplace by appropriate, experienced professional colleagues, such as ACPs / Consultant practitioners, Medical Consultants, specialist registrars or General Practitioners. You will be taught by experts in the field including academic lecturers, specialist and advanced clinical practitioners and pharmacists.
Unit Breakdown
Consultation and Clinical assessment for advancing practice 
Consultation and Clinical assessment for advancing practice
- (Core Unit)
- (20 credits)
This is a core unit for the Advanced Clinical Practice programme. It is also available as a standalone CPD unit for experienced healthcare practitioners working at an appropriate level of practice across a range of clinical practice settings where advanced clinical assessment skills are required. The unit is aligned to the relevant clinical capabilities of the Health Education England [HEE] Multiprofessional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice (HEE 2017) and similar criteria from the Institute for Apprenticeship (IfA 2018) Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard.
Want to study this as a single/stand-alone CPD unit?
To apply, please use the application link below. Alternatively, you can register your interest, please enquire via our form (at the bottom of this page).
| Intake dates* |
|---|
| 18/9/24 |
| 25/9/24 |
| 2/10/24 |
| 9/10/24 |
| 16/10/24 |
| 23/10/24 |
| 30/10/24 |
| 13/11/24 |
| 20/11/24 |
| 27/11/24 |
| 11/12/24 |
Please note: These dates may be subject to change
Clinical reasoning, diagnostic decision-making and managing complexity for advanced practice
Clinical reasoning, diagnostic decision-making and managing complexity for advanced practice
- (Core Unit)
- (20 credits)
This unit is a core unit of the Advanced Clinical Practice course and is also a stand-alone CPD unit for experienced healthcare practitioners working across a wide range of clinical practice settings who have successfully completed the Consultation and Clinical Assessment for Advancing Practice unit or equivalent.
Want to study this as a single/stand-alone CPD unit?
To apply, please use the application link below. Alternatively, you can register your interest, please enquire via our form (at the bottom of this page).
| Intake dates* |
|---|
| 23/4/25 |
| 30/4/25 |
| 21/5/25 |
| 28/5/25 |
| 11/6/25 |
| 16/6/25 |
| 23/6/25 |
| 2/7/25 |
Please note: These dates may be subject to change
Other Core Units
Units
(Core Units)
- Developing as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner across the four pillars (20 credits)
- Therapeutic interventions and pharmacology for advancing clinical practice (20 credits)
- The Advanced Clinical Practitioner as educator and role model (20 credits)
- Negotiated work-based learning unit for advanced clinical practice (20 credits)
- Advanced Clinical Practice portfolio: leadership and research (20 credits)
- Service Improvement Project (40 credits)
Staff
Course Leader
Amy Cooke
Senior Lecturer in Advanced Clinical Practice
Amy is Course Leader and Lecturer for MSc Advanced Clinical Practice. She is a HCPC registered Therapeutic Radiographer with CoR Advanced Practitioner Accreditation, with over 16 years of experience within the NHS and the private medical industry and aims to develop the next generation of Advanced Practitioner Health Care Professionals.
Full bio
Entry Requirements
What qualifications do I need?
What qualifications do I need?
You’ll need a first degree in a relevant subject or equivalent, alongside current professional UK registration as a healthcare professional with a minimum of 3 years post-registration experience. You must be employed as a healthcare professional for a minimum of 20hrs per week with employer support and access to appropriate workplace supervision for the duration of the course.
Evidence of prior learning
If you have prior academically accredited units that are relevant to the course learning outcomes, you can apply for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The RPL process allows for completion of credits in a staged process by acknowledging previously completed units. Units being considered for RPL will be reviewed to ensure they meet the learning needs of the course and specific unit.
Register your interest
Register your interest
To register your interest now or ask any questions about the course, please complete the form at the bottom of the page.
Is there anything else that is required?
Is there anything else that is required?
If you’re not sure about anything listed here, talk to our Admissions team on the form below or call us on 01202 436200 and we’ll be happy to answer any question you have.
For more information about our admissions policies and procedures, including our Admissions Complaints and Appeals Policy, see latest policies.
International Students
International Students
International students are not currently eligible for this course unless you are a UK registered healthcare professional currently working in the UK.
Still have questions about applying?
Course Fees
Our current course costs for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice.
UK/ROI/Channel Islands
£7,869
Please note: These fees are for the 2024-25 academic year only and may be subject to increase in subsequent years of study. Any increase will be in line with our Tuition Fees Policy but will not be more than 5%.
Funding Support
If you currently work with the NHS, you may be eligible for funding from your employing organisation.
If you are studying the full MSc, you may be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan.
Additional course costs
Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of the course, however you will be expected to have an electronic device to access course materials. Additionally, you may be expected to purchase copies of any required textbooks, and may wish to purchase your own copies of recommended textbooks.
Visit our student finance pages for more information on Fees and funding.
Register your Interest
Register your Interest / Enquiry
Why choose Health Sciences University
There are many benefits to studying at Health Sciences University, from our expertise and history in teaching health sciences, to our state-of-the-art facilities, on-site clinical training, and of course our location on the beautiful Bournemouth coast.
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