Advanced Clinical Practice Level 7 Apprenticeship MSc
About this course
This programme is designed for practitioners who, as trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), are seeking to develop the in-depth skills, values, and behaviours required of an ACP within your speciality, setting, or sector.
You will learn to lead from the front, educate, develop the research skills synonymous with working as an advanced clinical practitioner and tackle the complex problems encountered in modern healthcare. You will be taught by a team who are passionate about advanced clinical practice, and they will support you throughout the course to aid your professional development into a capable advanced clinical practitioner. You will collaborate with students from a variety of backgrounds and specialist fields, giving you the chance to share experiences and best practice across multi-professional teams – we welcome applicants to the course from across the nursing and allied health profession spectrum.
Whilst we do not offer a mental health or learning disability specific pathway, we recognise that colleagues working in those sectors have slightly different requirements to those in more physical health-based settings. To that end, we have recently added extra learning around mental health and LD/A, and tailor part of the assessment to those students’ specific clinical needs.
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NTU is the top-rated University provider
of higher and degree apprenticeships in the UK (RateMyApprenticeship, 2024)
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Study in the heart of Nottingham
One of Europe’s top 25 student cities, and home to over 75,000 learners.
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Learn from the experts
at a university rated TEF ‘Gold’ for teaching and learning.
What you’ll study
The course is aligned to the Multi-professional framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England, and the Level 7 Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Integrated Degree) Apprenticeship Standards. You will study modules that allow you to meet all the competencies and capabilities across those pillars including:
- History taking
- Physical examination of all systems
- Mental health and developmental history assessment
- Pathophysiology and diagnostic reasoning
- Medicine and the ACP in a wider context
- Prescribing
- Leadership and management
- Education, including pedagogical theories as well as actually how to teach
- Research methods and critical appraisal
- Professional issues related to Advanced Clinical Practice
If you work in a profession where you are not eligible to prescribe, you will undertake the Medicines Optimisation module to complete 40 credits that meet the advanced clinical practice programme learning outcomes.
Application of Clinical Reasoning and Decision Making
This module introduces the principles of history taking, risk management and clinical reasoning skills.
Advanced Health Assessments
This module will introduce holistic assessment of the person and the social determinants of health. It will enhance critical understanding and complex decision-making skills across the four pillars of advanced clinical practice.
Consolidation of Practice
This module will explore the consolidation of your practice.
One of the two following modules:
- Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Non-Medical Prescribers
- Medicines Optimisation (for professional groups who cannot prescribe)
Research module
On this module you will undertake research related to your studies.
Leading and Influencing
The aim of the module is to enable students to develop knowledge and understanding of leadership processes that promote innovation and collaboration across complex organisations.
Transition to Advanced Clinical Practice
This module reflects on the four pillars of advanced practice and your role as an advanced practitioner.
End Point Assessment
End point assessment of the course as directed by the apprenticeship standards.
Completing your Apprenticeship
To achieve the apprenticeship, all apprentices must complete an End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is an independent assessment that ascertains whether an apprentice is competent in their occupation.
Gateway
Gateway is the period of time between the end of the off-the-job training (practical period) and the beginning of the assessment period when EPA will take place.
At Gateway, the apprentice, employer and training provider will review the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours to determine whether they are ready to take their EPA. This is normally done at a Gateway review meeting which takes place near the end of the apprenticeship. At this meeting, all three parties will check that the mandatory aspects of the apprenticeship have been completed and that the apprentice is ready to take their final assessment(s).
Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.
End-Point Assessment
This apprenticeship is integrated. This means that the end-point assessment is administered by Nottingham Trent University and is usually linked to the academic award that apprentices study whilst in their off-the-job training period. The assessments are conducted by Independent End-Point Assessors who have been selected to assess apprentices against industry-specific competences.
Details of the assessment elements can be found in the assessment plan.
There are two elements to this end-point assessment:
- Open book examination
- Presentation of practice
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
How you're taught
The course is delivered using a variety of teaching and learning methods which include, lectures, hands-on practice, problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and reflection on professional practice. The course is delivered on campus and is co-delivered by a variety of experienced academics and professions with specialist knowledge. This offers a synergistic approach to course delivery to ensure that the course remains current and responsive to changes in current practice. There will be input from patients/service users/carers to enrich the learning experience.
There will usually be one study day a week over the duration of the course, some being face-to-face followed by periods of independent study to allow for consolidation of learning and preparation for the summative module assessments. As with any apprenticeship and in contrast to many taught master’s programmes, it is essential that the student be supported in practice as a trainee ACP. A significant amount of learning occurs in practice, building on the underpinning knowledge acquired at university. It is your employer’s responsibility to ensure this takes place.
Tutorials and personal contact time are an important part of our courses, and we ensure you are supported in both one-to-one and group-learning environments. You will have your own personal tutor, and range of informed module leaders. Throughout the programme, we will give you all the support you need: from advice and feedback, to helping you deal with any unforeseen personal circumstances or difficulties.
The rules around apprenticeships are very complex and mandated by organisations external to the university. To be eligible for the apprenticeship programme, you will be employed as a trainee ACP apprentice by your employer. You will undertake a minimum of 20% of your learning ‘off the job’; university is but one example of this type of ‘off the job’ learning. For more information about apprenticeships, please contact apprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk.
Careers and employability
If you’d like to know more about NTU’s groundbreaking Employability Promise, and the support you’ll receive both during and after your course, visit our Careers and Employability page.
Campus and facilities
You’ll mainly be studying in the purpose-built Health & Allied Professions (HAP) Centre. The 34,000 square foot building features mock hospital wards, consultation and counselling rooms, creative teaching spaces and specialist equipment.
Our self-contained, community-focused Clifton Campus has been designed to keep our students busy between lectures. Catch-up with your coursemates in the Pavilion’s barista café and Refectory; brainstorm group presentations in chic and stylish study spaces; enjoy some proper R&R in The Point, home of our Students’ Union. The campus also hosts the multimillion-pound Clifton Sports Hub, offering great options for everyone — whatever your interests, and however competitive you’d like to get!
You’re also right next to the bright lights of Nottingham — one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and one of Europe’s top 25. All through termtime, a dedicated on-campus bus service will get you to the heart of the action (and back) in under 25 minutes. You’ll find a city stuffed with history, culture, and well-kept secrets to discover at your leisure: enjoy lush green spaces, galleries, hidden cinemas and vintage shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night.
Take our virtual tour to get a real feel for the campus.
Entry requirements
UK students
In order to be eligible to undertake an Apprenticeship, you must ensure the following are in place prior to the start date of the course:
- You are a UK resident or have the right to work in the UK.
- Have a job or a job offer from an employer who will support you to complete your apprenticeship.
- Will spend at least 50% of your working week in England over the duration of the apprenticeship. This also applies to remote and hybrid workers
Make sure to read the course-specific entry requirements in the additional requirements section below.
Additional requirements for UK students
- Honours degree 2.2 or above and/ or a recognised healthcare/health-related professional qualification
- GCSEs – Maths and English Grade C / 4 or Level 2 (or above) or have been assessed at English and Maths Level 1 or 2 and be prepared to achieve Level 2 Maths and English functional skills by the end of Year 1
- A professional qualification as a healthcare practitioner and currently registered with the relevant health care professional body, and employed as a trainee ACP.
- It is recommended that you have at least five years' experience of post-registration clinical practice. Relevant clinical experience or previous postgraduate qualifications will also be considered.
It is a condition of the admission process that you are working in a practice setting that supports your learning and there is an opportunity to develop into the role of an advanced clinical practitioner. You must identify a workplace clinical supervisor and educational supervisor and have the support of your employer. The clinical supervisor will provide clinical guidance and support, helping to identify learning opportunities in the clinical environment and assist with the development of your competency and capability portfolio.
International students
In order to be eligible to undertake an Apprenticeship, you must ensure you can fulfil the following prior to the start date of the course:
- You have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for at least the previous 3-year period on the first day of your apprenticeship.
- Your ordinary residence in the UK and Islands has not during any part of that period been wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education.
- You have permission granted by the UK government to live in the UK and such permission is not for education purposes only.
- You must be able to complete the apprenticeship in the time you have available (e.g. your Visa must last for the duration of the apprenticeship as well as your contract of employment).
Make sure to read the course-specific entry requirements in the additional requirements section below.
Additional requirements for international students
- Honours degree 2.2 or above and/ or a recognised healthcare/health-related professional qualification
- GCSEs – Maths and English Grade C / 4 or Level 2 (or above) or have been assessed at English and Maths Level 1 or 2 and be prepared to achieve Level 2 Maths and English functional skills by the end of Year 1
- A professional qualification as a healthcare practitioner and currently registered with the relevant health care professional body, and employed as a trainee ACP.
- It is recommended that you have at least five years' experience of post-registration clinical practice. Relevant clinical experience or previous postgraduate qualifications will also be considered.
It is a condition of the admission process that you are working in a practice setting that supports your learning and there is an opportunity to develop into the role of an advanced clinical practitioner. You must identify a workplace clinical supervisor and educational supervisor and have the support of your employer. The clinical supervisor will provide clinical guidance and support, helping to identify learning opportunities in the clinical environment and assist with the development of your competency and capability portfolio.
Policies
We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.
