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Our Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Primary Care) Master’s provides an exciting opportunity for those working as experienced, registered, health professionals to progress into advanced clinical practice roles.

Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) are recognised as autonomous specialists who manage complete episodes of care, working across what are deemed traditional professional boundaries to enhance the patient journey and develop clinical practice. Driven by the NHS Long Term Plan (2019) and the NHS People Plan (2020), advanced clinical practice is considered the cornerstone of healthcare service redesign and delivery.

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Primary Care) Master’s award is reflective of the Health Education England (HEE) Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England (2017) and has been designed following the Health Education England Centre for Advancing Practice (CfAP) Standards for Education and Training (SETS) (2020). 

This programme is designed for those wishing to enhance their clinical leadership, advanced clinical practice skills, and engagement in the research and education pillars as set out by HEE Framework. It is suitable for a variety of clinical backgrounds, and available to a range of professional backgrounds including nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals to help meet the changing needs of healthcare provision. Engaging in this programme provides opportunities to develop understanding of advanced clinical practice and capitalise on opportunities for applied learning within the context of the workplace. Students will be part of a shared approach to learning that is tripartite between the student, the employer, and the university.

Students will therefore combine academic studies with work-based development of specialist skills and reflection including personal practices and behaviours. Upon completion of the programme, students will gain an MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Primary Care) qualification, enabling recognition as an ACP working within a wider health and social care environment. Students will graduate with the skills and knowledge to help drive service improvements, analyse and interpret clinical data to help make a diagnosis, and improve patient care. This will equip students for such influential roles and support longer-term career aspirations working in advanced clinical practice.

Course Information

Level of Study
Postgraduate

Mode of Study
3 Years Part Time

Location
City Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Fee Information

Module Information

Entry Requirements Modules Overview Fees, Funding  and Scholarships

Entry Requirements 2022/23

Standard Entry

Applicants should normally have:

A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant subject.

Registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council / Nursing and Midwifery Council (or other appropriate Allied Health Professional registrant) and employed in a relevant clinical setting.

Employed as or working towards an Advanced Clinical Practice role.

International qualifications:

If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English language requirements:

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 6 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

 *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS.  You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Fees and Funding 2022/23 Entry

Full UK Fee: TBC

Full EU Fee: TBC

Full International Fee: TBC



Scholarships and Discounts

Click here for UK, EU and International scholarship, fees, and funding information.


ADDITIONAL COSTS

There are no Additional Costs

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules Overview 2022/23

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two Year three

Year one

AC7047 -

Health History and Examination (20 Credits)

You will learn knowledge and skills for undertaking a general approach to health history and clinical examination of patients that will help you to achieve capability in the Clinical Practice pillar of Advanced Clinical Practice. You will cover biological systems in order to provide a systematic approach to history and clinical examination. The systems covered in your learning are as follows:
• Cardiovascular system
• Respiratory System
• Gastrointestinal system
• Neurological system
• Examination of the ear
• Examination of the eyes
• Endocrine system
• Genitourinary system

You will learn how to review clinical data in order to make (differential) diagnoses, produce patient management plans and evaluate patient outcomes contributing to the Leadership and Management pillar.
To help you to develop your research role in the context of the ACP role, you will learn to interpret clinical evidence to evaluate tests and investigations. This will involve understanding research methods and data applicable to clinical practice.

More information

AC7050 -

Service Improvement and Research Methods in Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

The module is designed to meet the needs of health and care professionals working in Advanced Clinical Practice roles across a diverse range of speciality and subject-specific areas. It will equip you with the knowledge, skills and behavioural capabilities to transform service delivery and secure continuous quality improvement. It will further enable you to identify and appraise existing knowledge or generate new knowledge in the context of uncertain and complex healthcare systems.

Designed to support you to critically engage in research and service improvement activity, it has also been closely aligned with the Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England, research capability pillar (HEE, 2017; p.10). A key focus of this module will be to identify ways in which you can critically engage in research activity, identify the need for further research or service improvements and facilitate collaborative research links. Support being provided to apply the learning within context of individual practice, disciplines, and professional interests.

Throughout the module, you will engage in a wide variety of authentic learning activities and critically examine aspects of the research process and service improvement methods. Utilising good research practice guidance and appraising a range of validated methodologies you will develop a broad understanding of how the various approaches can be used to enhance care provision, promote safety, and improve productivity.

Module tutors who are also active researchers will support you to adopt a critical and reflexive approach, bringing the research and your role in shaping it to life.

More information

AC7082 -

Life Science for Advanced Clinical Practitioners (20 Credits)

The purpose of this module is to allow you to deepen your knowledge of life science for clinical practice, enabling development within your advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) role in relation to all four pillars of advanced clinical practice. You will critically examine the complex interaction of normal physiological processes involved in the control and regulation of metabolism. In your studies you will analyse the manifestations and consequences of altered physiology in response to disease processes, largely appropriate to your clinical specialism. You will also critically appraise the means and methods of measuring the parameters of normal and altered physiology and explore how various pathological manifestations present clinically. Each study day will be specific to a body system and discuss normal anatomy and physiology while common pathophysiology of all body systems will be critically explored. This will link to disease classification, disease processes and compensatory mechanisms involved in homeostasis.

The module will be delivered through a combination of taught, directed and self-directed study. The module will be summatively assessed through a 3,000-word essay, critically analysing a chosen organ dysfunction and discussing the manifestation of this at a cellular level. This will be commensurate with the standard required for advanced clinical practice, working towards Health Education England’s Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England (2017).

More information

Year two

AC7066 -

Non-Medical Prescribing (V300) (40 Credits)

This module will facilitate your development of the knowledge and skills required for safe and effective prescribing from a legally specified UK formulary. Successful completion of all components of the module will lead to the achievement of a recordable prescribing qualification with your regulatory body (NMC or HCPC). The subject areas you will study include assessing the patient and considering prescribing options, pharmacology for prescribing and de-prescribing, legal and regulatory frameworks, providing information, reaching shared decisions, monitoring and reviewing treatments, prescribing safely, professionally and as part of a team and improving prescribing practice.

More information

AC7080 -

Contemporary Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

In this module you will continue to develop and build upon the concepts required of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP). Drawing on the Health Education England Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice, in this module you will explore the four pillars of advanced level practice (clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research) and associated capabilities. The module will enhance your knowledge and skills in each of the four pillars and enable you to analyse and synthesise these to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of your Advanced Clinical Practitioner role. You will explore the global, political and social context of advanced practice and the expectations of the advanced practitioner as clinician, educator, leader and researcher. As an innovative and transformative non-medical workforce role , you will examine the legal, professional and ethical principles informing autonomous advanced level practice. Contemporary theories of leadership, management and change management will support your development as a leader of service innovation and enhanced patient care, delivering and evaluating person-centred holistic care within a multi-professional, multi-agency team, and undertaking practice development, quality assurance and enhancement of service delivery (research, audit, service evaluation, improvement/redesign), including service user/public partnership engagement. As an educator, you will develop your knowledge and application of learning, teaching and assessment theories to create and enhance the learning environment/culture within your service/organisation and establish your ACP role as a mentor, coach, supervisor and assessor. To achieve the level of advanced practice, you will demonstrate your ability to critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (for example, research; local, national and international guidelines/policy; and legal, ethical and professional frameworks) and demonstrate utilisation of this information applied to your clinical practice.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your ACP role in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

AC7083 -

Managing Clinical Complexity in Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

In this module you will continue to develop and build upon your Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) development. This module will aid you in the development of the following areas of your ACP role and will be tailored to your specialist field of practice: you will be able to assess and provide on-going review of patients through the assimilation of complex clinical data; monitor and modify collaborative management plans across complex disease continuums, attain technical ability to perform required interventions to our practice; order and/or interpret clinical and diagnostics interventions to evaluate treatment plans for ongoing management, whilst providing a critical rational for actions; critically appraise the clinical progress of patients to plan care, and communicate findings to patients, relatives, and members of the multi-disciplinary team as appropriate to your practice area; critically review patients, relatives, and members of the multi-disciplinary team participation in decision making for care; explore ethical issues in relation to your advanced practice role; critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (e.g. research, local, national, and international guidelines, and legal, ethical and professional frameworks) and demonstrate utilisation of this information in clinical decisions; and, finally, demonstrate development of management and leadership skills in the organisation of care.
The module utilises a structured core lecture and specialist applied seminar approach to enable you to tailor your learning to your specialist area. You will be encouraged to attend the seminar that is most suited to your learning needs; however, if you are completing a specialist named award you will be required to attend the seminars that are identified as being a core component of your recognised curriculum or standard. The specialist named awards and their recognised standards are as follows:
1. Emergency Care- ACPs working in Emergency Care will work towards the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Emergency Care Advanced Clinical Practitioner Curriculum. https://www.rcem.ac.uk/RCEM/Exams_Training/Emergency_Care_ACP/Emergency_Care_ACP.aspx?WebsiteKey=b3d6bb2a-abba-44ed-b758-467776a958cd&hkey=8244ccaf-e85a-4b1e-8f8d-152484810137&New_ContentCollectionOrganizerCommon=1
2. Primary Care- ACPs working in Primary Care will work towards the Royal College of General Practitioners Core Capabilities Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice (Nurses) Working in General Practice/ Primary Care in England. https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/services/item/724-advanced-clinical-practice-core-capabilities-for-nurses-working-within-general-practice-settings-in-england
3. Advanced Critical Care Practitioner- ACPs working in a Critical Care setting will work towards the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicines Advanced Critical Care Practice curriculum. https://www.ficm.ac.uk/accps/curriculum
4. Sexual Health- ACPs working in Sexual Health will work towards the FSRH, BASHH and NHIVNA Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) Integrated Sexual Health and HIV Specialist Training Curriculum. https://www.fsrh.org/news/fsrh-bashh-and-nhivna-advanced-level-curriculum-acp-for-nurses/

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to demonstrate that you have developed your knowledge and skills in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

AC7084 -

Professional and Practice Development for Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

In this module, you will continue to develop and build upon the capabilities required of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP). Based on the Health Education England Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice, in this module you will evaluate your knowledge, capability and confidence in leading and enhancing patient care and service delivery. Focused on an area of interest and informed by a robust evidence base, this module affords you the flexibility to apply and reflect on your personal and practice development needs to develop your knowledge, skills and abilities to enhance patient care or service delivery within your practice using systematic and rigorous approaches. You will identify your personal development needs related to service improvement, quality assurance and service enhancement approaches in clinical practice. You will also evaluate contemporary theories of leadership, management and change management to effect and evaluate improvements to patient care and service delivery, including use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) and Patient Recorded Experience Measures (PREMS) in your area of practice. As a leader within a multi-professional, multi-agency team, you will examine strategies for evaluating person-centred holistic care and undertaking practice development, quality assurance and enhancement of service delivery (research, audit, service evaluation, improvement/redesign). This will include analysis of service user/public partnership engagement. You will enhance your ability to critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (for example, research; local, national and international guidelines/policy; and legal, ethical and professional frameworks) and demonstrate appropriate utilisation of these sources to inform developments for clinical practice.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your ACP role in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

Year three

AC7081 -

Dissertation Portfolio for Advanced Clinical Practitioners (60 Credits)

This module will develop you in all four pillars of advanced clinical practice, with particular emphasis on the research, leadership and management, and education pillars. In the module you will critically explore a range of approaches to research, undertake a research study as your dissertation, produce a project report, and present your findings.

For the written component of this module, emphasis will be placed on your understanding of the world view, design and meaning system that will drive your own research study that will form your dissertation. You will pick between an Empirical Project, Service Improvement or Systematic Appraisal. In the module you will revisit and deepen your understandings of a range of key topics linked to the research process; this will include discussion of world views and research paradigms; the research question, aim or hypothesis; research design; working with literature and theory; developing ethical codes; constructing the research sample, collecting robust research evidence, ensuring quality assurance within your research work; analysing both qualitative and quantitative evidence; and writing and disseminating your dissertation findings. You will be invited to attend a series of research seminars during the module and you will have access to a named supervisor for one-to-one supervision. Both the seminars and supervision will encourage you to apply the key areas of learning within this module to your own professional context and field of expertise. This will enable you to critically examine how the research process will work best for your research interests.

The module is the culmination of your ACP studies and you will critically reflect on your overall development as an advanced clinical practitioner, bring together your on-programme learning, and demonstrate how you now work to all four pillars of the advanced practice framework. This will be evidenced by submitting your completed advanced practice portfolio, to include all module assessment components of the dissertation portfolio including an open book exam to map your clinical practice experiences to the four pillars framework.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your research project and portfolio to evidence that you have achieved the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

Modules Overview 2023/24

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two Year three

Year one

AC7047 -

Health History and Examination (20 Credits)

You will learn knowledge and skills for undertaking a general approach to health history and clinical examination of patients that will help you to achieve capability in the Clinical Practice pillar of Advanced Clinical Practice. You will cover biological systems in order to provide a systematic approach to history and clinical examination. The systems covered in your learning are as follows:
• Cardiovascular system
• Respiratory System
• Gastrointestinal system
• Neurological system
• Examination of the ear
• Examination of the eyes
• Endocrine system
• Genitourinary system

You will learn how to review clinical data in order to make (differential) diagnoses, produce patient management plans and evaluate patient outcomes contributing to the Leadership and Management pillar.
To help you to develop your research role in the context of the ACP role, you will learn to interpret clinical evidence to evaluate tests and investigations. This will involve understanding research methods and data applicable to clinical practice.

More information

AC7050 -

Service Improvement and Research Methods in Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

The module is designed to meet the needs of health and care professionals working in Advanced Clinical Practice roles across a diverse range of speciality and subject-specific areas. It will equip you with the knowledge, skills and behavioural capabilities to transform service delivery and secure continuous quality improvement. It will further enable you to identify and appraise existing knowledge or generate new knowledge in the context of uncertain and complex healthcare systems.

Designed to support you to critically engage in research and service improvement activity, it has also been closely aligned with the Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England, research capability pillar (HEE, 2017; p.10). A key focus of this module will be to identify ways in which you can critically engage in research activity, identify the need for further research or service improvements and facilitate collaborative research links. Support being provided to apply the learning within context of individual practice, disciplines, and professional interests.

Throughout the module, you will engage in a wide variety of authentic learning activities and critically examine aspects of the research process and service improvement methods. Utilising good research practice guidance and appraising a range of validated methodologies you will develop a broad understanding of how the various approaches can be used to enhance care provision, promote safety, and improve productivity.

Module tutors who are also active researchers will support you to adopt a critical and reflexive approach, bringing the research and your role in shaping it to life.

More information

AC7082 -

Life Science for Advanced Clinical Practitioners (20 Credits)

The purpose of this module is to allow you to deepen your knowledge of life science for clinical practice, enabling development within your advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) role in relation to all four pillars of advanced clinical practice. You will critically examine the complex interaction of normal physiological processes involved in the control and regulation of metabolism. In your studies you will analyse the manifestations and consequences of altered physiology in response to disease processes, largely appropriate to your clinical specialism. You will also critically appraise the means and methods of measuring the parameters of normal and altered physiology and explore how various pathological manifestations present clinically. Each study day will be specific to a body system and discuss normal anatomy and physiology while common pathophysiology of all body systems will be critically explored. This will link to disease classification, disease processes and compensatory mechanisms involved in homeostasis.

The module will be delivered through a combination of taught, directed and self-directed study. The module will be summatively assessed through a 3,000-word essay, critically analysing a chosen organ dysfunction and discussing the manifestation of this at a cellular level. This will be commensurate with the standard required for advanced clinical practice, working towards Health Education England’s Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England (2017).

More information

Year two

AC7066 -

Non-Medical Prescribing (V300) (40 Credits)

This module will facilitate your development of the knowledge and skills required for safe and effective prescribing from a legally specified UK formulary. Successful completion of all components of the module will lead to the achievement of a recordable prescribing qualification with your regulatory body (NMC or HCPC). The subject areas you will study include assessing the patient and considering prescribing options, pharmacology for prescribing and de-prescribing, legal and regulatory frameworks, providing information, reaching shared decisions, monitoring and reviewing treatments, prescribing safely, professionally and as part of a team and improving prescribing practice.

More information

AC7080 -

Contemporary Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

In this module you will continue to develop and build upon the concepts required of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP). Drawing on the Health Education England Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice, in this module you will explore the four pillars of advanced level practice (clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research) and associated capabilities. The module will enhance your knowledge and skills in each of the four pillars and enable you to analyse and synthesise these to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of your Advanced Clinical Practitioner role. You will explore the global, political and social context of advanced practice and the expectations of the advanced practitioner as clinician, educator, leader and researcher. As an innovative and transformative non-medical workforce role , you will examine the legal, professional and ethical principles informing autonomous advanced level practice. Contemporary theories of leadership, management and change management will support your development as a leader of service innovation and enhanced patient care, delivering and evaluating person-centred holistic care within a multi-professional, multi-agency team, and undertaking practice development, quality assurance and enhancement of service delivery (research, audit, service evaluation, improvement/redesign), including service user/public partnership engagement. As an educator, you will develop your knowledge and application of learning, teaching and assessment theories to create and enhance the learning environment/culture within your service/organisation and establish your ACP role as a mentor, coach, supervisor and assessor. To achieve the level of advanced practice, you will demonstrate your ability to critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (for example, research; local, national and international guidelines/policy; and legal, ethical and professional frameworks) and demonstrate utilisation of this information applied to your clinical practice.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your ACP role in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

AC7083 -

Managing Clinical Complexity in Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

In this module you will continue to develop and build upon your Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) development. This module will aid you in the development of the following areas of your ACP role and will be tailored to your specialist field of practice: you will be able to assess and provide on-going review of patients through the assimilation of complex clinical data; monitor and modify collaborative management plans across complex disease continuums, attain technical ability to perform required interventions to our practice; order and/or interpret clinical and diagnostics interventions to evaluate treatment plans for ongoing management, whilst providing a critical rational for actions; critically appraise the clinical progress of patients to plan care, and communicate findings to patients, relatives, and members of the multi-disciplinary team as appropriate to your practice area; critically review patients, relatives, and members of the multi-disciplinary team participation in decision making for care; explore ethical issues in relation to your advanced practice role; critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (e.g. research, local, national, and international guidelines, and legal, ethical and professional frameworks) and demonstrate utilisation of this information in clinical decisions; and, finally, demonstrate development of management and leadership skills in the organisation of care.
The module utilises a structured core lecture and specialist applied seminar approach to enable you to tailor your learning to your specialist area. You will be encouraged to attend the seminar that is most suited to your learning needs; however, if you are completing a specialist named award you will be required to attend the seminars that are identified as being a core component of your recognised curriculum or standard. The specialist named awards and their recognised standards are as follows:
1. Emergency Care- ACPs working in Emergency Care will work towards the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Emergency Care Advanced Clinical Practitioner Curriculum. https://www.rcem.ac.uk/RCEM/Exams_Training/Emergency_Care_ACP/Emergency_Care_ACP.aspx?WebsiteKey=b3d6bb2a-abba-44ed-b758-467776a958cd&hkey=8244ccaf-e85a-4b1e-8f8d-152484810137&New_ContentCollectionOrganizerCommon=1
2. Primary Care- ACPs working in Primary Care will work towards the Royal College of General Practitioners Core Capabilities Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice (Nurses) Working in General Practice/ Primary Care in England. https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/services/item/724-advanced-clinical-practice-core-capabilities-for-nurses-working-within-general-practice-settings-in-england
3. Advanced Critical Care Practitioner- ACPs working in a Critical Care setting will work towards the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicines Advanced Critical Care Practice curriculum. https://www.ficm.ac.uk/accps/curriculum
4. Sexual Health- ACPs working in Sexual Health will work towards the FSRH, BASHH and NHIVNA Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) Integrated Sexual Health and HIV Specialist Training Curriculum. https://www.fsrh.org/news/fsrh-bashh-and-nhivna-advanced-level-curriculum-acp-for-nurses/

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to demonstrate that you have developed your knowledge and skills in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

AC7084 -

Professional and Practice Development for Advanced Clinical Practice (20 Credits)

In this module, you will continue to develop and build upon the capabilities required of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP). Based on the Health Education England Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice, in this module you will evaluate your knowledge, capability and confidence in leading and enhancing patient care and service delivery. Focused on an area of interest and informed by a robust evidence base, this module affords you the flexibility to apply and reflect on your personal and practice development needs to develop your knowledge, skills and abilities to enhance patient care or service delivery within your practice using systematic and rigorous approaches. You will identify your personal development needs related to service improvement, quality assurance and service enhancement approaches in clinical practice. You will also evaluate contemporary theories of leadership, management and change management to effect and evaluate improvements to patient care and service delivery, including use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) and Patient Recorded Experience Measures (PREMS) in your area of practice. As a leader within a multi-professional, multi-agency team, you will examine strategies for evaluating person-centred holistic care and undertaking practice development, quality assurance and enhancement of service delivery (research, audit, service evaluation, improvement/redesign). This will include analysis of service user/public partnership engagement. You will enhance your ability to critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (for example, research; local, national and international guidelines/policy; and legal, ethical and professional frameworks) and demonstrate appropriate utilisation of these sources to inform developments for clinical practice.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your ACP role in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

Year three

AC7081 -

Dissertation Portfolio for Advanced Clinical Practitioners (60 Credits)

This module will develop you in all four pillars of advanced clinical practice, with particular emphasis on the research, leadership and management, and education pillars. In the module you will critically explore a range of approaches to research, undertake a research study as your dissertation, produce a project report, and present your findings.

For the written component of this module, emphasis will be placed on your understanding of the world view, design and meaning system that will drive your own research study that will form your dissertation. You will pick between an Empirical Project, Service Improvement or Systematic Appraisal. In the module you will revisit and deepen your understandings of a range of key topics linked to the research process; this will include discussion of world views and research paradigms; the research question, aim or hypothesis; research design; working with literature and theory; developing ethical codes; constructing the research sample, collecting robust research evidence, ensuring quality assurance within your research work; analysing both qualitative and quantitative evidence; and writing and disseminating your dissertation findings. You will be invited to attend a series of research seminars during the module and you will have access to a named supervisor for one-to-one supervision. Both the seminars and supervision will encourage you to apply the key areas of learning within this module to your own professional context and field of expertise. This will enable you to critically examine how the research process will work best for your research interests.

The module is the culmination of your ACP studies and you will critically reflect on your overall development as an advanced clinical practitioner, bring together your on-programme learning, and demonstrate how you now work to all four pillars of the advanced practice framework. This will be evidenced by submitting your completed advanced practice portfolio, to include all module assessment components of the dissertation portfolio including an open book exam to map your clinical practice experiences to the four pillars framework.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your research project and portfolio to evidence that you have achieved the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

More information

Any Questions?

Our admissions team will be happy to help. They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901.

Contact Details for Applicants:

bc.applicantservices@northumbria.ac.uk

All information on this course page is accurate at the time of viewing.

Our Campus based courses starting in 2022 and 2023 will be delivered on-campus with supporting online learning content. We continue to monitor government and local authority guidance in relation to Covid-19 and we are ready and able to adjust the delivery of our education accordingly to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.

On-campus contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with any additional restrictions, which may be imposed by the Government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors. This could potentially mean increased or fully online delivery, should such restrictions on in-person contact time be required.

 

Current, Relevant and Inspiring

We continuously review and improve course content in consultation with our students and employers. To make sure we can inform you of any changes to your course register for updates on the course page.


Your Learning Experience find out about our distinctive approach at 
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp

Admissions Terms and Conditions - northumbria.ac.uk/terms
 Fees and Funding - northumbria.ac.uk/fees
 Admissions Policy - northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy
Admissions Complaints Policy - northumbria.ac.uk/complaints





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