Advanced Professional Practice MSc drafted draft

Program Overview

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This taught Masters programme nurtures talented and innovative professional practitioners, placing practice at the forefront. The programme is delivered through nine specialist pathways, enabling students from different professional backgrounds to review and update their practice and benefit from shared learning and then contribute to improving the quality and effectiveness of health and social care provision globally.

This programme produces exceptional practitioners who have:

• Skills necessary to promote and enhance innovative and emerging practice

• Intellectual and transferable skills necessary in positions of leadership

• Skills enabling the review and application of contemporary evidence to practice

The programme and pathways will appeal to practitioners working in a wide range of practice areas who are committed to their own personal and professional development. Graduates of this programme move into senior practice roles, management and leadership positions, or progress onto a career in research or education.

The specialist pathways are:

MSc (Critical and Acute Care)

MSc (Cancer Nursing: Supportive and Palliative Care)

MSc (Leadership and Management)

MSc (Mental Health Care)

MSc (Care of Older People)

MSc (Midwifery Care)

MSc (Care of Children & Young People)

MSc (Intellectual Disabilities)

MSc (Practice Education)

Admission to a specialist pathway often requires students to be working in a related area. The Programme Co-ordinator will provide individual advice on module choices at enrolment.

The programme is offered on a full-time or part time basis and combines face-to-face teaching with online delivery. Those taking the programme on a full-time basis may be eligible to do so incorporating a Clinical Practicum by the agreement with the Programme Co-ordinator.

Advanced Professional Practice highlights

This is a flexible programme that students can adapt to serve the needs of their career.

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Career Development

This course will appeal to registered nurses and midwives working in a wide variety of areas who are thinking about their own career progression.

This programme produces exceptional practitioners who have the skills necessary to promote and sustain innovative and emerging practice. Graduates of the programme go on to positions of leadership or research and teaching careers.

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Student Experience

Students from different professional backgrounds come together on this programme and share expertise, review their own practice and share balanced and critical findings that contribute towards the improvement of the quality and efficiency of delivery of healthcare on a global scale.

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Course content

Program Outline

Course Structure

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Advanced Professional Practice Specialist Pathways:	The pathways have been developed recognising that students are committed to personal and professional development. We have developed nine pathways and supporting modules, some of which require the student to be working in a relevant area of practice. To graduate with the MSc in Advanced Professional Practice with a specialist pathway, students must complete one of the compulsory research modules, two pathway-specific modules, three optional modules and a dissertation.
Pathway 1: Leadership and Management	The leadership and management pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in leading and managing services across health, social care and independent sectors. The pathway modules focus on leadership and management theories and models and their practical application to the transformation and delivery of care and support in the context of multi-agency collaboration and service design and delivery.
Pathway 2: Midwifery Care	The midwifery care pathway, open to Registered Midwives or those eligible for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments in midwifery care and support. The pathway develops the knowledge of midwives to enable the provision of infant, women, and birthing people centred care, and the support of their families. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in midwifery practice and the provision of evidence based, safe, effective care within maternity services and in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.
Pathway 3: Critical and Acute Care	The critical and acute care pathway offers students an opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the assessment, care and support of patients in critical and acute care services, including respiratory, cardiac, anaesthetics, HDU and ITU settings. The pathway modules focus on the assessment and management of patients in critical and acute care environments and the delivery of safe and effective care and support in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration. Students completing this pathway must be an NMC registered Adult Nurse, or eligible to join the NMC register as an Adult Nurse. Some modules require experience in specific areas of practice.
Pathway 4: Mental Health Care	The mental health care pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in contemporary advances and developments in mental health practice to enable the delivery of empathic, holistic assessment and care of patients experiencing mental ill-health and the support of their families and carers. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in mental health care and treatment and delivery of safe and effective mental healthcare services in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.
Pathway 5: Cancer Nursing: Supportive and Palliative Care	The cancer pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the specialist knowledge and skills required to deliver contemporary, holistic, high-quality evidence-based care for patients with cancer and the support of families and carers. The pathway modules focus on biomedical aspects of cancer and holistic care and the design and delivery of cancer services through strategic leadership in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.
Pathway 6: Care of Older People	The care of older people pathway offers students an opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in contemporary advances and developments in the care and support of older people. The pathway modules focus on the assessment and management of older people across primary, secondary and tertiary care, frailty and rehabilitation, and health and wellbeing in later life in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.
Pathway 7: Intellectual Disabilities	The intellectual disabilities Pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments in intellectual disability practice to enable the delivery of empathic, holistic assessment and care for people with intellectual disabilities and the support of their families and carers. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in intellectual disability care and support and delivery of safe and effective services in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration
Pathway 8: Care of Children & Young People	The children and young people pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments in the care and support of children and young people in the delivery of empathic, holistic care of patients and the support of their families and carers. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in the care and support of children and the delivery of safe and effective care and services for children and young people in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.
Pathway 9: Practice Education	The practice education pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in contemporary theories and models of practice education to enable the delivery of clinical interventions to meet the needs of patients in a range of care settings. The pathway modules focus on education research, theories, models, assessments, skills teaching and evaluation to support the delivery of safe and effective skills sharing and clinical interventions in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration and person-centred care.
Research Modules and Dissertation	All students must undertake at least one of these modules: Applied Research Methods and Statistics in Nursing; OR Qualitative Research Methods All students must undertake a 15,000-word dissertation, focusing evidence of critical appraisal, analysis and thinking to support rational and cogent arguments and practice discussion at Master’s level.
Specialist Optional Modules	Students can combine modules from the specialist pathways above with a selection of options including: Clinical Inquiry and Applied Practice Based Research Pharmacotherapeutics for Practice Independent Study Module Please note that modules are subject to viable numbers, so the modules offered may vary. If you are interested in a subject that is not listed above, please contact the school for advice.

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People teaching you

Professor Michael Brown

Academic Lead for Continuing Academic Development and Postgraduate Courses

School of Nursing & Midwifery

m.j.brown@qub.ac.uk

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Contact Teaching Hours

Medium Group Teaching 9 (hours maximum) hours of classes per week

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Teaching Times

Teaching is across a combination of morning, evening and afternoon classes with some modules being taught entirely online.

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Career Prospects

Introduction

This Masters in Advanced Professional Practice offers an opportunity for students to develop skills of analytical thinking within a clinical context. Alongside this, the programme facilitates the student's continued professional development. Graduates of this programme progress into management and leadership roles, or continue into a research or education capacity.

Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with our local world-class healthcare providers helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.

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Learning and Teaching

Learning opportunities associated with this course are outlined below:

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Learning Environment

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic potential.

On the MSc in Advanced Professional Practice we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners.

Teaching is across a combination of morning, evening and afternoon classes with some modules being taught entirely online.

Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course include; lectures, practical experiences, E-Learning technologies, Self-directed study and added value qualifications to enhance employability.

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Assessment

Assessments associated with the course are outlined below:

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Students must successfully complete six modules including one compulsory research module and a dissertation. The pass mark for all taught modules and the dissertation is 50 per cent. Each module is assessed by coursework (some modules have a written examination).

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Facilities

The School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen's has one of the most advanced Clinical Education suites in Europe, and we are introducing a new state of the art Simulation Centre in Autumn 2020. This will prepare students for the increasingly challenging and complex realities of modern clinical practice.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofNursingandMidwifery/ClinicalEducationCentre/

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Prizes and Awards

Applicants are welcome to apply for the Patricia Napier scholarship; details are here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofNursingandMidwifery/Study/Scholarships/

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Overview

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Modules

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Modules

The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2022/23). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.

Year 1

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Core Modules

Dissertation

(60 credits)

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Optional Modules

Health and Well-being in Later Life

(20 credits)

Nursing Care of Older People

(20 credits)

Frailty, Rehabilitation and Enablement

(20 credits)

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation

(20 credits)

Heart Failure Nursing

(20 credits)

Cancer Services, Design and Strategic Involvement

(20 credits)

Acute Cardiac Nursing

(20 credits)

Applied Biomedical Science in Respiratory Nursing

(20 credits)

Mental Health Essentials

(20 credits)

Practice teaching and learning for health and social care professionals

(20 credits)

Physiology: Homeostasis in Acute/Critical Health Care

(20 credits)

Enabling Inter Professional Practice

(20 credits)

Theories and principles of practice education

(20 credits)

Contemporary Care Delivery in Intellectual Disability Practice

(20 credits)

Holistic Approach to Cancer Care

(20 credits)

Advances in Health Evidence and People with Intellectual Disabilities

(20 credits)

Implementing Continuity of Midwifery Carer (CoMC) for All Women

(20 credits)

Applied Biomedical Aspects of Cancer Care

(20 credits)

Complexity in Pregnancy: Midwifery Care for Women and their Families

(20 credits)

Successful leading for health and social care professionals

(20 credits)

Health Assessment

(20 credits)

Principles of Critical Care in Midwifery

(20 credits)

Applied Research Methods and Statistics in Healthcare

(20 credits)

Qualitative Research Methods

(20 credits)

Pharmacotherapeutics for Practice

(20 credits)

Enhancing care and practice for children with complex health care needs

(20 credits)

Perspectives of family centred health & social care

(20 credits)

Enhanced Person-centred Practice

(20 credits)

Leading in Health and Social Care

(20 credits)

Nursing Care of Older People

(20 credits)

Health and Well-being in Later Life

(20 credits)

Evidence Based Practice

(20 credits)

Perinatal Mental Health

(20 credits)

Independent Study Module

(20 credits)

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Course content

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Entry Requirements

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Career Prospects

Introduction

This Masters in Advanced Professional Practice offers an opportunity for students to develop skills of analytical thinking within a clinical context. Alongside this, the programme facilitates the student's continued professional development. Graduates of this programme progress into management and leadership roles, or continue into a research or education capacity.

Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with our local world-class healthcare providers helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.

Additional Awards Gained(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)

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Prizes and Awards

Applicants are welcome to apply for the Patricia Napier scholarship; details are here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofNursingandMidwifery/Study/Scholarships/

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Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills

In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.

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Entry requirements

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Fees and Funding