Program Overview

Advanced Clinical Management Skills

Overview

This 20-credit Level 7 module offers you the opportunity to develop your advanced communication, clinical assessment, examination, and clinical decision-making and management skills in your field of practice. This will be assessed via an Objectively Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

Working at an advanced level of clinical practice, you'll develop the ability to critically analyse, synthesise and review care decisions by discussing, debating, and reviewing alternative approaches to care delivery that meet the medico-legal requirements for advanced practice and have ethical and moral principles embedded throughout.

Why us?

• You'll study this module with practitioners on the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship, creating a community of learning practices that is clinically beneficial to the student learning experience

Course structure

This module is delivered fully face-to-face at the University of Sunderland’s city campus via interactive lectures, simulations, and problem-based learning. There is a total of 88 hours contact time with additional self-directed study available via the virtual learning environment.

You'll study a variety of topics including history-taking skills, physical assessment skills, diagnostic indicators, clinical decision-making skills, clinical decision making theory, medico-legal law for advanced practice, and evidence-based advanced practice.

A typical day on campus, usually a Wednesday, comprises of:

• 9 – 10:50am: disease-specific assessment, symptom management, monitoring, when to refer, self-management, managing exacerbation/decompensation and palliation
• 11am – 1pm: disease-specific assessment, symptom management, monitoring, when to refer, self-management, managing exacerbation/decompensation and palliation
• 2 – 4pm: Practical assessment skills via simulated patient interactions

Assessments

Assessment 1: Assignment

Theoretically, you'll deconstruct a complex case from practice and critically appraise the care decisions made, the interventions undertaken and identify, debate, and analyse the key components of your decision-making. You will then review the outcome of the case to critically appraise and justify the clinical actions you've taken in a written report.

Assessment 2: Objectively Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

You'll undertake an OSCE assessment which assesses your ability to take a structured history, perform focused examinations, and determine a provisional and differential diagnosis and management plan for a complex scenario. You'll then provide your clinical rationale by answering a viva question.

Facilities

• Helen McArdle House is based on our City Campus and has benefitted from a multi-million pound investment in modern facilities in recent years.
• Many of our healthcare courses are taught here, including Nursing, Paramedic Science, and Healthcare Sciences.
• The building is made up of a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including mock hospital wards, OSCE suites, the Patient Diagnostic Suite, Mental Health and Wellbeing Suite, and seminar and IT classrooms.
• A lot of academic staff offices are based here, with an open-door policy in place.

Entry requirements

• To be eligible for this role, you must be a registered health care professional who is looking to earn a credential as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner via the NHS England portfolio route.

Fees and finance

• The fee for this course is £840.
• The employer usually meets these costs, therefore we advise you to speak to your workforce development lead before applying.
• We also accept self-funded applicants and encourage anyone wishing to explore their options to contact us.

Career ready

• This module can be studied as a standalone CPD option for healthcare professionals wishing to credential as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner with NHS England (formerly Health Education England).
• Alternatively, this module can be studied on MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner.