Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship MSc
Chester , United Kingdom
Tuition Fee
Start Date
2025-09-01
Medium of studying
On campus
Duration
3 years
Program Facts
Program Details
Degree
Masters
Major
Midwifery | Nursing | Pharmacology
Area of study
Health
Education type
On campus
Timing
Part time
Course Language
English
Intakes
Program start date | Application deadline |
2025-09-01 | - |
2026-09-01 | - |
About Program
Program Overview
Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship MSc
Overview
This course is available in Clearing for 2025 entry.
Level
- Postgraduate
Start date
- Sept 2025, Sept 2026
Duration
- 3 years
Location
- Wheeler, Chester
UK fees
- Employer funded
- More on UK fees
International fees
- N/A
Accreditations
- Accredited with NHS England
Course Summary
To prepare Allied Health Professionals, Nurses, Midwives and Pharmacists to practice as Advanced Clinical Practitioners as defined by Health Education England (2017).
Why You'll Love It
- Teaching Team: The majority of our teaching team are still in regular clinical practice which brings clinical currency and freshness to each session.
- Dedicated Service User Team: We have a team of dedicated service users who support the delivery and assessment of our programme.
- NHSE programme accreditation: Our programme is accredited with NHS England and this ensures that all of our successful students are recognised as Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) by NHSE and hold an ACP digital pin.
What You'll Study
- Level 7
- The first year is predominantly the clinical year. We introduce the four pillars of advanced practice as defined by HEE (2017).
- Most of our students choose to complete Non-medical Prescribing during the second year as their 40 credit option modules.
- The clinical dissertation continues into the final year and covers all four pillars of advanced practice.
Modules
Work Based Project Module (Single)
- Module content: Project details including description, rationale and aims are specified in the Project Learning Agreement.
- Module aims:
- To provide an opportunity for learning to be achieved in the work context.
- To facilitate strategic development within the work place for the mutual benefit of employer and employee.
- To enable students to use the knowledge and skills gained through theoretical study in a practical situation.
Work Related Professional Skills - double module
- Module content: Negotiation of tripartite agreement of learning experience(s) based on in-service staff development activities cited in the agreement.
- Module aims:
- To provide maximum potential for study in specialised areas, whilst providing a rigorous and structured framework for learning.
- To give students the opportunity to apply and develop subject specific skills and knowledge required for their individual progress.
Independent Study
- Module content: Module content will include defining the topic area, rationale for choice, learning contract negotiation, action planning and goal setting, assignment guidance, and more.
- Module aims:
- To enable students to critically analyse a topic relevant to their practice area in depth, using an action plan, and to justify strategies for future practice.
- To enable the student to expand and develop their knowledge of an area of interest relevant to their clinical practice.
Advancing Independent and Supplementary Prescribing in Practice
- Module content: The RPS (2021) generic Prescribing Competency Framework forms the basis of the curriculum and has been used to inform the design and delivery of the programme.
- Module aims: The aim of this module is to enable the autonomous professional to attain the competencies as identified by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2021) Framework for safe effective prescribing practice.
End Point assessment (Advanced Clinical Practice Integrated Degree Apprenticeship)
- Module content: Local, national policies and procedures within scope of students own area of practice, professional and regulatory codes of own and others practice, professional boundaries, and more.
- Module aims: The aim of this module is to enable students to demonstrate achievement of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship Standards (Institute for Apprenticeships, 2018) and prepare and undertake the end point assessment.
The Four Pillars of Advanced Practice (Dissertation)
- Module content: The module content will include portfolio development, applying research pillar to own clinical area, applying education pillar to own clinical area, and applying leadership pillar to own clinical area.
- Module aims: This module aims to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement and critically reflect upon the four pillars of Advanced practice, clinical, leadership, research and education contextualised to their own clinical practice.
Core Knowledge for Advanced Level Clinical Practice
- Module content: The module content will include history of Advanced Clinical Practice, increased level of responsibility, self-awareness and team working, key documents, legal frameworks, and more.
- Module aims: The aim of this module is to enable the trainee advanced clinical practitioner to develop the core knowledge required for advanced level clinical practice.
Advanced Level Consultation and Decision-Making to Formulate Differential Diagnosis 1
- Module content: The module content will include formulating differential diagnosis, interpreting the evidence to justify clinical decisions, working in partnership to understand the influences of individuals, society and communities on health and access to health care services.
- Module aims:
- To prepare the learner to perform clinical consultations to determine and justify differential diagnosis.
- To prepare the learner to ensure decisions made and care given is evidence based ensuring any gaps in evidence are identified and addressed.
- Work collaboratively with service users to understand the factors that affect their individual health care needs.
Advanced Level Consultation and Decision-Making to Formulate Differential Diagnosis 2
- Module content: The module content will include formulating differential diagnosis, interpreting the evidence to justify clinical decisions, exploring how to evaluate the impact of the ACP role and clinical decisions made on the service as a whole and on quality of care provided.
- Module aims:
- To prepare the learner to perform clinical consultations to determine and justify differential diagnosis.
- To prepare the learner to ensure decisions made and care given is evidence based ensuring any gaps in evidence are identified and addressed.
- To understand the impact of the ACP role on quality of services delivered.
Who You'll Learn From
- Hannah Leeson, Senior Lecturer
How You'll Learn
- Teaching will be through lectures, supervised practice, workshops and simulation based learning.
- Assessments include exams, OSCEs, assignments, dissertation and presentations.
- This course is designed around in-person study.
- There may be some online learning activities.
Entry Requirements
- Home Students
- International Students
- We ask for a Level 2 Maths and English GSCE at C/4 or the achievement of a GCSE equivalent such as Level 2 Functional Skills.
- You need to have successfully completed degree-level academic modules.
- You need to have a current registration with one of the statutory regulators of health and care professions.
- We usually ask for a minimum of two years’ post-registration experience.
Where You'll Study
- Wheeler, Chester
- City centre location
- Health and Social Care simulation suite
- On-site library
- Social spaces
Fees and Funding
- Home Students
- Additional Costs
- Bursaries
- per 20 credit module (2025/26)
- Maximum funding for this apprenticeship at the University of Chester is currently £12,000.
- Apprenticeships are funded by employers.
- For levy paying employers (organisations with a pay bill of over £3m per year), the total cost of the course will be directly met through levy contributions in the employer’s digital account.
- For non-levy employers (organisations with a pay bill of less than £3m per year) there are other funding options.
Your Future Career
- Job Prospects: To prepare Allied Health Professionals, Nurses, Midwives and Pharmacists to practice as Advanced Clinical Practitioners as defined by Health Education England (2017).
- Careers service: The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences.
Related Courses
- Non-medical Prescribing Level 7 40 credits
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