Apprenticeship - MSc - Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship

• Demonstrate ability to systematically and holistically search for health needs at individual, family, group and community level.
• Use effective communication, negotiation and leadership skills in effective collaborative working with statutory, voluntary and private agencies.
• Undertake health assessment, screening and surveillance with individuals, families, groups and communities for health protection, prevention of ill-health and to promote health and well-being.
• Flexibility to easily blend academic study and work to enhance personal and career development

In year one apprentices will focus on developing the foundations of advanced clinical practice, enabling them to build the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for safe and effective autonomous practice. Apprentices develop advanced consultation, assessment and clinical decision-making skills to manage patients with undifferentiated and complex presentations. Academic study is closely integrated with workplace learning, allowing apprentices to apply theory to practice while critically evaluating evidence to inform and improve patient care.

Year 2 builds on year 1 foundations by strengthening clinical autonomy, leadership capability and professional influence. Apprentices further develop advanced clinical skills within their scope of practice and enhance their ability to lead and influence service delivery and patient outcomes. Where eligible, apprentices undertake independent and supplementary prescribing, expanding their clinical responsibility. Workplace learning continues alongside academic study to consolidate advanced practice across clinical, leadership, education and research pillars.

Year 3 focuses on service improvement, evaluation and consolidation of advanced practice competence. Apprentices complete a service evaluation project that benchmarks current practice against national standards and proposes evidence-based improvements. The programme culminates in the End Point Assessment, where apprentices demonstrate achievement of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship standard by evidencing their advanced clinical expertise, leadership, professional judgement and impact on patient care and service delivery.

How you will learn

Learning takes place both via the University academic modules and in the workplace and uses real work-based activities to inform and evidence that learning has taken place. You must have a named educational supervisor to support your learning in the clinical environment who is responsible for assessing your achievement of competency in practice.

Each of the modules within the programme has its own ‘module descriptor form’ (MDF) and this sets out the indicative allocated learning hours. For example, the 200 learning hours for a 20-credit module in year one comprises: Scheduled learning and teaching = 36 hours Work Based learning = 136 hours Guided independent study = 28 hours

How you will be assessed

Overview of the methods of assessment used on the programme within each year of study Year 1 HPHA7120 - Patchwork Text HPHA7121 - Case Study & Viva HPHA7122 - Written assignment. Year 2 HPHA7123 - Poster presentation Non-Medical Prescribing – see separate Programme Specification for this. HPHA9100 - OSCE (plus e-portfolio submission for those learners on the fast-track route) Any apprentice taking optional modules as part of their training plan, these are all written assignments. Any apprentice on the fast-track route will undertake the Service Evaluation in year 2 and undertake EPA following this if all relevant criteria for Gateway are met. Year 3 HPHA7124 - Service Evaluation HPHA9101 - E-portfolio submission for apprentices on a standard-length training plan. EPAG9102 - Readiness for Gateway and EPA HPHA7127 - End Point Assessment if all relevant criteria are met.

Career Outcomes

Following the programme, you will become an Advanced Practitioner within any healthcare setting and you will be in a senior role. ‘Some of you may go on to undertake credentials within your area of speciality, either through the Royal College of Emergency Medicine or through the endorsed credentials from NHS England. You may wish to undertake further study at PhD Level or undertake a professional doctorate. You may also aspire to consultant level practice.

Applicants must be on the NMC Nursing Register/Health and Care Professionals Council Register or its equivalent, and have regular access to an advanced practice environment.
Applicants will have 3 years (pro rata) experience in their clinical field. Applicants are required to have a clinical educational supervisor to support their clinical learning and undertake their practice assessments. This support needs to be recorded on a weekly basis as evidence of ongoing development towards the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the apprenticeship standard and will be reviewed at the scheduled tripartite reviews. Applicant's workplace is subject to an educational audit of the learning environment.

All applicants for the programme are interviewed to establish their personalised training plan and that they demonstrate the ability to benefit from and successfully complete the course. Normally applicants must hold an Honours degree classification 2ii or above in a cognisant subject. Applicants who do not hold a 2ii Honours degree will be considered as a non-standard entrant. Standard University practice will be followed with respect to applicants without traditional entry requirements. Non-standard entrants are required to demonstrate ability to benefit from and successfully complete the course. All non-standard entrants are interviewed.

Applicants will need to provide evidence of successful study at Level 6 (or equivalent) within the last 5 years.

Applicants to this programme must have a minimum of Level 2 qualifications in English and Maths as a pre-entry requirement.

GCSEs: Level 2 in Maths and English

Other experience: Applicants will need to provide evidence of successful study at Level 6 (or equivalent) within the last 5 years

Selection Criteria

Students for whom English is a second language may be required to provide evidence of passing an International Language Testing System (IELTS) with a score of 7.0 with a mean score of 6.5 in all elements. Applicants will be interviewed by a member of the Advanced Practice team as well as the employer so that any APL and prior learning can be acknowledged and used to develop the individual needs assessment and inform the individual learning plan.
The application must be supported by two references one of which must make reference to the applicant's professional competence. One referee must be the applicant's current employer. It is expected that applicants will have in place a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS check). If an additional DBS check is required, it is the responsibility of the applicant or employer, to arrange for and fund this.
Where an apprentice arranges to undertake a placement outside a contract of employment, there is an expectation that adequate arrangements for indemnity insurance will be in place and this is the employer / apprentice's responsibility.

• N/A - UK

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

Funding

Degree apprenticeships are only offered to students undertaking the course as part of their employment. The apprenticeship training is therefore funded by the employer using their apprenticeship levy, with or without a contribution depending on the size and status of the organisation. Apprentices will not be required to pay any fees and will not be eligible for Student Finance England maintenance support as they are in receipt of a salary. See further information on our Information for Aspiring Apprentices page. The University will typically charge the maximum fee for the standard, before applying reductions based on accepted prior learning which is determined at application on an individual basis. To discuss sponsoring a learner on programme please contact apprenticeships@cumbria.ac.uk