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Clinical Professional Development PGDip

Enhance your professional development and prepare for future facing roles in healthcare with this Postgraduate Diploma for graduate health professionals. Tailor this highly flexible course to your individual requirements and develop advanced research skills.

Overview

Course length: 1.5-3 years part-time
1.5-3 years part-time
Start dates: February 2025
September 2025
February 2026
Location: Edge Hill University
Subject(s): Health and Social CareMedicine
Faculty: Health, Social Care and Medicine
Department: Medical School

Providing a comprehensive, innovative, diverse and flexible portfolio of modules within a multi-professional framework, this Postgraduate Diploma enables graduate healthcare professionals to support their ongoing professional development.

The programme is suitable for a wide range of graduate health professionals, including medical doctors, dentists, physician associates, nurses, and those working in the allied health professions. Patient safety is at the heart of the course, underpinned by professional knowledge and a robust evidence-based approach to practice.

The flexibility in module choice will ensure you can tailor the course to your individual needs and career plan, enhancing your employability and translating theory into practice to improve health outcomes. The modules you select can evolve as you study to complement your current and changing job role as a healthcare professional.

You will be supported in the development of transferable skills, research skills and professional attributes throughout your student journey. Successful graduates of the course are well placed to play a significant role in the delivery and development of aspects of medical and clinical practice, education, leadership, research and policy.

What you'll study

The PGDip Clinical Professional Development is a part-time programme where students will usually study 60 credits in each academic year.

A typical student journey of two years would allow you to choose any of the programme’s optional modules in your first year of study up to a maximum of 60 credits. While offering a significant degree of optionality, individual modules will focus on integrating theory into practice. They also aim to develop in-depth knowledge and understanding, as well as behaviours and skills, to support you in working safely and autonomously in a complex and challenging work environment.

In the second year of study, you will be required to complete one of two core research methods modules, the choice being dependent on your job role and area of expertise. You’ll also study additional modules to provide you with a further 60 credits in total.

For more information about each module, including the dates and times of module sessions, please see our Continuing Professional Development Modules for Health and Social Care Practitioners pages.

One of:

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Developing Research Capabilities for Advanced Clinical Practice
Research Methods

Five of:

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Advanced Respiratory Care Practice (Adult)
Assessing Learning and Evaluating Teaching
Context of Advanced Practice
Delivering Teaching and Facilitating Learning Opportunities
Developing a Business Case for Change and Innovation
Developing Clinical Skills and Capabilities in Advanced Practice (Adult)
Developing Potential in Others
Health Promotion
Identification and Management of Frailty and Complex Care
Inclusivity in Clinical Education
Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From Aetiology to Diagnosis and Management
Leading People Through Change
Medical Leadership
Non-Medical Prescribing
Promoting Professionalism and Ethics in Multidisciplinary Practice
Strategic Clinical Leadership
Supporting the Postgraduate Learner in the Medical Workplace
Teaching and Learning in the Clinical Context
Teaching and Learning in the Medical Workplace
Transforming End of Life Communication and Spiritual Care
Transforming End of Life Trajectories
Transforming Integrated Palliative and End of Life Care
Ultrasound Scanning for Reproductive Medicine
Promoting Integration and Collaboration for Mental Health

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

Diverse teaching and learning strategies will be used, ranging from individual one-to-one sessions to supported online learning, small group work and tutor-led lectures.

While the majority of classes will take place at Edge Hill University, some modules may involve studying at sites elsewhere, in which case you will be responsible for travel and parking costs. Other modules may be delivered online or be available in a hybrid format where you can attend online or in person.

You can expect to receive your timetable at enrolment. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day or evening of the week.

How you'll be assessed

Assessment methods vary according to the demands of the module but can be through assignments, objective structured clinical examinations, portfolios, seminar presentations and work-based learning projects.

Who will be teaching you

The programme team comprises of expert staff with many years of experience in clinical practice. This includes working in areas such as emergency care, paramedic practice, respiratory care, mental health, primary care and medical practice.

You will also be taught by associate tutors from primary and secondary care, neurology, biological sciences, and areas of senior healthcare management.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

To join this course, you should be a graduate health professional with a degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours (2:2 or above) in a relevant healthcare-related subject. Applicants with a third-class honours degree with additional evidence of academic ability may also be considered.

You will need to provide evidence that you have access to a suitable workplace environment. A suitable reference, normally from your line manager, to confirm your suitability to join and complete the course is also required to support your application.

An interview forms part of the selection process.

English language requirements

While international students who are not resident and working in the UK cannot currently join this course, if you are working and resident in the UK but your first language is not English, you will need IELTS 6.5 overall, with a score no lower than 6.0 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course.

Please choose the application form for your preferred intake date and mode of study.

 

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Visit Edge Hill University

There’s plenty of opportunities to come take a look around campus. Attend one of our open days to see what life at Edge Hill University is all about.

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Facilities

Faculty of Health, Social Care and MedicineThe Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine offers outstanding facilities for the education and training of health and social care professionals.

The contemporary teaching and learning resources include leading edge clinical skills facilities, an 860-seat lecture theatre, and a variety of teaching rooms and social learning spaces.

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Part-Time

Typically £50 per credit

for 120 credits

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students joining postgraduate courses at Edge Hill University.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see our EU student finance page for further details.

Your future career

On successful completion of this course, you will have the skills, knowledge and expertise needed to play a significant role in the delivery and development of aspects of medical/clinical practice, education, leadership, research and policy.

Patient safety will be at the heart of your practice, underpinned by professional knowledge, values and behaviours.

You may wish to continue postgraduate study may use the credits achieved within this award towards other programmes at Masters level within the Postgraduate Clinical Professional Development Framework at Edge Hill University, subject to meeting entry requirements and any specific core module criteria within those awards.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

Download our course leaflet