Developing Clinical Skills and Capabilities in Advanced Practice HEA4118

Overview

Developing Clinical Skills and Capabilities in Advanced Practice is taken as a core module within year 1 of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) programme (direct entry, HEE fees funded and apprenticeship route). You will be equipped with the skills, ability and knowledge to undertake clinical examination and undertake relevant diagnosis investigation for adult patients. The module traverses all health care sectors including primary, secondary and tertiary areas, and is open to allied health professionals working at an advanced level of practice.

Module code:	HEA4118
Level:	7
Module credits:	40
Cost for new students:	£2000 for 2024/25 academic year.

If you are an existing student who is undertaking this module as part of a programme, your fee will have been advised to you by email. You can also check your fees online. For any queries, please contact [email protected].

If your tuition fee is being paid by a sponsor or you are a sponsor paying a student’s fee, you are required to send a copy of a purchase order to [email protected].

For further guidance please visit: Sponsored students – Edge Hill University

Who is this module for?

Developing Clinical Skills and Capabilities in Advanced Practice has been designed to support practitioners across all domains of clinical practice including primary, secondary and tertiary settings. The module is open to allied health professionals who have a clinical responsibility for clinical examination, diagnosis, and management of adult patients. This module is available to students on a registered programme within the University, and can be studied as a stand-alone module.

What are the key aims of the module?

The module aims to support and develop you to:

• Demonstrate critical insight of professionalism, autonomy, roles and responsibilities required of the advanced practitioner, acting within the limits of defined scope of clinical practice and the multi-professional team informed by a contemporaneous evidence base. (Pillars: Clinical Practice, Leadership & Management, Education, Research)
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the structure and function of the human body in health and disease related to common clinical conditions to inform safe and effective clinical practice. (Pillars: Clinical Practice, Education)
• Adopt an ethical person-centred approach, across clinical environs and teams to critically apply advanced knowledge, skill and judgement in undertaking and documenting patient/client consultation within the context of a holistic health assessment. (Pillars: Clinical Practice, Research)
• Synthesise collated information, demonstrating critical clinical reasoning, to inform decision making to effect a safe and evidence-based management plan (Pillars: Clinical Practice, Leadership & Management, Research)

How will I study?

The module has several methods of delivery including face to face teaching, lead lectures, workshops, clinical activities, practical demonstrations and supervised practice. You will also work alongside your clinical supervisors within your place of practice, and complete a portfolio of evidence which explore the various aspects of clinical examination and diagnostic skills. To compete the module you must have access to the various clinical areas in order to meet the learning objectives, this is applied to both pathway and stand-alone students.

What will I study?

Whilst focusing largely on clinical practice, this module constructively aligns to the four pillars of ACP as defined in clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research. A system-based, person-centred approach to learning is utilised focusing on: respiratory, cardiovascular, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, nervous, musculoskeletal, ENT systems, with mental health and health needs assessments, dermatology in adults and an overview of paediatrics.

Using a face-to-face approach, students will undertake independent, directed online study prior to the block for each of the body systems/topics, focusing on the normal structure and function of the human body initially. Thereafter, common clinical conditions, pathophysiology are studied, which will provide a robust foundation to scaffold the development of clinical skills, diagnostics and management, underpinned by best evidence.

How will I be assessed?

Formative assessment is integral to this module throughout the teaching/learning sessions and assessments. Assessment of theoretical knowledge is through an unseen examination (MCQ and short answer paper), a written clinical case report and six station PACES exam (Practical Assessment of Clinical Skills – PACES). You will also have an E-Portfolio to complete which traverses the three years of the programme. If this is taken as a stand-alone module, assessment will include the E-Portfolio, that spans the module. To enable you to be assessed you MUST have a clinical supervisor, who must be a registrar, consultant (GP) and/or a trained ACP qualified for two years.

Due to the nature of the module, it may be required that you source external placements in order to complete the portfolio element.

On successful completion you will:

The aim of this module is to develop generic (non-specialist) clinical skills, notably: the ability to elicit and record an accurate medical history, perform clinical examinations, request appropriate investigations, apply critical clinical reasoning to effect safe, effective, person-centred management plans. Critical reflection on care pathways to inform personal development, cognisant of the wider multidisciplinary healthcare team is essential to enhance practice/outcomes and define personal learning needs.

This module has therefore been designed in accordance with this strategic direction and provides practitioners with a formal process of developing knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that are recordable and measurable and align to the four pillars as professional requirements for advancing practice, with a principal module focus (but not exclusively) on the clinical practice pillar (HEE,1,2,3).

The module forms the foundation for future development in clinical skills for an advanced practitioner, which will be built upon in years 2 and 3 of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, when students can choose optional modules that can develop more specialist clinical skills relevant to their scope of practice.

Study dates and venues

How to apply

Module availability varies from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Due to the popularity of some modules, it may be that the module is fully booked when your application is received. We will include your details on a waiting list and allocate you a place on the next available intake.

For details of how to apply, please visit the apply page.

If you have any queries about studying with us, please complete the online enquiry form.

Please note, the January 2025 intake is now full. Applications will be rolled across to the June 2025 intake.

Contact us

For further information please contact the medical school administration team [email protected].

Pathways

This module is taken as a core module for the advanced clinical practice (ACP) (direct entry and apprenticeships route), PGC/PGD/MSc Clinical Professional Development and other health programmes as appropriate.

Can also be taken as a stand-alone module.