Advanced Practice in Health Care MSc/PGDip

The Advanced Practice in Health Care courses enable experienced health care professionals from varied clinical backgrounds to develop their skills and knowledge to an advanced level of practice.

Key Features of the Advanced Practice in Health Care

Performance:

• access to over 20 years accumulating extensive knowledge and experience in Advanced Practice

Teaching and Employability:

• mapped against the prospective Advanced Nurse Practitioner competencies of the Nursing and Midwifery Council
• complies with the competencies provided by the Royal College of Nursing, 2012 (RCN) and its high standards of course delivery
• students are taught by a team of active practitioners consisting of Advanced Nurse Practitioners, an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner and a Medical Doctor

Advanced Practice in Health Care has been offered at Swansea University since 1992. It is continually refined to ensure it remains at the forefront of contemporary practice.

Modules for the Advanced Practice in Health Care course are designed to enable the clinician to develop knowledge and skills essential to the role of an advanced practitioner i.e. enhanced assessment, diagnostic and disease management skills. Students may also undertake studies for non-medical prescribing.

The Advanced Practice in Health Care course enables students to develop their critical and creative thinking skills in relation to clinical practice to an advanced level.  additionally, they are able to develop their knowledge and skills in their roles as researchers, educators, managers and leaders.

Modules

Modules on the Advanced Practice in Health Care may include:

• Foundations in Research
• Clinical Assessment and Diagnostic Skills 1
• Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology for Advanced Clinical Practice
• Advanced Practice and Education
• Clinical Assessment and Diagnostic Skills 2
• Advanced Practice: Management and Leadership
• Clinical Assessment for Health Care Scientists
• Introduction to Research in Professional Practice
• Planning Research in Professional Practice
• Advanced Practice for Upper and/or Lower Gastrointestinal Endoscopist
• Developing Autonomous Practice
• Working in Community and Primary Health Care Practice
• Working in Community and Primary Mental Health Care Practice
• Working with Individuals, Families & Communities in Primary Health Care Practice
• The Management of Parkinson's Disease-Related Conditions
• Physical Health Issues in Adult Mental Health Practice
• Developing Your Neonatal Clinical Skills
• Enhancing Your Neonatal Clinical Skills
• Public Health Evidence and Epidemiology
• Contemporary Issues in Forensic Mental Health
• Foundations in Public Health and Primary Health Care
• Management and Leadership for Public Health Practice
• Partnerships, Public Health and Epidemiology
• Foundations in Health Promotion
• Developing Programmes and Evaluation
• Public Health Practice
• Chronic Condition Management: Diabetes
• Health Protection
• Policy Influences on Your Practice
• Therapeutics and clinical dilemmas in practice
• Understanding Health and Social Care
• Public Health Ethics
• The Social Aspects of Long Term and Chronic Illness
• Infection Control Strategy, Policy and Practice
• Advanced Practice and Education
• Advancing Practice in End of Life Care
• Developing Practice in Minor Injury and Minor Illnesses
• Innovating Cancer Rehabilitation Practice
• Causes and management of critical illness
• Principles of Safe Practice in Clinical Transfusion Management
• APeL Work Based Learning 2
• Resuscitation and Management of the Critically Ill Patient 1 & 2
• Professional Issues in Advanced Critical Care Practice
• Managing Primary Care Practice
• Leadership & Partnership Working in Primary Health Care
• Advancing Practice in Primary Care
• Health in Childbearing
• Introduction to Law and Medicine
• Philosophy, Ethics & Medicine
• Psychology of Health care Management
• Politics and Policies
• Quality Improvement
• Comparing Health Care Systems
• Economic Evaluation in Health Care
• Organising Health Care
• Evidence and Research for Health Care Management
• Social, Cultural and Economic Context of Health
• Theory and Practice of Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
• Applied Anatomy and Pathophysiology for Long Term Chronic Conditions Management
• Clinical Decision Making
• Health Psychology of Long Term and Chronic Illness
• Chronic Pain Management
• Theory and Practice of Long Term and Chronic Conditions Management
• Dissertation

Advanced Practice in Health Care Course Structure

The Advanced Practice in Health Care course is taught at the St. David’s Park site in Carmarthen. There are two student intakes per year, one in October and another in March. Students also have access to the extensive facilities at the Singleton Park campus in Swansea.

The course consists of two parts.

For students beginning the course in October, Part One modules are taught for one day a week between October and May for the first two years.

For students beginning the course in March, Part One modules are taught for one day a week between March and January for the first two years, however teaching days are in line with normal University holidays.

Part Two consists of the dissertation which has to be submitted by 30th September in the third year.

The Advanced Practice in Health Care programme comprises several compulsory modules with some optional modules available.

Assessment

Advanced Practice in Health Care students are assessed using a variety of methods including essays, presentations and objective structured clinical examinations. The assessment for each module must be successfully completed.

Who Should Apply?

The Advanced Practice in Health Care is suitable for:

• experienced registered nurses
• other healthcare practitioners 

Staff Expertise

The Academic Lead for the Advanced Practice in Health Care team works on a national basis with the Welsh Government on advanced practice policy.

Several members of the teaching team have published books and papers on the subject of Advanced Practice. 

Links with practice

Practitioner teachers are employed within the local NHS

Several members of the teaching team work on committees with Hywel Dda Health Board and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. Clinical mentors support students in practice.

Postgraduate Community

The College of Human and Health Sciences has a vibrant postgraduate community with students drawn from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. The College is known for its friendly, welcoming and supportive environment, which combined with its extensive facilities, state-of-the-art technology and superb beachside location, helps to ensure that students benefit from an exceptional student experience. In addition, students have access to a wide range of excellent facilities and equipment for realistic workplace experiences.

Visit the Advanced Practice in Health Care MSc/PGDip page on the Swansea University website for more details!