Triangle

Course overview

This course is designed for practitioners to develop in-depth knowledge, skills, and confidence to autonomously manage complex cases within specific areas of practice.

You will learn to lead, educate, and develop the research skills synonymous with working as an advanced clinical practitioner and develop key skills to manage complex clinical problems.

Focusing on high-quality teaching with plenty of opportunities to develop clinical skills in a practical setting, our course provides an educational structure that links to relevant competency frameworks and supports the Health Education England Multi-Professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice. At Nottingham, we have excellent links with our partner NHS trusts.

You will be taught by experts in their field who are passionate about advanced practice. They will support you throughout the course to aid your professional development into a clinically competent practitioner.

A key benefit is that you will work alongside students from a variety of backgrounds and specialist fields, giving you the chance to share experiences and best practice across multi-professional teams.

This course is not open for international application. 

Why choose this course?

Apprenticeship route

is available to fund your Advanced Clinical Practice MSc

Find out more about
our degree apprenticeships

Multiprofessional team

You'll be taught by bio-scientists, anatomists and clinicians

96%

96% of our submitted research was judged to be World-Leading or Internationally Excellent, and our research environment was rated 100% World-Leading. 

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Course content

MSc Advanced Clinical Practice is a part-time masters degree over three years.

When making an application it is important to ensure you have support from your employer and meet the requirements for working as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner for your situation. It is therefore advisable to contact the Programme Director before making an online application.

Modules

History Taking, Clinical Examination and Decision Making 1 40 credits

Take a systematic clinical history, conduct a comprehensive physical examination, recognise and describe abnormal clinical signs and report the findings, when necessary, to a senior clinician in a structured way.

History Taking, Clinical Examination and Decision Making 2 20 credits

Take a systematic history, conduct a physical examination and synthesis data to inform clinical decision making, order appropriate interventions, implement care and evaluate performance.

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Tuesday 25 October 2022.
Non-Medical Prescribing 40 credits

You will take one of the following courses dependent on your profession:

  • Independent and supplementary prescribing for Nurses and Midwives
  • Independent & supplementary prescribing for Physiotherapists, Paramedics, Podiatrists & Chiropodists
  • Supplementary prescribing for Dietitians
  • Preparing to prescribe for non-prescribing professionals
Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio Project 60 credits

This module requires you to develop your portfolio of practice competencies through an e-Portfolio and three written assessments.

The module runs from January of Year 2 to December of Year 3.

Please note that the Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio Project begins in January of Year 2 and runs until December of Year 3.

This module requires you to develop your portfolio of practice competencies through an e-Portfolio and three written assessments. 

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Tuesday 25 October 2022.

During Year 3, you will complete the Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio Project which you will have started in Year 2, as well as the following Year 3 Core Module.

Transition to Advanced Clinical Practice 20 credits

This module considers the role transition and professional identity in advanced practice. Topics include:

  • Leadership
  • Risk Management
  • Legal & ethical issues
  • Advanced practitioner roles within a multi-disciplinary context

This module considers the role transition and professional identity in advanced practice. You will hear a range of inspirational talks from role models in the field of Advanced Clinical Practice. Topics include:

  • Building a career in clinical and academic education
  • Research and innovation
  • Leadership
  • Workforce wellbeing
The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Tuesday 25 October 2022.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • eLearning
  • Clinical skills sessions
  • Lectures

You are taught by experts in their field who are passionate about advanced practice. Students find the course challenging but transformational and appreciate the opportunity to develop the clinical knowledge and understanding that leads to enhanced decision-making skills, ensuring high quality, safe and effective patient-centered care. 

How you will be assessed

  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Presentation
  • Oral exam
  • Coursework
  • Objective structured clinical exams
  • Assignments

To complete a module and gain its credits you will need to make sure you attend your timetabled sessions and get over the 50% pass mark.

To achieve the MSc, you will need a total of 180 credits.

Contact time and study hours

Teaching contact time is approximately 7.5 hours each week. You will also take part in self-guided independent study outside of timetabled contact hours. 

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2023 entry.

Undergraduate degree2:2 or above
Work experience

All applicants must be qualified health care professionals, typically with five years of experience in professional practice or longer; applicants join the course with the written agreement of their employer.

In negotiation with the course director, you must identify an appropriately qualified clinical supervisor before commencing the course.

Applying

The application deadline for this course is 1 November 2023. 

Our step-by-step guide covers everything you need to know about applying.

How to apply
Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Where you will learn

Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Our Medical School is based in Queen’s Medical Centre, one of the UK’s largest hospitals.

There are dedicated clinical skills facilities including a dissection suite and teaching laboratories for medicine and healthcare students.

The hospital is located opposite University Park Campus and connected by a footbridge for easy access. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

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Where you will learn

Clinical Skills Centre

We have a dedicated Clinical Skills Centre in our Medical School (Queen's Medical Centre).

You will benefit from clinical learning within this simulated environment, enabling you to develop confidence in your practical skills.

We have a number of rooms that simulate different environments to enrich your learning experience. This includes mock-hospital settings, consultancy rooms and a community/home setting.

Fees

Qualification MSc
Home / UK £14,000
International N/A

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, such as printing, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses. You should be able to access most of the books you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles. 

Funding

A degree apprenticeship route is available for this programme.

By combining real work with rigorous study, degree apprenticeships help you to develop a highly-skilled workforce.

Designed with employers, our degree apprenticeships are a cost-effective way to attract, develop and retain talent. Apprentice apprentices don’t pay fees; funding comes from the apprenticeship levy or Government co-investment. 

There are many ways to fund your postgraduate course, from scholarships to government loans.

Careers

We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students.

Expert staff can help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.

Each year 1,100 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route. Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in senior roles for NHS trusts (such as clinical specialists, advanced practitioners, modern matrons), universities (such as lecturers and senior academics, lecturer practitioners, researchers) and in private practice.

Career progression

98.6% of postgraduates from the School of Health Sciences secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £25,986.*

*HESA Graduate Outcomes 2020. The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

We have co-produced our curriculum with local employers to make sure that we are meeting the needs of their workforce. Our partners include:

Two masters graduates proudly holding their certificates
" We have a team of 21 Advanced Clinical Practitioners in the Emergency Department at Nottingham University Hospitals, all graduates from the MSc programme. The MSc programme has consistently given us graduates who are clinically competent and ready to work as advanced clinical practitioners. "
James Pratt, Lead for ACP in an Emergency Department

This content was last updated on Tuesday 25 October 2022. Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur given the interval between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.