DA7006 - Contemporary Advanced Clinical Practice

What will I learn on this module?

In this module you will continue to develop and build upon the concepts required of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP). Drawing on the Health Education England (HEE) Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice, in this module you will explore the four pillars of advanced level practice (clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research) and associated capabilities. The module will enhance your knowledge and skills in each of the four pillars and enable you to analyse and synthesise these to inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of your Advanced Clinical Practitioner role. You will explore the global, political, and social context of advanced practice and the expectations of the advanced clinical practitioner as clinician, educator, leader, and researcher. As an innovative and transformative non-medical workforce role, you will examine the legal, professional, and ethical principles informing autonomous advanced level practice. Contemporary theories of leadership, management and change management will support your development as a leader of service innovation and enhanced patient care, delivering and evaluating person-centred holistic care within a multi-professional, multi-agency team, and undertaking practice development, quality assurance and enhancement of service delivery (research, audit, service evaluation, improvement/redesign), including service user/public partnership engagement. As an educator, you will develop your knowledge and application of learning, teaching, and assessment theories to create and enhance the learning environment/culture within your service/organisation and establish your ACP role as a mentor, coach, supervisor, and assessor. To achieve the level of advanced practice, you will demonstrate your ability to critically appraise contemporary sources of evidence (for example, research; local, national, and international guidelines/policy; and legal, ethical, and professional frameworks) and demonstrate utilisation of this information applied to your clinical practice.

If you are studying for a specialist named award, you will be expected to develop your ACP role in the context of the nationally recognised standard of advanced practice associated with that award. Please refer to the programme specification document for more information about specialist named awards.

How will I learn on this module?

The module will be delivered using a blended learning approach, including a combination of guided study, structured core lectures and applied seminars (including enquiry-based learning where applicable). The classroom-based sessions will be interactive and will be designed to help you to explore your topic areas identified within your guided study. You will be expected to participate in class discussion and group work, share your own expertise, contribute, and develop debate and make recommendations for practice. The core lectures will focus upon contemporary theories, policy and evidence and will explore emerging issues surrounding the complexities of implementing and evaluating the advanced practice role. The seminars will utilise a case-based discussion and/or enquiry-based learning approach in which you will work collaboratively with your lecturer and peers, and present findings generated from your activities.

You must successfully complete both module assessments. These take the form of a presentation and a written assignment which will enable you to demonstrate your in-depth and critical understanding of advanced level practice, the expectations of the advanced clinical practitioner role holder, and how to apply these to your own role and context.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

You will be supported by the module team members, who are specialists in their clinical field, through formative feedback in the group-led seminars and tutorials throughout the module. You will also receive feedback from your peers, as many of the activities are designed to be student-led with module tutor facilitation. Contact with the module team is available in person, via telephone, email, and the electronic learning portal.

You will have access to both library and student support services. The latter is offered via a 24-hour IT Helpline, and includes Student Support and Wellbeing Services, Skills Plus (to support your academic work) and an Ask4Help Service for other enquiries. These are all available in person at Student Central on Coach Lane Campus and online. You will be allocated a personal tutor who will provide appropriate pastoral support and guidance during your studies.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding (K&U):
K&U 1. Critically evaluate national and international policies, research and professional frameworks defining contemporary advanced level practice, synthesising these into own role and area of practice

2. Critically examine the professional, legal, and ethical issues relevant to the broadened level of responsibility, autonomy, and scope of practice of an advanced clinical practitioner

3. Critically analyse the leadership and management challenges facing advanced clinical practice in healthcare provision, applying relevant contemporary leadership, management, and education theories, and change management models, to ameliorate these.

Intellectual/Professional skills & abilities (IPSA):
IPSA 4. Critically appraise and synthesise the outcomes of research, evaluation and/or audit using the results/findings to inform own and others’ practice to enhance patient care and service delivery.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
PVA 5. Critically examine your own ACP role as clinician, educator, leader, and researcher in the workplace, identifying own learning needs that address on-going professional development across the four pillars of advanced clinical practice

How will I be assessed?

Formative

Throughout the module you will receive feedback from module leaders, practice mentors and peers through seminar discussion of the framework that underpins advanced clinical practice. This will provide you with the opportunity to improve and develop learning through deeper understanding, reflection, and peer experiences.

Aligned to the education pillar for the ACP role, you will be required to submit a short PowerPoint presentation which will provide an overview of your analysis of the workplace as a learning environment for health professionals with an action plan for developing this.

(All MLOs)

Summative

You will be expected to submit two elements.

A 3000-word assignment critically analysing the implementation of the four pillars of advanced practice in your own role (60% of your mark). This is an electronic submission via the university eLearning Portal. Feedback will be electronic and individualised to identify good practice and suggest areas for development.

(MLOs- 1-4)

A 15- minute presentation drawing on relevant evidence and aimed at MDT/senior managers to outline the purpose and benefits of your ACP role, and how this can be evaluated (40% of your mark). A feedback template will be provided for you to gain feedback from your audience.

(MLO- 5)

Pre-requisite(s)

None

Co-requisite(s)

None

Module abstract

Based around the Health Education England (HEE) Multiprofessional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice, in this module you will explore the four pillars of advanced level practice (clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research) and associated capabilities. The module will enhance your knowledge and skills in each of the four pillars and enable you to analyse and synthesise these to inform your clinical decision-making, focusing on the development and implementation of your Advanced Clinical Practitioner role. The module will challenge you to identify how healthcare policy impacts on your area of advanced clinical practice. To develop and demonstrate your competence, you will be working in a clinical practice setting and your progress in meeting national core and area-specific capabilities will be assessed.

The module will be delivered via a combination of guided study, structured core lectures, seminars, and enquiry-based learning. These learning activities will enable you to explore the expectations of advanced level practice and how these inform your role as an advanced clinical practitioner. The assessment strategy will enable you to analyse the development of advanced clinical practice, the expectations of the advanced clinical practitioner and consider how this role will be implemented and evaluated in your service. There are 2 components to the assessment, and you must successfully complete both the assessments.