Advanced and Specialist Healthcare - PCert, PDip, MSc

Teaching

Teaching and assessment

Assessments will be made in the following ways: written assignments; project plan submission; oral presentations; coursework assignments; seminar contribution; dissertation; contribution to online activity i.e. via Moodle; student forums. In addition, in Stage 3 you complete a dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

• Foster the intellectual and professional development of experienced healthcare practitioners to extend and deepen the analytical and critical reasoning powers which underpin practice (e.g. in organisational leadership and change, health and welfare systems, organisations and services and advanced technical procedures and practices).
• Enhance the skills of experienced practitioners in multidisciplinary decision-making as well as leadership in teams and deepen understanding of the dynamics of multidisciplinary working.
• Provide supervision for advanced practitioner centred research that builds a culture of evaluation and enquiry into the practice environment.
• Equip experienced practitioners for their role in challenging, questioning and realigning strategies for specialist practice.
• Develop confident senior practitioners who are able to participate in the development of practice, work effectively with organisational interests, evidence-based processes, and within complex multidisciplinary teams.
• Enable practitioners to critically evaluate their own area of practice informed by evidence-based research and grounded in self-reflection.
• Provide a culture of lifelong learning that values and respects practice as the context for building and testing theory to enhance services for patients/clients/consumers/customers and their families.
• Enable experienced practitioners from a diverse range of educational backgrounds to access and participate in a multidisciplinary working environment.
• Support a programme of personal development that underpins practice development and personal planning.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• Theories of reflective practice which will equip the learner in delivering quality services in health and social care settings.
• Leadership styles to develop theory and skills appropriate to specialist areas of practice.
• Strategic decision-making in healthcare services and other health and social care and organisational settings.
• A specialist area of practice with emphasis on developing both the clinical skills and skills to evaluate quality and assess clinical or general practice.
• Critical analysis of models of care of patients, clients, service users, customers and consumers through evidence-based practice.
• The learning process of collaborative working in an area of specialist practice.
•  Practice-based research and enquiry underpinned by concepts of patient/client assessment, such as critical analysis of medical, health and social care factors.
• Theory-building and theory-testing in professional practice including holistic factors such as health or disease, treatment and sociologic economic factors.
• Data Management and the main statistical principles and methods used in area of practice.
• The key ethical and legal principles governing area of practice. 

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills to:

• Demonstrate critical and analytical reasoning to review and analyse contemporary practice.
• Prepare and present clearly reasoned and justified argument in securing practice change and development.
• Apply work-based learning to demonstrably enhance services.
• Develop a comprehensive professional portfolio that identifies the utility of intellectual skills in practice.
• Design and implement a programme of practice-based enquiry.
• Collect and analyse data from practice to inform evidence-based enquiry including the statistical analysis of data.
• Undertake and report ethical analysis of practice research project-plans.
• Understand the importance to professionalism of positive critique, response to feedback and reflective practice. 

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills to:

• Demonstrate effective engagement in team working appropriate to workplace.
• Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of change management in healthcare services/
• Develop new roles that support the interface between the strategic aims of service and practice.
• Present and argue an evidence based case for service change and development.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills to:

• Enable acquisition of skills of evaluation and enquiry that support the practitioner in making a contribution to professional knowledge in their subject field.
• Ability to design and implementation of a research programme with a clear analysis of the outcomes and recommendations for future action.
• Clear and detailed reporting and accounting for the implementation and outcomes of an applied development project.
• Skilled utilisation of action learning set approaches to solve problems and identify solutions.
• Effective use of work-based learning to establish a future personal plan within the context of lifelong professional development.
• Use of supervision to inform and enhance learning approaches in the workplace.
• To communicate with clarity in academic settings and in professional / work place settings.     
• Show evidence of critical self-reflection and the ability to enhance professional competence on the basis of feedback. 

Careers

Our staff have a wealth of experience and knowledge working in public, private, health and third sectors, providing valuable contributions to the design, development and delivery of current professional practice programmes. With strong links to local and national employers, we are able to ensure that its programmes are contemporary.

We are also responsible for developing and accrediting postgraduate training courses delivered by Health Education England (Kent, Surrey and Sussex), Kent Community Health NHS Trust and the New Horizons Teaching School Alliance, with whom the University of Kent has close working relationships.

Dynamic publishing culture

Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books, both nationally and internationally. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Public Health, Advanced Journal of Professional Practice, Primary Dental Care; Dental Nursing; British Dental Journal and publications produced by the dental council.

Study support

We recognise and understand the individual needs of working professionals, who participate as non-traditional part-time learners, and the balance required between study and the specific areas within which they operate. Our flexible programmes of study provide inclusive and coherent educational and work-related opportunities, which provide you with the opportunity to study either individual modules or to work towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or Master’s degree. Taught sessions are delivered in a welcoming, supportive and flexible academic environment, by an academic team with extensive professional practitioner experience.

Students will receive normal tutorial support in order to allow them to complete the programme, in addition, Programme Directors will be expected to ensure that support is in place for student’s work place managers where applicable; in order to help them understand the needs of the programme and the way in which the programme is able to enhance their employees everyday practice. Where required, students should ensure from the outset that they identify a work or practice-based co-supervisor or mentor for their dissertation project work. 

Disability Statement: Where disabled students are due to undertake a work placement as part of this programme of study, a representative of the University will meet with the work placement provider in advance to ensure the provision of anticipatory and reasonable adjustments in line with legal requirements

Continuing professional development (CPD) courses

We offer a number of CPD courses in evidence-based practice, research skills, collaborative and interprofessional working. You can obtain further information by checking our Short courses page. 

Global Skills Award

All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.