Advanced Clinical Practice MSc - 2026/7
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | Enhanced Professional Practice |
| PGCert | Professional Practice |
Professional recognition
Health Education England
This programme is accredited by the Centre of Advancing Practice.
Health Education England's Centre for Advancing Practice has been established to standardise post-registration education by accrediting advanced practice courses that achieve the standards outlined in the multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework.
Practitioners who have completed accredited education programmes will be eligible to be listed on the Centre's Advanced Practice Directory.
Programme accreditation from the Centre for Advancing Practice will bring a new level of consistency to the workforce and help showcase advanced practice within health and social care.
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Part-time | PTA61115 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Health Studies
Other internal and / or external reference points
Hardy, M. (2021) Advanced Practice: Final Research Report. Available at: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/resources/policy/advanced-practice-full-research-report/ Health Education England (2017) Multiprofessional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England. Available at https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/multi-professional-framework-for-advanced-clinical-practice-in-england/ Health Education England. The Centre for Advancing Practice (n.d) Advanced practice workplace supervision: minimum standards of supervision. Available at https://heeoe.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/advanced_practice_workplace_supervision-_minimum_standards_for_supervision.pdf : Health Education England (2021) The Centre for Advancing Practice Standards for Education and Training https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/June%202020%20SET%20Existing%20programmes%20%282%29.pdf NHS England (2023) NHS Long Term Workforce plan. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan-v1.2.pdf Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2021) Prescribing competency framework. Available at: https://www.rpharms.com/resources/frameworks/prescribers-competency-framework
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences - School of Health Sciences
Programme Leader
STOBBART Mark (Health Sci.)
Date of production/revision of spec
15/11/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- Develop advanced clinical practitioners with expertise and knowledge in the national four pillars of advanced clinical practice; clinical, education, research and leadership and management, who can respond holistically to the global and cultural needs of the individual, communities, and populations.
- Enable students to enhance their employability through critical reflection on their advanced clinical practice and analyse the practice of others, fostering self-awareness and enabling them to create tailored professional development plans.
- Empower students to support, create and lead within advanced practice settings, promoting collaboration and thriving workplaces that prioritise the safety and support of patients and service users.
- Challenge students to explore and understand the complex internal and external dynamics of sustainable healthcare organisations, developing their capacity to analyse key strategic factors necessary to achieve organisational objectives and change.
- Encourage resilience and resourcefulness through continuous evaluation of clinical practices and processes, empowering students to identify, assess, and challenge potential risks. Aim to ensure the creation of safe, high-quality environments for both staff and the community.
- Cultivate innovative thinking among students, emphasising the importance of recognising, implementing, and reassessing change strategies that lead to successful transformations within healthcare services.
- Support the development of competence and openness towards adopting new technologies. Encourage creative engagement with digital enhancements to provide sustainable, resourceful solutions to healthcare challenges.
- Empower students to develop clinical practices that embrace the global uniqueness and diversity within multiprofessional healthcare workforces and populations accessing health and social care services.
- Equip students with an advanced understanding of ethical and professional best practices. Enable them to apply this awareness both personally and strategically in complex clinical scenarios.
- Provide students with a comprehensive understanding of research design techniques and methodologies and enable them to apply this knowledge effectively to drive positive change in clinical practice, and have a wider impact through dissemination.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| Demonstrate advanced clinical skills, knowledge, accountability, autonomy, and professional judgement on when to seek help or modify interventions, to provide high-quality person-centred care, and be responsive to developing advanced practice requirements. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Apply a critically reflective stance when analysing practice to assess, interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose, and manage complexity and risk, within the boundaries of their individual subject specific competence and professional scope of practice, for differentiated and undifferentiated presentations. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Prioritise and promote person centred holistic healthcare, considering physical, psychological, social, cultural and other relevant factors such as confidentiality, dignity, respect and compassion. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Utilise advanced communication skills to facilitate information sharing and collaborative decision-making among healthcare professionals from a range of disciplines, patients, and where appropriate families and carers to explore issues in advanced practice | KPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Exhibit leadership qualities that provide role clarity, effective productivity and manage risk within legal, ethical, professional and organisational polices, whilst fostering interprofessional collaboration, and a culture of mutual respect among healthcare professionals. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Lead and continually develop quality improvement initiatives, by appraising and applying theories of leadership and change management, that enhance patient outcomes and healthcare processes in response to feedback, evaluation, changing population health/service needs, working across boundaries and having a wider sphere of influence, including consultancy across professional and service boundaries to promote best practice. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Advocate, role model and implement organisational and national values regarding person centred care and well-being by navigating and applying complex healthcare policies, regulations, ethical considerations and constructively challenging concerns. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Engage in individual, team and organisational evaluation of advanced practice service effectiveness and implement appropriate strategies that are subject to evaluation. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Critically assess and develop own learning needs across the four pillars of advanced practice to maximise clinical skills and knowledge, and promote interprofessional education and a culture of organisational learning within the healthcare community to inspire and enhance professional development. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Critically explore and reflect on theories of learning, teaching, assessment and accountability relevant to practice to facilitate the professional advancement of self and others including individual and team needs analysis, motivation, peer review, and supportive developmental plans | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Role model professionalism, a culture of learning and develop confidence in others as an educator, supervisor and mentor. | KPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Contribute to the development of advanced practice knowledge and evidence based strategies through critically engaging in manual and digital audit of own and others clinical practice, research and scholarly activities to enhance safety, productivity, quality and value for money, through the application of valid and reliable research methodologies. | KCPT | PGDip, MSc | |
| Develop, implement and critically review governance systems and systematic documentation processes, including the need for modifications. | KCPT | PGDip, MSc | |
| Critically analyse and synthesise findings from audit, evaluation and research to identify gaps within the evidence base and the need for further research. | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Evaluate, develop, apply and disseminate emerging healthcare research and innovations to develop own, others, organisations practice and collaborative links to research networks to improve patient care, outcomes and service delivery. | KCPT | PGDip, MSc |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Part-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over two to five years, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 6/7. All modules are worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
Parts of this programme may be studied outside of the standard University structure and may be subject to professional body requirements
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Unstructured (2-5 years) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Module Selection for Unstructured (2-5 years) - FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
This programme is studied part-time over two-five years, all students will be registered Health Professionals, working within a clinical role appropriate for advanced practice development within UK healthcare. For the duration of the programme students will have a named Co-ordinating Education Supervisor, along with Associate Workplace Supervisors, within the workplace, and who meet the requirements of The Centre for Advancing Practice ¿Advanced practice workplace supervision: minimum standards of supervision¿.
MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
To achieve the principal award of MSc Advanced Clinical Practice a student must complete 180 credits, with a minimum of 150 credits at FHEQ level 7 with the remainder at FHEQ level 6. Core modules and choices for this MSc principal award are:
Transforming Services for Quality 15 credits OR Leading People in Health and Social Care 15 credits (OR for students enrolled prior to September 2024, Strategic Leadership for Healthcare)
Health Assessment Adult* 15 credits OR Health Assessment Child* 15 credits (for students enrolled prior to September 2024 this is not considered a core module and they must instead complete a 15 credit option module)
Educating Health Professionals 15 credits (OR for students enrolled prior to September 2024, Supporting Education in Practice)
Application of Decision Making 15 credits
Independent/Supplementary prescribing (V300)* 30 credits OR Advanced Medicines Management 15 credits and Choice module 1 15 credits (selected from the School's CPD catalogue, subject to availability)
Research Design and Methodology 15 credits
Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning* 15 credits
Dissertation 60 credits
The MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, 180 credits, is the only award provided by the university that will be considered by the Centre for Advancing Practice for their recognition as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
Two subsidiary awards are available within this programme. These subsidiary awards are not considered by the Centre for Advancing Practice for their recognition as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner.
Postgraduate Diploma Enhanced Professional Practice
To achieve the subsidiary award of PG Diploma Enhanced Professional Practice a student must complete 120 credits, a minimum of 90 credits at FHEQ level 7 with the remainder at FHEQ level 6. Core modules and choices for this subsidiary aware are:
Transforming Services for Quality 15 credits OR Leading People in Health and Social Care 15 credits (OR for students enrolled prior to September 2024, Strategic Leadership for Healthcare)
Health Assessment Adult* 15 credits OR Health Assessment Child* 15 credits (for students enrolled prior to September 2024 this is not considered a core module and they must instead complete a 15 credit option module)
Educating Health Professionals 15 credits (OR for students enrolled prior to September 2024, Supporting Education in Practice)
Application of Decision Making 15 credits
Independent/Supplementary prescribing (V300)* 30 credits OR Advanced Medicines Management 15 credits and Choice module 1 15 credits (selected from the School's CPD catalogue, subject to availability)
Research Design and Methodology 15 credits
Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning* 15 credits
Postgraduate Certificate Professional Practice
To achieve the subsidiary award of PG Certificate Professional Practice a student must complete 60 credits from the programme core modules list, a minimum of 45 credits at FHEQ level 7 with the remainder at FHEQ level 6.
*These modules contain assessment tasks where assessment of learning will be completed in the workplace by an appropriate supervisor.
Information on CPD modules can be found at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/healthsciences/professional-development/cpd-modules.htm
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | Y | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | N | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | Y | Students undertake practice in their practice area |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
The School of Health Sciences, Advanced Clinical Practice programme is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
Employability.
All students on the programme will be experienced healthcare professionals and employed in healthcare in a developing advanced practice role. Upon completion of the MSc students can apply for recognition as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner by the Centre for Advancing Practice, this is a widely recognised symbol of quality and allows employers confidence in the standards delivered by the programmes. The current drive within the NHS is for national expansion of Advanced Practice roles, the knowledge and skills acquired within this programme will provide many opportunities to enhance their future careers and employability.
Digital Capabilities:
Students will develop their digital capabilities by the critical use of information, problem solving and innovative approaches, such as technology enhanced learning. Within the modules focussed on the research pillar, students will be required to utilised technology to draw upon data, analyse information, lead and develop change. Across the healthcare arena improvements in clinical care are drawing upon digital health technologies to diagnose and manage many long-term conditions, these are explored at depth within the Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning module. These skills will be transferable to their professional role, whilst working in a dynamic, modern health or social care environment, currently driven by the need for innovation in digital health and transformation of services. The modes of student learning have been designed to encourage student to engage with available digital resources (e.g., self-directed, blended, hybrid, asynchronous/synchronous).
Global and Cultural Capabilities:
The programme's foundation is a multi-professional approach to advanced clinical practice, subsequently drawing on the experiences of all students on the programme. The programme also embraces a holistic person-centred approach to advanced practice and incorporates perspectives and practices that healthcare professionals need to consider to achieve this. Within Health Assessment and Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning in particular the module team ensure that a range of resources are available to support patients from a range of background, a simple example being the use of a broad range of skin tone images, alongside a range of holistic case studies exploring a breath of social, global and cultural presentations.
Sustainability:
Students are encouraged to recognise and respond to the need for sustainable healthcare provision and appreciate the value to advanced practice has in workforce sustainability, resourcing, environmental impact and societal well-being. The leadership modules, Transforming Services or Leading People in Health and Social Care, which are a core for all students, explore at depth an individual clinician's responsibility to ensure national resources are used ethically and sustainably.
Resourcefulness and Resilience:
Throughout the programme students are guided to develop the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt, and respond flexibly to ever changing needs in advanced clinical practice. Awareness of self and development needs, and own scope of practice are essential as a foundation for safe advanced practice and subsequently developing further confidence and competence when making with complex decisions. Reflective clinical logs in Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning formalises this practice. In addition, the use of annual tripartite meetings between the student, clinical education supervisor (practice) and personal tutor (academic assessor) enable opportunities to safely explore the student's resilience and resourcefulness.
Information on University A1 regulations can be located here University Regulations and the 'Code of practice for recognition of prior learning and prior credit: taught programmes' and be located here Codes of practice | University of Surrey
This programme has exemptions from parts of these regulations in that:
Compensation is not available within this programme.
Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (NMC/HCPC) V300 module will be permitted a third attempt, if a third attempt has not already been taken at the relevant academic level.
Recognition of prior learning/credits (RPL/C) will be capped at 60 credits for this programme. However, if a student was enrolled on a MSc First Contact Practitioner/ Advanced Clinical Practice programme at a HEI, and the HEI provide assurance that the Centre of Advancing Practice minimum standards were met during the completion of module credits, up to 90 credits may be eligible for RPL/C. This content applies to University of Surrey regulations only. Please note that for students receiving external funding, there may be additional restrictions on RPL/C required by your funder outside of programme requirements.
Module Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning ¿ where recognition of prior learning/credits is applied for against this module, the credits previously achieved and being used for RPL must have been completed at FHEQ level 7 only and must include evidence of advanced practice supervision.
Students must maintain employment within a suitable developing advanced practice role for and engage with the required supervision for the duration of the programme.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.