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Professional Clinical Practice BSc/BSc (Hons)

The Professional Clinical Practice BSc/BSc (Hons) programme is a part-time, post-registration 'top up' degree or flexible level 6 “graduate” degree, that can flexibly meet your professional needs, whether you are a registered nurse, midwife or allied health professional. 

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Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

This programme has been designed to offer qualified health care professionals, in particular those who do not already hold a BSc (Hons) degree, the opportunity to continue their professional health care education by following a flexible mode of study at academic level 6 to achieve either an accredited BSc (60c) “top up” degree programme or a BSc (Hons) 120c "top up" degree.

Both the BSc and the BSc (Hons) programmes enable you to identify modules relevant to your own clinical practice environment allowing you to develop your professional knowledge and skills which in turn will enable you to develop and enhance the way you practice.

You be taught by a team of experienced specialists and visiting lecturers with contemporary knowledge and clinical currency who will help to broaden your perspective of health and professional practice regionally and nationally. In addition, many teaching teams are actively involved in undertaking research within their area of clinical practice.

A key strength of our programme is its flexibility. You can study just one module for CPD purposes or combine your modules to achieve an academic award.

Please note, this programme does not provide you with additional registration on a professional register.

Awards and credits

  • Institutional credits for CPD purposes (either 15 or 30 credits) only a max of 30c can be studied each semester
  • BSc Professional Clinical Practice (Max 2 years registration time)
  • BSc (Hons) Professional Clinical Practice (Max 3 years registration time)
  • Graduate Certificate (Max 2 years registration time and is offered for students who already possess a BSc degree)
  • Graduate Diploma Professional Clinical Practice (Max 3 years registration time and is offered for students how already possess a BSc degree)

Study opportunities

 

Independent Non- Medical Prescribing  v300 ( NMC recorded)

Students can achieve the V300 Independent Supplementary Prescribing Course (NMC validated) at level 6 by choosing to undertake two modules the PCPH 3005 Applied Prescribing and PCPH 3006 Pharmacology for Prescribers, which are part of the BSc/BSc (Hons) Professional Clinical Practice programme.  

If this is something you are interested in, you must contact Module Leader Hilary Field at hfield@dmu.ac.uk to discuss entry criteria. Access to the programmes must be supported by your employer.

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

Duration: Part time

Start date: October 2024, February 2025 and June 2025

Attendance: Days of attendance differ between modules and delivery mode

Location: De Montfort University Leicester UK

Fees and funding: Those working in the NHS may be eligible for funding through Workforce Development Funding with their employer

For further information: Please contact Deborah Dowsett -  Programme Leader at ddowsett@dmu.ac.uk

This course is not available to international students.

Entry criteria

Standard: 

  • Applicants should usually have a minimum of one year’s post-registration experience, normally within a health practice setting  
  • Applicants should also possess 120 credits at levels 4 and 5 (previously 1 and 2).
  • Nursing students must have an effective registration with the NMC. Students who do not possess level 1 registration with the NMC, may not be eligible to access some modules on the programme due to NMC entry criteria. Students without level 1 registration working in clinical practice must provide evidence of managerial support (for self-funding applicants this is not required, but a discussion with the programme leader may be required).
  • Non-nursing students must have an effective registration with an appropriate UK Professional Regulatory Statutory body (PRSB) in health care. This is not an international programme
  • Applicants must have IELTS 6.5 in all criteria

Or           

Applicants who fall short of the above entry requirements may, in some circumstances, may use the RPL/RPEL mechanism to contribute towards the above criteria in the following way:

  • Students must meet with Programme Leader to assess what their initial UK pre-registration academic equivalence is and also that the student has held an effective registration and has been practising clinically with a professional body within the UK for at least one year. 
  • At the discretion of the Programme Leader, the student may be asked to write a 1000 word essay which is marked at level 6 by the Programme Leader. 
  • If the student passes this successfully they could gain entry to the BSc/ BSc (Hons) programme.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 overall is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Pathways

Teaching and assessments

 

 

The programme has been designed to enable students to undertake modules for continuous development purposes (institutional credits) as well as named awards (BSc) relevant to your specialist area of clinical practice.

This means that students can either undertake individual CPD modules for study or combine these modules in order to work towards an award. Whatever the student wishes to do they must enrol onto the BSc or BSc (Hons) Programme in the first instance. 

View full module listing


Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

 

BSc Professional Clinical Practice

Any optional module up to 60 credits

Total credits: 60

BSc (Hons) Professional Clinical Practice

Module: Any module or a core pathway module up to 90c

Plus

Core module 1: Research Methods in Health Care Practice (15 credits)

Core module 2: Professionalism and accountability in Clinical practice (15 credits)

Total credits: 120

BSc Professional Clinical Practice (Critical Care Adult)

Core module 1: Principles of care of the acutely ill adult in the critical care environment (30 credits)

Core module 2: Applied care of the critically ill adult  (30 credits)

Total credits: 60

 

BSc Professional Clinical Practice (Anaesthetic care)

Core module 1: Perioperative Core Generic Skills and Values – Perioperative and Surgical Practice

Core module 2: Perioperative Core Generic Skills and Values – Anaesthetic Support and Post Anaesthetic Care Clinical Practice

Total credits: 60

BSc Professional Clinical Practice (Surgical Care)

Core module 1: Perioperative practice (30 credits)

Core module 2: Patient safety and Human Factors (surgical focus) (30 credits)

Total credits: 60

BSc Professional Clinical Practice (Neonatal Care)

Core module 1: Neonatal Special and High Dependency Care (30 credits)

Core module 2: Neonatal Intensive care (30 credits)

Total credits: 60

BSc Professional Clinical Practice (Emergency Care)

Core Module 1: Applied trauma and resuscitative care (30 credits)

Core module 2: Applied Emergency Care (30 credits)

Total credits: 60

The programme adopts a range of teaching and learning strategies. Shared learning with other professionals will be a focus of this programme. Students will be encouraged to develop a critical, evaluative approach to the knowledge which underpins health and professional practice.

Strategies include:

  • Teacher-led sessions
  • Student-led seminars and presentations
  • Discussions and tutorials
  • Independent study
  • Focused reflection
  • A range of experiential teaching methods

If you are intending to complete a BSc (Hons) award or a graduate diploma you must complete a total of 120 credits which must include 30 credits from two core modules PCPH 3034 Professionalism and Accountability in Healthcare Practice.

Facilities and features

Facilities

Substantial investment in Health and Life Sciences has developed our teaching and learning facilities to help you develop your practical experience and theoretical knowledge beyond the classroom.

The 19th century Hawthorn Building has facilities designed to replicate current practice in health and life sciences, including contemporary analytical chemistry and formulation laboratories, audiology booths and nursing and midwifery clinical skills suites.

Purpose-built clinical skills areas allow you to apply theory to practice in a safe environment. You will receive guidance and support from staff, to ensure that your practical ability in the clinical skills suites is accurate.

Library

We have 1,500 study places and 650 computer workstations across four sites on campus.

During term time the main Kimberlin Library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, giving access to more than half a million publications and a wide range of DVDs, as well as e-resources and thousands of electronic journals. Award-winning staff are on hand to help and there is a café for study breaks.

We offer a range of workshops, drop-ins and one-to-one sessions, plus our Just Ask service provides email or telephone support.

Learning zones

Our comfortable and well-equipped study areas provide a range of environments to suit your needs.

Originally set up in our main Kimberlin Library, the learning zones proved so popular that more were created in the Eric Wood building and Greenhouse. These flexible spaces are ideal whether you are working as a group, practising a presentation or working quietly on your own.

They feature workstations with power supplies for laptops, plus bookable syndicate rooms with interactive whiteboards and DVD players. Eduroam wi-fi is available across all campus locations.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
Biomedical Placements

Graduate careers

This programme will equip nurses and allied health professionals from a variety of clinical settings to develop their clinical expertise, skills, knowledge and competence. It allows students to either undertake individual modules for CPD study or combine these modules in order to work towards an academic award all of which will enhance your graduate employability.

Biomedical Graduate

Contact details

BSc Programme Leader
Deborah Dowsett
E: ddowsett@dmu.ac.uk

For more information please contact:
T: +44 (0)116 257 7700 
E: lbradmissions@dmu.ac.uk

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