THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION FOR Masters in Advanced Clinical Skills 1) Awarding Institution: University of Edinburgh 2) Teaching Institution: University of Edinburgh 3) Programme accredited by: Not applicable 4) Final Award: Masters in Advanced Clinical Skills 5) Programme Title: Masters in Advanced Clinical Skills 6) UCAS Code: Not applicable Relevant QAA Subject Benchmarking Group(s): Not applicable 7) Postholder with overall responsibility for QA: Suzanne O Rourke (SHSS) 8) Date of production/revision: October 2013 9) External Summary (200-250 words) As a School and Subject Area, we are committed to offering our students new opportunities to enhance their professional practice and gain further and higher academic qualifications. The part time on line MSc in Advanced Clinical Skills is set to reach experienced healthcare professionals, in practice, and engage them in a flexible mode of learning. This new and innovative Masters degree provides students not only with core theoretical courses that support Evidence Based and Person Centered Practice, but also a. plethora of opportunities to engage in skill acquisition at an advanced level. Our unique approach to experiential learning is maximizing the potential of Information and Communication Technologies and present students with relevant and accurate simulated clinical reality. By so doing we enable students to be closely guided, to develop a reflective approach and to hone new skills and tools in a safe and supportive environments. This pathway offers those who operate in a modern and technology enabled care arena, an opportunity to trail blaze innovative practice. Encapsulating the essence of team working, our students will also learn alongside as well as from each other whilst putting into practice the vision of assets based approach to health and well-being.
Educational aims of programme: The principal aim of the Programme is to offer an academic pathway for experienced healthcare staff and support their needs to meet the increasing demands for more and better healthcare services. The programme will produce staff who are able to operate successfully at an advanced level, alongside other professionals who share similar skills, behaviour, knowledge and understanding. Completing the programme will also equip learners with the tools to enhance service provision whilst embracing advancement of practice, which sees rapidly changing needs of both healthcare practitioners and their service users. 10) The educational aims are to: enable students to develop in depth knowledge and critical understanding of the pillars of advanced practice, including facilitation and clinical education, leadership, research as well as development of self and others. equip students with the analytical and problem solving skills to critically appraise, embed and promote evidence based practice. develop ICT and e-learning literacy skills that will enable students to discuss, share, present and analyse data and information in various formats and from a range of sources. promote creativity and innovative practice through the provision of a stimulating and challenging theoretical and experiential simulated environments. equip students with a wide range of transferable skills including: o skills of critical thinking, high level of judgment and decision making o skills in developing and facilitating coproduction of content for students, staff and service users o self-evaluation and skills needed for being a role model for others o time-management skills and skills in managing complexity in healthcare context o oral and written communication skills promote a culture of reflective lifelong learning and gain the core skills needed by an autonomous learner equip and enable students to apply advanced skills, knowledge and behaviours relevant to their specific area of practice. 11) Programme outcomes: 11a) Knowledge and understanding The programme equips students with the knowledge, skills and understanding of: coproduction and the use of health assets to promote person centred care compassionate care models, the senses framework and emotional labour methodologies relevant to eliciting feedback, reflection and analysis of clinical practice user centred design of assistive technologies and Telecare fundamental concepts of evidence based practice and how to apply these within clinical settings
critiquing a unique body of literature, consisting of empirical and theoretical content, that relates to their specific practice area principles of clinical education teaching and learning 11b) Graduate attributes: Skills and abilities in Research and enquiry Following the programme which is shared between SHSS and MVM, the students gain essential skills for advanced and evidence based practice. These include: critical understanding of the role of research and evidence based healthcare critical understanding of systematic and purposeful clinical enquiry in healthcare the ability to deal with complex issues, both on a practical and ethical level, which are core to advanced clinical practice 11c) Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Personal and Intellectual Autonomy Critical and analytical abilities are essential elements for an autonomous professional who operates at an advanced level. Students will thus have evidenced their ability to work independently whilst also collaboratively, engaging with clinicians, carers and other service providers. Graduate attributes in this area are: the ability to assess and analyse complex clinical presentations and to plan, implement and evaluate prescribed evidence based practice an understanding of the need for optimal level of ethical, social, cultural and wider professional conduct honest self-awareness and ability to take personal responsibility and grasp opportunities for self-development an awareness of the provisional nature of healthcare knowledge, how knowledge is created, advanced, renewed and ever changing the capacity for innovation and impact and entrepreneurialism a commitment to personal and continuing professional development 11d) Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Communication Communication is the heart of safe and efficient healthcare provision and sharing of timely and relevant information is vital for effective practice. Graduate attributes in this area are: the ability to use information from peers and in a paper based or paperless systems, as the tool for collaborating and supporting person centred care the ability to capture, access and safely share information from diverse sources including patients, service users and carers the ability to create content in formats that support effective communications with a range of stakeholders
the ability to draw on the quality and breadth of their University experience to engage effectively with co-workers the ability to communicate and effect change and be responsive to the situations and environments in which they learn and work seeking and valuing open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness Understanding the social and ethical skills of communication. 11e) Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Personal Effectiveness Graduates of the Masters in Advanced Clinical Skills will look to drive change and embed innovation into practice. As such, personal effectiveness and the ability to lead and act as a role model are amongst the critical attributes for our graduates as well as: an ability to use their talents constructively to create and harness opportunities to advance practice and lead change a responsiveness to changing care needs, being both flexible and proactive in finding suitable solutions the confidence to make decisions based on their advanced knowledge, skills and understanding of best clinical practice an ability to flexibly transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from one clinical context to another an understanding of social, cultural, and environmental responsibilities and issues an ability to work effectively with or lead others, utilising different experiences and advanced skills an ability to contribute to the local and wider community and influence decision making the ability to recognise and manage risk while initiating and managing change 11f) Technical/practical skills Graduate attributes in this area are: the effective skills in and use of e-learning. ICT and library resources the practical skills to design a dynamic package of care that includes Assistive Technologies effective listening and interpersonal skills excellent team working skills the application of evidence based and reflective practice to own clinical sphere the clinical and cognitive skills needed to support person centeredness effective time management skills 12 Programme structure and features This Programme is part time over 3 years. Students exit with a Masters in Advanced Clinical Skills
Overview of MSc Advanced Clinical Skills Programme (DPT) Credits SCQF Summative assessment level Core Courses (60 credits taught courses plus 60 credit dissertation) Diagnostic Skills, decision making and clinical assessment 20 11 As specified in course Person Centred Care in practice 20 11 As specified in course Evidence Based Medicine (Practice) 20 11 As specified in course Dissertation 60 11 10 15,000 word dissertation Take between 40 and 60 credits from the following Optional courses Clinical Education 20 11 As specified in course Telecare 10 11 As specified in course Leadership maximising your potential 20 11 As specified in course Supervised Reading 10 11 As specified in course Other Optional Course** (See below) 20/10 11 As specified in course Take between 0 and 20 credits from optional courses from across the University Optional Course 20 11 As specified in course Total 180 credits SCQF 11 ** Optional courses: Research methods in nursing and healthcare A Research methods in nursing and healthcare B Telehealth Managing Risk and Promoting Resilience Critical Issues in Intellectual Disability and Dementia Prerequisites apply to some of the optional courses above. Optional courses may not be available every year. Marking scheme All items of work will be marked according to the common marking scale. Candidates who achieve an average mark of approximately 70 across all the taught courses and a mark of at least 70 for the dissertation will be recommended for the award of MSc with distinction
Entrance Requirements An undergraduate degree in healthcare related practice (e.g nursing) and a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience The submission of a detailed personal statement written against specific guidance Lower qualifications may be considered at the discretion of the Programme Director and the Nursing Studies Post Graduate team If the applicant s first language is not English, an IELTS of at least 6.5 with a score of at least 6.0 in all sections is required Access to a computer with internet connection that enables course content to be accessed. Access to an appropriate healthcare facility where the student could hone newly acquired skills. 13. Teaching and Learning Methods and Strategies Teaching approaches and methods across the programme are focused on effective use of Distance and Online Learning (DOL), whilst following the principles of supporting adult learners. To enhance both knowledge gains and skill acquisition, experiential learning will be used and the programme will strive to maximise students reflections, both on action and in action. The courses in this programme are offered on-line only. Courses are taught through a combination of teaching methods, directed self-study, independent study, reflection and online learning using a range of methods / technologies. Students will have full access to the University of Edinburgh digital library collections including a large selection of ebooks and ejournals. 14. Assessment Methods and Strategies The methods of assessment will vary between courses and include online presentations, reflective narrative, course papers and essays, assessed rapid differential diagnosis and assessed contribution to an electronic discussion boards. A novel assessment route will be used to ascertain whether the professional is able to use new knowledge in practice and perform new skills in a safe and competent manner. The use of a validated reflection scoring rubric will ensure our students are indeed developing new perspectives, which could be used to enhance their skills and inform their practice. 15. Career Opportunities This MSc will offer experienced healthcare practitioners a unique opportunity to enhance their clinical, leadership and learning skills, as well as broaden their specialist practice knowledge.