2017/18 Taught Postgraduate Programme Catalogue

MSc in Clinical Care

The programme is only available part time.

Total credits: 180

Entry requirements:

Applicants will;
Hold current registration with an appropriate health care professional body

Possess an Honours Degree (normally 2:1 or above) in a Health Related Discipline from a recognised higher education institution

Have a demonstrable degree of professional engagement with current healthcare practice, to be assessed via interview

Work in a clinical area.

Opportunities for accreditation of prior certificated learning (APCL) and/or accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL) are available.

Applicants who have completed previously approved School of Healthcare Post Graduate programmes may enter the programme with advanced standing.

Students for whom English is not their first language must meet the Universities entry criteria for English language, as stated in the current Taught Postgraduate Admissions Policy.

School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:

School of Healthcare

Examination board through which the programme will be considered:

School Progression and Awards Board, School of Healthcare

Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:

There are no subject benchmark statements of relevance

Programme specification:

The Masters in Clinical Care has been designed to meet the needs of experienced healthcare professionals who wish to explore current clinical care and make improvements to it. It is anticipated that practitioners will need a certain level of experience in order to fully appreciate the complex nature of care delivery. The goal of the masters is to enable students to explore different ways clinical care can be undertaken and delivered and to use their professional expertise, and knowledge of the research base, to postulate an alternative. An evaluative research study is undertaken in the 3rd year to "test" the proposed change.

The knowledge, skills and attributes required by clinical "experts" in practice at masters level have stemmed from discussions with education managers and clinical experts from local Leeds Acute and Community Trusts, plus discussions with an educational programme commissioner from Health Education Yorkshire and Humber. They identified a number of areas which need to be developed in expert practitioners including:

- Skills to be able to both appreciate and evaluate the evidence base of care
- Knowledge and skills surrounding designing services
- Leadership and the management of change skills

As a group, local Trust education managers are keen to support students undertaking a programme which addresses these factors as a result.

It is not surprising that the views of Trust education managers mirror those of political commentators on the National Health Service. The current political climate in the healthcare sector is one of austerity in which savings targets in the National Health Service are very much to the fore, for example it is suggested that 5 billion could be saved annually within the NHS by 2019/20 (Review of Operational Productivity in NHS Providers, Lord Carter 2015). However, "framing the debate in terms of efficiency and costs also risks losing the opportunity to engage clinical staff in the challenge of changing the way in which care is delivered" (Better Value in the NHS. The role of changes in clinical practice. The Kings Fund 2015). Clinical staff are in the best position to change the way care is delivered and the Masters in Clinical Care offers them a direct way of engaging with this process.

The Masters consists of 4 core modules which run in a logical order over 3 years, plus a number of optional modules to the total value of 60 credits. The evidence based practice and leadership in healthcare modules will be taught in the first year, followed by the innovation in health & social care module in the second year and the dissertation module in the 3rd year. This order allows students to build their knowledge in a coherent manner enabling a true understanding to develop of the complexities associated with delivering care in the current healthcare environment.

The assessment of the 4 core modules facilitates individual student choice regarding their topic(s), based on their clinical interest, knowledge and expertise. This allows the masters a "bespoke" nature, where students can direct their learning to an area which most meets their needs and the needs of their clinical environment. This is a distinctive feature of this programme.

New optional modules have been developed with a universal appeal in wound care, pain management, mental health issues associated with long term conditions and diabetes. In addition, 2 new child focussed modules have been developed, which address the care of children with long term conditions and the management of the deteriorating child. Students with a clinical interest outside these specialist areas will be able to further focus on their individual particular interest by undertaking modules such as work based learning, where the student, in partnership with a clinical mentor and lecturer, devise their own learning contract and assessment, and/or accrediting learning from study days, where students demonstrate their learning through a variety of structure d learning events, for example shadowing experts, negotiated clinical placements/visits and conference attendance. Students will also be able to undertake optional modules from the faculty optional catalogue, providing they have a clinical focus.

The new optional modules should appeal to healthcare practitioners working in both acute and community settings and have been developed with this in mind. It must also be remembered that the School has an international research reputation in relation to wound care and pain which students will be party to.

A variety of assessment methods will be utilised including essays, multi-choice and short answer examinations, and oral presentations. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the care of individual patients and learning in relation to this will be assessed via case studies, some of which are chosen by the student and some of which are defined by the module team.

In relation to the 3 core modules (excluding the dissertation), a variety of teaching methods will be used which will include lectures, seminars and tutorials. A collaborative interaction with academic staff and fellow students will be fostered and achieved through group work, discussion and independent study. Clinically relevant exercises will be utilised and students will be encouraged to discuss practice examples from their clinical experience. On-line activities via the VLE will also be utilised. The dissertation module is very much student led with support and guidance provided by an academic supervisor. Direct contact with students is made over 3 days where lectures, tutorials, student led discussion and peer review is used as a learning tool.

The new optional modules will also utilise lectures, seminars and tutorials, but more innovative approaches will also be utilised. For example, the advanced skin and wound care module incorporates a practical session surrounding leg ulcer assessment and bandaging technique, and the principles and application of skin and wound care module involves students utilising on-line blogs, incorporates real life clinical scenarios and uses quizzes as a learning tool. The mental health module encourages a patient centred approach by students accessing materials produced by people living with mental health problems, and some blended learning will also be utilised. The pain module will use a blended learning approach throughout and will incorporate the pain MOOC currently in development in the school, to be completed by Sept 2016.

Year1 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study 15-30 credits from the following optional modules:

And any other clinically focussed modules within the Faculty, of a value of between 15 and 30 credits, in agreement with the programme leader.

Year2 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study 30 credits from the following optional modules:

And any other clinically focussed modules within the Faculty, of a value of between 15 and 30 credits, in agreement with the programme leader.

Year3 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study 15-30 credits from the following optional modules:

And any other clinically focussed modules within the Faculty, of a value of between 15 and 30 credits in agreement with the programme leader

Year - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Last updated: 19/04/2017

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