MSc Professional Practice

The programme is usually undertaken on a negotiated part-time basis over a maximum of five years; however, a one/two-year full-time route is available. Both routes may be studied with or without practice.

The underpinning philosophy of this pioneering award is built around the concept of personal development and identifying an individual’s journey, thus contributing to lifelong learning.

The healthcare workplace is developing rapidly and, with that, the needs of the student. The curriculum model has been designed to be flexible, encouraging you to become independent in your learning, fostering motivation and critical thinking.

The priority will be to have an individual, focused curriculum that naturally flows, is personally centred on you and is progressive, linking subject matter, theory and practice.

It is envisaged that as a potential student, you will engage in developmental discussions with a variety of individuals, that is to say, where relevant, your manager, colleagues and/or education staff from the HEI, to explore your knowledge, skills and experience, leading to the identification of your learning needs and requirement for further study.

The award fosters this approach, so that you will be assisted to make informed decisions as to your journey of development, meeting personal, professional and organisational needs, demonstrating accountability to yourself and your employer.

Moreover, it will empower you to become autonomous in your learning journey. You will be encouraged to explore your work context and identify personal and professional developmental aims, discussing and negotiating these with employers, peers and academic staff. You will be required to plan and negotiate approval for your programme of study and the accompanying endorsement.

Once you have a clear view of your personal aims and learning outcomes, you can then implement your plan, undertaking modules as required, demonstrating, by successful achievement and skill development, that you are making sense of your practice context and chosen journey.

This is the progress review stage, where you are helped to maintain and review your progress. You complete the process of learning with your research project, and demonstrate your personal and professional development by the application of your enhanced knowledge and skills to real situations relevant to the practice content.

The Learning Through Professional Practice and Independent Learning modules are designed  to enable you to focus on an area specific to you and may not follow the conventional module format. You are able to incorporate learning from a range of sources, such as work-based learning, attending sessions of other modules where the whole module content would be inappropriate to meet specific learning needs, directed reading and clinical observation.

Learning Through Professional Practice gives you some guidance in terms of expected content and considers the relevant bio/psych/social aspects of your chosen focus, assessment, management of care, reflective and evidence-based practice, and effective communication skills.

The Independent Learning and Extending Professional Practice modules take a similar approach but have no specified aims or outcomes stated, thus enabling you to create a totally self-focused module around a subject you need to learn. This may be drawn from recognition of need within your own personal and professional development, and enables you to be very flexible, focused and innovative in your learning.

Initially an informal discussion or interview may take place with the Director of Studies to offer information regarding the award and exploration of your previous learning and development. You will be required to demonstrate how you are able to study at postgraduate level.

At this meeting, a general discussion will take place that will assist you to make an informed decision as to the right journey of development for you. This will be based on your needs, wishes and interests, taking into account the requirements for your professional role.

Where relevant, a clear statement of support for study from your manager will be required to ensure that you are able to achieve the required study time for the modules. Where more than one student applies at a similar time, the students will be grouped into a learning set for support.

Full-time and part-time modes of study

The programme will be delivered on a part-time negotiated basis; however, this does not preclude students who are able to achieve full-time study status accessing the programme. Full-time study may also allow the inclusion of practice credit, extending the full-time programme to two years’ duration.

Distance-learning provision

Each module has been designed so that the learning and teaching strategies incorporate many elements. Whilst traditional distance-learning material will not form part of the programme, it is envisaged that certain learning activities will be carried out at a distance through the use of VLE technology.

International students who have not sought or would be unable to seek registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) can undertake the MSc Professional Practice programme. The student would therefore not be able to practise as a qualified nurse within the UK. Where appropriate he/she would gain placement experience either as an undergraduate student working under the supervision of qualified staff or as an unqualified health or social care worker.