Enhanced Clinical Practice

This qualification prepares registered health professionals for enhanced clinical practice roles. You'll develop your knowledge and critical understanding of enhanced clinical practice, leadership, research and education, and the skills that enable you to act with a high level of autonomy. You will enhance your skills in holistic and systematic assessment, complex decision making, and provision of high-quality evidence-based interventions for patients, clients and their families.

The diploma also incorporates a Non-Medical Prescribing module which, upon successful completion, will enable you to gain regulatory recognition as a non-medical prescriber within your scope of practice.

Key features of the course

Encompasses the four pillars that underpin advanced clinical practice - clinical practice, leadership and management, research, and education.

Develops your core capabilities for enhanced Practice and your area-specific clinical practice.

Provides learning and development of your leadership skills at a clinical level to inform people management and service development.

Learn to critically appraise, evaluate, implement and disseminate research to support professional practice in your clinical environment.

Modules
To gain this qualification, you will study 120 credits from the following modules:

Compulsory module Credits

Non-medical independent and supplementary prescribing (K803) 60 This module is not available in Republic of Ireland

Developing advanced clinical practice (K804) 60
This module is not available in Republic of Ireland

You should note that the University's unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

You will need to:

hold a degree in a health-related discipline. Applicants with evidence of equivalent professional development or academic proficiency will be considered. Applicants with non-European academic qualifications will need to supply evidence of equivalency through UK ENIC (formally NARIC).

be currently registered with one of the statutory regulators of health and care professions.

be employed as a health care professional.

provide evidence of your employer's recommendation for your application for a programme of study leading to an Advanced Practice role, including a formal reference from the employer confirming the applicant demonstrates professional values and behaviours, respecting people's diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values and preferences, and shows respect and empathy acting as a role model for others. It should also confirm your 'clinical readiness' to undertake the programme.

show evidence of employer support to undertake the programme including; the provision of a mentor to ensure appropriate learning in practice; the availability of appropriate supervision in clinical practice; and the provision of a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) with evidence of a qualification at level 7 during the Non-Medical prescribing module.

have relevant post-qualification experience, as specified by the appropriate regulatory body.

There are additional entry requirements to study Non-medical independent and supplementary prescribing (K803) and you should read the module description for further details.

120 credits

18 months – 4 years

How long it takes
It is expected that most students will complete the qualification in the minimum time of 18 months by studying 60 credits a year, but there is flexibility to take up to four years to complete.

Career relevance
You'll be employed as a registered health professional when you start the course and have approval from your designated employer to undertake the qualification.

Once qualified, you'll have the knowledge and skills to work at an enhanced level of practice in a wide variety of clinical settings across primary and secondary care and other health and social care provider environments.