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Why choose the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Education
A three-year, part-time course featuring a blend of taught sessions and online learning to fit better around your work and other commitments.
The course links with the four pillars of ACP and the HEE’s Multi-Professional Framework for England – research, education, leadership and clinical practice.
Our healthcare courses (‘Allied to Medicine’) rank 11th overall in their subject field in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2024; they rank 2nd for engagement, with top 10 rankings for learning community, assessment and organisation.
About the course
If you are applying for apprenticeship through your organisation, please go to the Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship and note that contracts need to be set up with your employer, which can take up to 3 months.
This course gives practising, registered healthcare professionals the skills to become an advanced practitioner who can lead, innovate and improve healthcare across a wide range of settings. It covers all areas of your practice, and uses your current work and development needs to build on your existing skills and experience.
To be eligible for this course you must be registered with the NMC or HCPC and working as a healthcare professional in your chosen discipline (and remain so for the duration of the course).
Course accreditation
Full completion of this Master’s will lead to accreditation with Health Education England (HEE) as an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP). This means, when you complete the course, you will be entered onto the NHSE database for clinicians who are accredited with the digital badge for ACP. You will then be able to use this when applying for positions as an ACP.
The non-medical prescribing unit of this course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Facilities and specialist equipment
- New, fully immersive simulation floor in our modern STEM building takes you from mock home and hospital, allowing hands-on experience of a range of scenarios
- Simulation wards with a range of medical-grade training mannequins allow you to tackle real-life scenarios in a safe and supported environment
- Guided learning materials and e-learning resources on the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s virtual learning platform
Industry links
Our healthcare courses have been developed in collaboration with local healthcare providers and health authorities.
This course benchmarks against external, unit-relevant external bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council; Health and Care Professions Council; Health Education England; and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Your student experience
We work with employers to ensure they have an ACP role for you at the end of the course.
Develop the specialist skills and expertise to initiate developments at local and national level within healthcare settings, helping to improve outcomes for patients.
Explore mentorship, people management, patient safety and resilience as well as clinical and theoretical practice.
Hone your critical thinking skills through learning how to evaluate and present evidence from a range of sources within your area of practice.
Undertake a service-improvement project directly relevant to your interests or workplace.
Learn from visiting lecturers who are clinical specialists, providing you with the latest research and practice in their field, as well as our research-active academic team who have published widely in their fields.
Benefit from being at a ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ with a successful track record of supporting those returning to study after long periods in the workplace or after a career break.
Course Leader - Rachel Bruce
I have been a registered adult nurse for thirty years, specialising in the community. I have been a Rehabilitation Nurse, District Nurse, Community Matron and Team leader.
I took up my position as a lecturer within the field of healthcare practice, specialising in District Nursing in 2015.
More recently I have progresses to senior lecturer within this field branching also into Mentorship education and pre-registration nurse education.
I am passionate about education within nursing and enjoy adopting a creative and innovative approach to my teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Course Leader - Rachel Bruce
I have been a registered adult nurse for thirty years, specialising in the community. I have been a Rehabilitation Nurse, District Nurse, Community Matron and Team leader.
I took up my position as a lecturer within the field of healthcare practice, specialising in District Nursing in 2015.
More recently I have progresses to senior lecturer within this field branching also into Mentorship education and pre-registration nurse education.
I am passionate about education within nursing and enjoy adopting a creative and innovative approach to my teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
What will you study?
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ing our Advanced Clinical Practice MSc course aims to provide you with the core knowledge and skills needed for advanced clinical practice and healthcare. In practical areas of study, you will closely examine body systems in our Work-Based Learning (Assessment and History Taking) unit. Through working under the supervision of a practice-based assessor, you will be taught to use a range of tools to assess a client’s physical, mental and social health status and use this to make referrals. From collecting this data, you will then be taught to analyse this information in our Work-Based Learning 2 (Planning and Evaluation) unit. You will work under a supervisor to practise your skills safety while identifying areas for development. The aim of these units is to develop your skills as an autonomous practitioner and adopt a reflective approach to deliver safe and compassionate care.
Another key area of study in this course includes Non-Medical Prescribing, where you will develop the skills and knowledge for safe and effective prescribing practice while ensuring the protection of the public. Following the completion of this unit, you can then apply to practise as an independent prescriber. Additionally, you will play a vital role as a healthcare educator and develop the skills to deliver an innovative, informed and forward-thinking approach to learning, teaching and assessment in our Education in Healthcare unit.
As a healthcare professional, it is also important that you advance your knowledge and skills surrounding mental health. This is because psychological conditions often coexist with physical illness and can also have a negative impact on health and wellbeing. This is why our Mental Health Skills for Practitioners unit is present to equip you with core mental health skills to support patients, carers, colleagues, and even yourself. To further diversify your skills in the workplace, our unit in Leadership and Supervision in Healthcare will allow you to be critical of your leadership and management skills, both within a healthcare team and across the wider health and social care sector.
This course also encourages you to engage in critical evaluation with our Research Methods in Healthcare unit. By examining current studies and research processes, you will gain the knowledge and skills to conduct your own research in the field of health sciences. As the healthcare field is constantly developing, you will also play a role in critically analysing issues and strategies to develop quality healthcare environments in our Service Improvement Project unit. You will account for changes in the industry, such as budgetary requirements, while also suggesting opportunities for change in future practice to ensure better and safer healthcare.
How will you be assessed?
Assessment is integral in all units to check that you have met the threshold standards expected of all graduates undertaking this level of study. They are also linked to learning designed to promote the development of key subject specific and transferable skills for future employment. The requirements of each assessment will be detailed in a formal assessment brief document and discussed in teaching sessions. Each unit is designed to help you to develop your healthcare related skills in ways which are directly relevant to your interests or workplace.
The overarching course assessment strategy is designed to assist you in identifying reflecting on and meeting your own learning needs. Furthermore where appropriate the unit assessments provide the flexibility for you to choose to investigate a contemporary issue. The assessments will include a range of possible approaches: - Practice Assessment Document/ Portfolio of learning - Case studies - OSCE - Reflective accounts - Presentations - Essays - Journal and report writing - Clinical examinations Service Improvement project Each of these completed assessments will enable you to demonstrate the ability to critically understand and evaluate complex issues relevant to healthcare and communicate these effectively to a range of audiences. This strategy informs the assessment methods for each individual unit within the course and is based on Masters level descriptors and course learning outcomes.
Careers
On completing this course you should be equipped to initiate developments at both national and local level within healthcare settings and contribute specialist expertise in your area of practice to improve standards and contribute to improved outcomes in patient care. We work with the employer to ensure there is an ACP role at the end of the course.
This Master’s can also lead to accreditation with Health Education England.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International 2024/25
The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £16,900
If you have any questions around fees and funding, please email international@beds.ac.uk
