PgDip Clinical Practice

PgDip Clinical Practice

Award

PgDip

Start Date

To be confirmed

Duration

36 months

Mode

Part-time

Location

University of Bolton

If you’re a hands-on health professional with a passion for patient care, our progressive Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) in Clinical Practice allows you to build on your skills with an entirely clinically-focused curriculum.

Apply Now Download Prospectus Programme Specification

Course Overview

At the University of Bolton, we take a distinctively different approach to clinical practice, focusing wholly on patient care and dispensing with traditional modules in less relevant areas such as professional development and leadership. Our PgDip Clinical Practice is built around solution-focused problem solving and patient journeys, challenging students to become exceptional thinkers, safe decision-makers and skilled clinicians. You’ll have the opportunity to build your theoretical knowledge and put your skills into practice safely within our supervised on-site setting.

We’ll cover modules within the areas of human anatomy and physiology, and explore the biological basis and mechanisms of disease. Working with advanced resources such as the Anatomage anatomy table, you’ll have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge of clinical practice and learn to work in ways that aim to improve quality and productivity. Within the Clinical Simulation Suite, meanwhile, you can experience the dynamics of a clinical setting and test your abilities on high-tech, computerised manikins - as well as your classmates!

Highlights

Key Features

Entry Requirements

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Career Opportunities

The University of Bolton's PgDip Clinical Practice is ideal for experienced, qualified registered nurses and other health professionals working in primary, secondary and tertiary health care settings who wish to undertake advanced clinical education at the master's level. It's designed to develop your knowledge and therapeutic skills. It can also help you build a range of transferable employability skills, including critical appraisal, decision-making, problem-solving, diagnostics, and clinical management skills.

What can I do with this qualification?

Possession of the PgDip Clinical Practice will help your progression to a varied range of clinical positions. These positions can include nurse clinicians, nurse practitioners (both in hospital and community settings), ward managers, advanced paramedics, community matrons, critical care outreach teams and nurse specialists.

There are also opportunities in general practices, walk-in centres, minor injury units, emergency departments, elderly care facilities, intermediate care teams, prison services, acute medical and surgical teams and specialist hospital services.

When you successfully complete the PgDip, you can continue your studies by progressing to the MSc Clinical Practice.

Alternative career options

You can also use the qualification as a stepping stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Possible careers include:

  • Medical communications
  • Medical writing
  • Research and development
  • Teaching and education
  • Health care/services management
  • Armed forces
  • Clinical psychology
  • Health promotion
  • Overseas aid and development
  • Prison service
  • Occupational health
  • Counselling
  • Mental health
Fees & Funding

Home/EU Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

International Fees

No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

How to apply

Home Applicants

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

International Applicants

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

Teaching & Assessment

To provide you with a comprehensive learning experience, we use a range of teaching methods, including one-to-one sessions and online learning. Case studies are an integral aspect of this course, with patient studies forming the basis of learning activities to provide an appropriate context for the knowledge learned. You’ll also attend seminars to discuss and debate issues with your classmates and tutorials with your tutor, which are designed to provide guidance and support. Additionally, self-directed study is an important aspect of this course. You’ll be expected to spend time engaging in background reading and preparing for assessments.

Problem-solving is a key area of learning, so you’ll investigate seminar content in practice using enquiry-based learning methods. You’ll be asked to research particular cases and present your findings to your peers for review. This will prepare you for independent learning while building your research and analytical skills. You’ll also participate in clinical simulation and resource-based learning activities using specialised equipment and use our virtual learning environment to access online course material.

We'll assess your work and progress using various techniques, including structured clinical exams, online questions, presentations and journal article submission. We use a range of assessment methods to maximise opportunities for successful achievement, taking into account how different students have preferences for different assessment and learning styles.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • The Human Body Anatomy and Physiology for Health Care
  • Developing a Specialist Interest in Clinical Care
  • Biological Basis of Diseases
  • Diagnostics and Therapeutics
  • Acute Medicine
  • Multidisciplinary End of Life Care
  • Care of the Frail Adult
  • Non-Medical Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Allied Health Care Professionals (26 weeks)
  • Non-Medical Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Pharmacists (26 weeks)
  • Non-Medical Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses and Midwives (26 weeks)
  • Clinical Examination Skills
  • Respiratory
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Advanced Clinical Practice in Primary Care
  • Advanced Physical Skills Assessment in a Mental Health Setting
  • Advanced Clinical Practice in Oncology

Assessment methods

Level Assessment method
Level 1 Coursework 70%
Practical exams 30%
Level 2 Coursework 77%
Practical exams 23%

Learning Activities

Level Activity
Level 1 Guided independent study 82%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 18%
Level 2 Guided independent study 83%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 17%

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

Postgraduate Options

Programme Contacts

Help Centre

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Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant