FdSc Assistant Practitioner - Health and Care
About This Course
Are you interested in a healthcare career and being able to stay local? If so, the Assistant Practitioner Health and Care degree programme may be for you. Local employers in health care need a flexible, critically aware, and highly trained workforce who can adapt to an ever-changing sector. This programme has been developed with local employers to provide them with skilled practitioners who have had learning opportunities within simulated and real-world health environments in different settings, to develop essential skills, knowledge, and behaviours through the theoretical and competency-based course of study.
Assistant practitioners work across the NHS in many different settings, sometimes alone and under the direct supervision of health professionals such as nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, Speech and Language Therapists (SALT), dieticians, and more. They work as part of a wider team within health and care settings and have direct contact with patients, service users, and clients in hospitals and the community. As such, this programme will embed person-centred beliefs and allow students to explore the different care needs of individuals and become reflective practitioners. This will be achieved by completing theoretical and competency-based learning and 450 hours (approximately 14 weeks) of required placement hours over two years (225 each year) within the local health and care sectors. Once qualified and employed you will carry out agreed procedures, referring to a professional for guidance when necessary, and may mentor healthcare assistants, trainee assistant practitioners, and student nurses.
You will need to show the values and behaviours of the NHS, knowledge of physical and mental health and illness prevention, and more advanced knowledge, depending on your care setting. Students will be taught up-to-date evidence-based practice and guidelines to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge to provide exemplary care. Students will have access to two clinical simulation ward areas equipped with specialist equipment such as interactive manikins, moving and handling equipment, equipment to check vital signs, artificial wounds, artificial skin for injections, and much more. All elements of practice will be underpinned by theory and research, and students will be encouraged to develop their critical thinking skills and become reflective practitioners. As such, students will develop the skills and knowledge needed to deliver quality healthcare.
Assistant practitioners need to be:
- caring and kind
- confident with using lifting equipment
- willing to be hands-on with patients
- able to follow instructions and procedures
- able to work in a team but use their own initiative
- able to explain procedures to patients
You will also need effective:
- communication skills, including listening
- organisational and observational skills
The assistant practitioner qualification is also a gateway to further training at Level 5 or 6 to become a registered health or social care professional such as nursing, paramedic, radiography, and more.
Course Person Specification Full Course Specification
Standard offer
Applicants will require 80 UCAS points, or 60 Access-to-HE Credits (of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3). Applicants are required to hold English and Maths GCSE (or equivalent) at grade C/4. This must be achieved prior to the start of the course.
Non-standard offer
Non-standard entry is intended to support students who may not meet the standard academic entry requirements of a HE programme, normally level 3 qualifications that attract UCAS points (for instance A-levels or BTEC level 3 courses). An applicant must be able to demonstrate recent work/experience in the relevant sector giving them skills and knowledge comparable to applicants with Level 3 qualifications. Consideration will be given to those applicants with relevant experience within the health and care sector. All such applicants will be set an appropriate piece of work of a 1500-word essay and a judgement made considering their academic potential and relevant experience and motivation. Students will still be required to have GCSE/level 2 Maths and English pass grade C/4 or above.
Criminal Records This programme involves regular contact with vulnerable adults, also known as regulated activity, and as such an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required prior to enrolment to enable the student to go into placement. The cost of the undertaking is the responsibility of the students, and the outcome of the DBS will be considered on an individual basis.
Vaccinations As this course includes mandatory patient-facing placements in health or social care settings, you will need to comply with the placement policy or Government vaccination rules for those settings. This includes any changes to these rules announced at a future date. Failure to comply with any vaccination requirements could see the placement withdrawn, and this may result in your withdrawal from the course. You should be aware that future employment in this sector may also be subject to vaccination requirements. You must also complete a course of Hepatitis B vaccination and complete an occupational health screening at your own cost.
Level 4
- Preparing for Professional Practice
- Introducing Clinical Skills
- Research and Study Skills
- Developing Clinical Skills
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Counselling Skills and Communication
- Introduction to Mental Health
Level 5
- Developing Practice Skills
- Advancing Skills and Medicine Management
- Psychology within a Healthcare Setting
- Health Promotion and Wellbeing
- Contemporary Issues in Health
- Understanding Pain
- Child and Adolescence Health and Development
At level 4 students are supported to develop their academic skills through a research and study skills module which will enable them to complete their assessments to the correct level of academic requirements. Essay and Report writing, presentations using ICT, reflective writing, undertaking secondary research, presenting structured arguments, and Harvard referencing will be introduced and assessed. At this level, basic principles of all the concepts within these modules are taught so these can be built upon as they progress to higher levels.
At level 5 students are supported to build upon the academic skills gained at level 4 with a stronger focus on independent research. They will be supported in developing their critical thinking and writing skills and will be encouraged to use wider source material to construct a critical argument. Module assessments will be varied to develop and test the students' academic, problem-solving, and practice skills at the required level.
Students will learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops and from guest lecturers and volunteering opportunities. The use of self-directed study and independent learning will be essential to all levels, with tutors guiding and assisting in self-directed learning, depending on the level of the student. The VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) will be used widely to enable self-directed study and involvement with the sector and other institutions.
Clinical Skills
The clinical skills suites will be utilised for clinical skill development which students will build upon throughout the programme. Students on this programme also have a unique opportunity to develop these skills within the healthcare sector through their practice placements. Students will undertake 450 hours of work-based learning across the two years of study. Students will be required to have a supervisor in the sector, to learn and develop more specialised and relevant practical and professional skills throughout all elements of this foundation degree.
At Level 4, the programme focuses widely on developing students' skills for practice, along with the professional and personal skills required for working in the sector. This ensures that they can practice appropriately for working within different areas of health and social care. Students will be encouraged to learn, develop and evaluate their own skills in practice through specific modules designed to develop reflective skills needed in practice.
At Level 5, students will develop critical reflection skills in practice, decision making and accountability. At this level, students will be engaged in critically evaluating their own practice and the practice of others within the legislative frameworks which guide practice.
The Assistant Practitioner programme offers those who want to stay in the local area an opportunity to gain a recognised qualification within the healthcare sector. Many students wish to avoid traveling daily or moving to complete their studies, and they can balance their studies around other commitments. As such, students will be able to integrate learning with the rest of their life, balancing their studies with work, home, and leisure time. There are excellent transport links to allow students access to these facilities. They will be fully supported throughout their studies through pastoral and academic coaches. Sessions are delivered in smaller cohorts to allow the individual support to be accessed and build strong relationships between students and tutors.
The programme offers access and progression to higher academic awards or a career pathway as an Assistant Practitioner. On successful completion, you are eligible to apply for band 4 Assistant Practitioner positions or equivalent within the NHS and private, voluntary, and independent health and social care organisations. For those who wish to progress their studies, you may be eligible to apply for advanced entry to a Level 6 BSc (Hons) programme, for example BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care.
