Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship)
Part-time
Two and a half year
September 2025
In a nutshell
The Advanced Clinical Practitioner Master's Degree Apprenticeship is an accredited programme. It is a programme for experienced clinicians who wish to advance their professional practice to independently manage holistic episodes of physical and mental healthcare in various settings. Working across traditional health and social care boundaries, Advanced Clinical Practitioners combine expert clinical skills with research, education and leadership to facilitate change in patient and service outcomes.
This course is aligned with the HEE Multi-professional framework for Advanced Clinical practice (2017). It uses a work-based learning approach to develop the higher level skills that will lead to advanced clinical practitioner status and enhance your career prospects. You will be required to be supported in clinical practice by experienced Advanced Clinical Practitioners / Consultants, Medical Consultants, specialist registrars or General Practitioners. You will be taught by experts in the field including specialist consultants, lecturers, advanced clinical practitioners, pharmacists and radiographers. You will develop advanced clinical skills in our brand new simulation suites with our award-winning human simulators.
The following pathways are offered:
- Generic
- Critical Care
- Primary Care
- Mental Health
Speciality accreditation, e.g. FICM, is supported during the programme.
This is for you if...
You are from a regulated professional health or social care background.
You are a registered health professional (nurses, midwives and allied health professionals).
You have been working in the appropriate clinical context for a minimum of two years.
You must have a minimum of 5 years post qualification experience on application.
All about the course
We currently offer a Critical Care option, Mental Health option, Primary Care and Community option and a Generic, Critical Care is accredited with FICM.
We are proud to be an accredited training site for Advanced Critical Care Trainees.
Advanced Critical Care Practitioners ( ACCPs) are clinical professionals responsible for patients care during their critical care admission. They are highly experienced and educated practitioners who have developed their skills and theoretical knowledge to a very high standard. They are empowered to make high-level clinical decisions to ensure that patients receive timely. personal and effective care.
ACCPs come from a mixture of healthcare backgrounds but must be registered by a professional governing body (HCPC, NMC, GPhC).
ACCPs must complete a programme leading to an appropriate Postgraduate Masters degree with a Higher Education Institution. Teaching within hospitals is overseen by a Local Clinical Lead (LCL) who holds an honorary appointment with the HEI and is responsible to the HEI for the delivery of the clinical components of training. They are supported in practice with membership of the Faculty of Intensive care Medicine (FICM) further information can be obtained here https://www.ficm.ac.uk/careersworkforce/accps
For further course information please contact Nicola Parkin N.C.Parkin@salford.ac.uk Programme Lead
All apprentices are enrolled on to the full MSc programme (Advanced Clinical Practice – 180 credits). This will require 2.5 years of study.
Clinical Examination and Diagnostics
This module introduces the concepts and context of advanced practice and enhances students' current knowledge and skills to enable the development of core and bespoke advanced practice competencies.
Biological Sciences in Advanced Practice
The aim of this module is to provide the theoretical underpinning and practice base to enable healthcare professionals to undertake an advanced clinical examination. Leading to diagnosis from undifferentiated presenting complaints, both core and bespoke skills of advanced practice competencies are developed.
Contextualising Advanced Practice (Optional)
This module provides a framework enabling you to consolidate generic competencies of advanced clinical practice; critically reflect upon your development in the context of your professional role; develop leadership skills to identify and manage risk appropriately; use research and audit skills to lead service improvement in your clinical practice.
You will critically examine your personal job description in conjunction with the national multi-professional framework for Advanced Clinical Practice which incorporates the fours pillars of Advanced Clinical Practice: Clinical Practice, Leadership and Management, Education, Research.
Non-medical Prescribing (Optional)
This module has been integrated into the programme to enable those registered health professionals who will be able to prescribe as part of their Advanced Practice role. The module prepares the practitioner to prescribe safely, appropriately and cost-effectively. In order to undertake the module, it is essential there is additional learning time in practice in order to meet the required practice hours.
This is split into two 15 credit modules: Theory and Practice.
Please refer to the NMP requirements to see whether your professional body is eligible for this module.
Project Management
This module helps you develop the skills needed in developing practice and policy. This module will develop your skills in different project management methodologies and methods of inquiry, enabling you to construct a business in relation to service improvement.
Reasoning in Clinical Practice
(pathways within this module: Mental health; Primary Care; Critical Care)
Knowledge and skills related to client management and advanced clinical reasoning will be developed alongside justification for differential diagnoses, investigations and treatments.
Practitioner Competence
The skills required to complete a portfolio of high-quality evidence of achievement of the elements of advanced practice will be developed throughout this module.
EPA
National Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship standard, which includes a 'Change Management' presentation and Open Book exam - this is a mandatory module for all ACP Apprentices.
Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.
The School of Health and Society
The School of Health and Society is a forward-thinking, dynamic school with a commitment to lifelong learning and real world impact.
We live in a rapidly changing world, and we’re keen to leave a productive legacy of helping people at all stages of their lives, improving their physical, psychological and social wellbeing.
FACILITIES
Our Plinth rooms and Clinical Practice Wards are located in the Mary Seacole Building on the first and second floor. The rooms are furnished with patient's beds, lockers, chairs, sinks and curtains as well as audio-visual equipment, internet and a teaching area.
Patient Simulators
The patient simulation laboratory provides you with the opportunity to tackle real-life scenarios in a safe and supported environment. Set up like a hospital ward or community-based environment, the lab contains hi-tech patient simulators that can mimic everything from the common cold to a major heart condition.
The equipment includes:
- Emergency Care Patient Simulators: Anatomically correct, feature-rich mannequins, which can be used for the physical demonstration of various clinical signs including bleeding, breathing, blinking eyes and convulsions.
- iStan Patient Simulators: A step up from the ECS, the iStan adds an essential human element to patient simulation. It moves, breaths, can cry out or moan with pain, providing a realistic patient for you to practice on
- Pedia Patient Simulator: A complete reproduction of a six-year-old child enabling you to practice paediatric scenarios
- Baby simulator: This mannequin makes it possible to interact with our most vulnerable patients - in a safe, realistic learning environment
Teachers Profile
All of the Advanced Clinical Practice faculty hold a master’s qualification, and over 50% of the teaching team are practising Advanced Clinical Practitioners from a range of clinical backgrounds, from Oncology to Mental Health and Critical Care.
Programme Lead: Nicky Parkin
Nicky Parkin qualified as a nurse in 1996 from St. Marys Hospital (now part of Imperial College, London), where she worked for 3 years on the National Vascular High Dependency Unit. She moved to Manchester in 1999 and worked in Intensive Care for 8 years. She then moved to The Christie and was part of the team developing the Oncology Critical Care Unit, and it was there that she completed her MSc Nursing at the University of Salford. She joined the Advanced Clinical Practice faculty in 2017 and has recently become the Lead of this programme, motivated by a strong belief in education and development of nurses and AHCP’s.
What about after uni?
On completion of this course, you will be eligible for a advanced clinical practitioner role in your own specialist field such as midwifery, emergency medicine, critical care, mental health, acute medicine or surgery, and primary care.
Whilst many advanced clinical practitioners remain in post, some have chosen to become non-medical consultants, and hold leadership roles within Clinical Practice. Upon completion of the course some students may also wish to progress onto a PhD or Professional Doctorate.
WHICH QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED?
English language and Maths at grade C/grade 4 or above; or Key Skills level 2 in Maths and English. Certificates need to be available at interview and be checked by HR prior to shortlisting. If candidates do not have their certificates they should bring evidence of having applied to the appropriate Exam Board for replacements.
Full acceptable English and Maths requirements are available here.
You can arrange replacement certificates here.
Evidence of these must accompany your application.
- You will be a graduate in health and/or social care, with a first degree at 2:2 or above or successful APL (as per below).
- and be working in an area that will support and facilitate the development of advanced practice. There is a requirement for you to have access to relevant and sufficient clinical patient/client case-load for the duration of the course.
- As part of the requirements for admission to clinical modules, you must identify and have the agreement of a service manager and clinical expert mentor/assessor to facilitate access to the case load.
- The mentor/assessor will provide practical training, supervision and ongoing formative assessment via a log of clinical cases. All students on this course are registered or regulated health and social care professionals who are accessing the clinical training within their own work-place.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
- We welcome applications from students with alternative qualifications and/or significant relevant experience, subject to approval through a process of Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).
- The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.
- Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).
Application Deadlines
Please be aware of the application deadline below. If an application hasn’t been received by this date, consideration will be given for the next available intake.
September 2025 – Thursday 31st July 2025
GCSE
English language and Maths at grade C/grade 4 or above; or Key Skills level 2 in Maths and English. Level 2 equivalents such as functional or key skills can be accepted.
HOW MUCH?
The total cost of this apprenticeship is £12,000. The cost of the apprenticeship will be covered by your employer and/or the government. You will need to cover the cost of any study materials plus travel to and from campus if required.
Additional costs
APPRENTICESHIP FUNDING
The apprenticeship levy was introduced in April 2017 and requires all employers operating in the UK, with a pay bill of over £3 million each year to invest in apprenticeships.
Funding for the apprenticeship levy is only available to employers in England.
The funding policy supports the changes to the way apprenticeships in England are paid for, underpinned by the apprenticeship levy of 0.5% of the annual pay bill for companies paying over £3 million per year.
There is also a co-investment model for companies who will not be paying into the levy. The government will cover 95% of the cost of the apprenticeship and the employer will only have to contribute the remaining 5%. Once payments have been declared to HMRC, employers will now have access to a digital apprenticeship account from which they will be able to access funding to pay for apprenticeship training.
Find out more at www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeship-changes
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.