This master's in advanced practice will build on your skills and experience as a critical care practitioner to advance your clinical practice, develop your professional career and enhance your knowledge of research and evidence-based healthcare.
KEY BENEFITS
- Central location allows access to world leading clinical and academic resources.
- Access to extracurricular seminars and lectures given by leaders in healthcare from around the world.
- A multi-faculty environment drawing on clinical and academic expertise from a number of world leading schools and hospitals providing an unparalleled inter-professional learning experience.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
Students are now experienced practitioners working in a variety of critical care settings such as: cardiac, accident and emergency, renal, hepatology, neurosciences, perioperative, intensive care and high dependency.
Programme leader/s
Pauline Hood
Awarding Institution
King's College London
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 180/ECTS 90
Duration
Typically students take one year to complete a certificate, two years for a diploma and three years for an MSc. Maximum of six years PT.
Location
Waterloo and Guy's campuses.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery
Closing date
End of July. Late applications may be considered, subject to availability of places.
Intake
10-15.
Fees
PT Home: £2633 (2013)
PT Overseas: £5180 (2013)
CONTACTS
Contact information
Postgraduate Admissions, tel 020 7848 3571.
Email
Website
PURPOSE
For experienced critical care practitioners who wish to advance their clinical practice, develop their professional career and enhance their knowledge of research and evidence-based healthcare.
DESCRIPTION
This pathway is designed for experienced critical care practitioners who wish to advance their clinical practice, develop their professional career and enhance their knowledge of research and evidence-based health care. The programme builds on your existing skills and experience to enable you to lead and support the development and subsequent delivery of evidence-based practice. It will enable you to develop a critical understanding of research methods and methodologies; use theoretical concepts from nursing and other disciplines to generate researchable questions focused around critical care; develop a scientific basis for examining critical care practice; use the skills of critical reflection; and understand the political context of healthcare and how it influences practice.
It is a suitable programme for practitioners from a wide variety of critical care areas, for example: accident and emergency departments; cardiac care areas; intensive care and high dependency units; liver units; renal units; perioperative departments; and neuroscience departments. Students undertake core modules in critical care, evidence-based practice and healthcare research. In addition students select options from a range of areas including:
- Advanced assessment skills
- Prescribing (for eligible practitioners)
- Clinical specialities
- Professional development and organisational change
- Leadership
- Specialist practice portfolios.
Other options from our BSc programme may also be available. Students who have already studied clinically focused modules at undergraduate or graduate level at King's may be able to incorporate that study into this programme, subject to certain limits, provided that the credits have not already contributed to an award. Modules studied elsewhere may be incorporated through accreditation of prior certificated learning (subject to a successful accreditation claim).
Students progressing to the MSc undertake a substantial research or service development project relevant to their own area of practice.
Please see our frequently asked questions
here.
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/nursing/vc/accred/
- Measurement and Evaluation for Healthcare Practice
- Evidence Based Decision Making in Healthcare
- Critical Care (Policy and Practice)
- Dissertation.
For students wishing to undertake either an empirical study or a service development project as part of the dissertation module, additional modules must be taken and passed. These include:
- Issues in the Conduct of Healthcare Research (for empirical study)
- Professional Development and Organisational Change (for service development project).
Alternatively students may choose for their dissertation to undertake an indepth analysis of an area of policy or practice or to prepare three papers for publication.
Indicative non-core content
Students select optional courses from a wide range of available options including:
- Advanced assessment skills
- Clinical specialities.
For full details of the programme structure please click
here.
For full details of the range of options available please click
here.
Other options from our BSc programme may also be available. Students who have already studied modules at undergraduate or graduate level at King's may be able to incorporate this study into the programme, subject to certain limits, provided that the credits have not already contributed to an award. Modules studied elsewhere may be incorporated through accreditation of prior certificated learning (subject to a successful
accreditation claim).
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
The majority of assessment is by coursework; some courses are also assessed by one examination.
MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Module code: 7KNIM119
Credit level: 7
This course builds on your critical care experience and facilitates an appreciation of
issues related to critical care services, policy and practice. The course provides opportunities for you to develop a critical understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of practice, health policy, health economics, ethics and current issues in practice. The course requires active participation from you with student-led seminars facilitating analysis of scenarios related to your own area of practice. Learning is facilitated through discussion, lecture, groupwork and individual tutorials. Summative assessment is one 5,000 word essay. Additionally you would normally be expected to have a minimum of 18 months critical care experience prior to commencing programme/course. Runs on one whole day per week from June to July, with 1 week Summer School.
Module code: 7KNIP039
Credit level: 7
The aim of this module is to provide students undertaking the MClin Res in Health and Social Care Research with an opportunity to draw on previous research training to plan and carry out an empirical clinical research project under supervision. Students are also required to prepare a draft of a 3000 word article for publication.
A monthly tutorial programme between October and July which students can attend if they wish. Students will also be allocated a supervisor who they will see on an individual basis and who will guide them through the process.
Module code: 7KNIM110
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 30
Semester:
Full-year
Assessment:
coursework
This course aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge required to identify best evidence for your practice. It focuses on searching for, appraising and synthesising evidence from health care research. You are introduced to a range of electronic databases for accessing evidence and the principles of systematic review. Learning is facilitated through lectures, workshops and a student-directed search for evidence to address a question emerging from your own practice. Issues surrounding research implementation and evidence at the level of the individual practitioner and the health care organisation are addressed. Assessment is by means of a review of literature which answers a focussed question utilising explicit methods.
Module code: 7KNIM700
Credit level: 7
This module aims to provide students with a broad knowledge of the key research approaches and techniques used in healthcare research. It intends to promote students’ understanding of published articles and enhance skills of critical analysis and enhance skills for critiquing research articles. Further it aims to promote the development of skills required to undertake a research-based project in the future. This module is a good stepping stone to Master's level work for those who have studied research methods at level 6 and those who would benefit from revision of this knowledge. It will consider philosophical bases for research, traditions and features of qualitative and quantitative research designs, data collection tools used in qualitative and quantitative research and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. This module is a precursor for the second research methods module, ‘Issues in the Conduct of Healthcare Research’
Module code: 7KNIM701
Credit level: 7
This course aims to raise awareness of issues that arise inthe conduct of research, from writing research proposals to the publication of findings. It will be useful for students embarking on a research or service development project, for new researchers wishing to develop their skills, and for healthcare professionals seeking to evaluate healthcare services. Issues covered in the course include gaining funding, managing research schedules, involving users in the research process, working with external agencies, addressing ethical and political issues in research, and managing aspects of the data collection process - for example overcoming poor response rates and managing group dynamics in focus group research. Learning is facilitated through lectures, recommended reading and seminars. The seminars provide a series of How to... sessions that facilitate application of concepts learnt during the Principal Methods for Healthcare Research course. For example: How to develop an interview schedule, or How to run a focus group. These seminars enable students to gain a practical understanding of the research process.
Module code: 7KNIM707
Credit level: 7
This course will enable students to critically appraise and utilise organisational and management theories in order to facilitate the development of individuals and groups. Examples of this include continuing professional development, motivation, the management of change and manpower planning.
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
For specialist pathways you must normally be working in a practice role, which involves regular patient/client contact. The College cannot arrange clinical placements. The normal entry requirement for graduate study is a first degree (minimum 2:1 honours or equivalent). Applicants with other backgrounds or qualifications, including those without a first degree, can be considered. If you do not meet the normal entry requirements or you have only the minimum academic standard you should pay particular attention in preparing your supporting statement and CV to ensure that you draw attention to evidence of potential success at graduate level. This might include publication, preparation of substantial reports or active participation in funded research.
Applicants wishing to enrol on this pathway should be working in an appropriate critical care setting for the duration of the programme.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Apply using the College application form available online. In addition, please submit a CV detailing relevant professional and academic experience.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Indicate the pathway/options you are interested in studying. Give details of any King's College modules that you have already studied which you wish to incorporate into the programme (including module name and course code, date completed, grade and credits gained). Identify any modules that you wish to be considered through the Accredited Prior Learning process.
FUNDING
Staff from contracted Trusts are eligible to have their study funded, subject to agreement by their manager. Students not sponsored by their employer may wish to pursue other sources of funding. Some scholarships may be available. Prospective students may also wish to consult the Directory of Grant-making Trusts and Charities (available in local libraries). Self-funding students may wish to consider a Career Development Loan
http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl/
Student profiles
Advanced Practice (Critical Care) MSc/PG Dip/PG Cert
My place of work has a contract with King's, however, if given the choice I would have chosen to study at King's due to its outstanding reputation which I felt would enhance any future employment opportunities.
The lectures and level of support from the lecturers is second to none. I found the learning resources to be exceptional and was able to access a very wide range of research articles and books. This was further enhanced by the online resources. One of the modules, Evidence Based Decision Making, was the best I have ever done. When I speak to colleagues who are considering doing this module I always tell them that their knowledge of the research process will be boosted greatly if they do.
I also enjoyed networking with other students which has led to me doing some teaching at King's. My advice to anybody who is considering doing this course is, although there is a lot of hard work, you really feel as if you are learning something that will be very useful in your future career.
Staff profiles
Advanced Practice (Critical Care) MSc/PG Dip/PG CertI am delighted to be able to oversee a raft of exciting master’s programmes within the School of Nursing & Midwifery. I myself have studied at King’s and was attracted to do so because of the College’s reputation for research.
Today the number of programmes has increased to meet the complexity and diversity of healthcare provision, and research has been fully accepted as an essential element of healthcare practice. I am pleased to say that research and the appraisal of evidence remain core to all of our programmes whether concerned with advanced clinical practice and leadership roles or in the field of education for healthcare professionals.