Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship

Enabling healthcare professionals to prepare for advanced clinical roles while in employment
Clinical practitioner

Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship

Enabling healthcare professionals to prepare for advanced clinical roles while in employment
As of 1 January 2026, government funding for Level 7 apprenticeships is restricted to learners aged 16-21, and under 25 for care leavers and those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) at the start of their apprenticeship in England.
NHS England has announced a mitigation fund to support training for this programme.
Organisations should submit expressions of interest to NHS England. For more information on this new funding route, please contact your local NHS England contact.
Applications for September 2027 will open Monday 8 February 2027. 
If you have an enquiry about any of the apprenticeships at the University of Plymouth, please complete the below form.
Enquiry form
The total course cost for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice is £12,000. 
Year One
You will study three core modules in your first year:
  • Advancing practice in context: This module will enable the student to develop their professional understanding within Advancing Practice, allowing them to consider the legal and ethical boundaries, the working environment and the complexities of their practice.
  • Advanced assessment for clinical practice: This module will enable experienced healthcare practitioners to develop cognitive and clinical skills with regard to the consultation process, clinical examination of major body systems and interpretation of diagnostic data to inform their clinical decision making in practice. 
  • Research, methodologies and application: This module develops an understanding of research designs and methods, enabling the critical appraisal of research and introducing the principles of data collection and analysis.
Year Two
In your second year, you will study one core module:
  • Managing clinical complexity: This module will enable the student to develop competence, autonomy and professional accountability in the development of managing clinical complexity when seeing patients with complex co-morbidities, polypharmacy, undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions across healthcare settings.
You will also choose two of the following optional modules:
  • Non-medical prescribing: Independent and supplementary prescribing for nurses and midwives
  • Advanced newborn and infant examination
  • Global health in context
  • Advanced psychosocial assessment and formulation
  • Ethical and legal issues in healthcare practice
  • Advanced newborn and infant examination (APL) 
  • Perinatal mental health 
  • Developing expertise in clinical practice 
  • Mental health assessment in urgent, emergency and acute care
  • Sociology of health and illness
  • Contemporary approaches to public health
  • Leadership and innovation
  • Management of children/ young people requiring urgent or emergency care
  • Advocacy and education for quality improvement in practice
  • Minor illness and injuries - the principles and practice of management for unscheduled care
  • Substance misuse and dual diagnosis
Final Year
In your final year, you will work towards:
  • Substantive professional project
  • End point assessment

Introduction

We are delighted to be offering the first Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship in the South West. 
This is a valuable opportunity for registered nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals to prepare for work in an advanced clinical role by studying for a work-integrated masters degree in Advanced Clinical Practice while in employment.
This programme has been designed by sector specialists to meet the needs of health professionals across all healthcare sectors, allowing your employees to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice. 
As an advanced clinical practitioner, you'll confidently drive service improvements, provide professional leadership and supervision in complex situations, and manage defined episodes of clinical care and treatment independently from beginning to end. 
This contemporary and flexibly-focused programme will equip the clinician to take on a lead role in supporting and meeting the demands of the ever-changing health service.

Programme overview

  • Apprentices will be employed as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner Trainee throughout the duration of the programme.
  • This is a Level 7 programme – apprentices will graduate with an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice.
  • Apprentices will remain as part of the workforce and continue to contribute to patient care while working towards their qualification.

Advanced Clinical Practitioner Pathways

Advanced Clinical Practice

Who is this programme for?

This is an exciting opportunity for registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. 
This programme is aimed at multi-professionals from a variety of clinical settings who wish to develop their research and leadership skills and clinical expertise at masters level.
This programme will be of interest to those wishing to work at advanced levels of practice or those who are currently working as specialist practitioners in bespoke clinical areas.
 

Course facts

Duration: 3 years, plus apprenticeship assessment
Study expectations per week: 
Employees will have seven and a half hours of protected study time per week.
Delivery type: 
Full-time programme with a blended approach to learning with face-to-face study days at the University and highly directed online study resources.
Entry requirements:
  • GCSE English Grade C/4 or accepted equivalent*
  • GCSE Maths Grade C/4 or accepted equivalent*
  • First degree at 2:2 or above
  • A minimum of three year's post-registration experience and currently working in a role that facilitates advanced clinical practice
  • The apprentice must be on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register or the Allied Health Professionals Council register
  • Must be older than 18 years and have legally left school on the start date of the apprenticeship
  • Must have lived in the UK/EEA for the last three years
  • Must spend at least 50% of the working hours in England over the duration of the apprenticeship
*Other alternative qualifications may be considered please contact us for more information.
 

Key benefits

  • @Support – Advanced Clinical Practice apprentices will be supported by experienced academic clinicians who all currently work in clinical practice.

  • @Flexibility – a contemporary and dynamic programme which can be linked to the apprentice's current practice area and is responsive to the changing healthcare environment.

  • @Highest quality education – teaching is always current and integrates best practice, through internationally renowned research and national frameworks and policies.

  • @An education provider you can trust – we’re one of the largest providers of healthcare education in the South West, with an excellent reputation for delivering healthcare study at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

1
“We are happy and proud to offer the first Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship in the South West.
 
On successful completion of this exciting three year masters degree, the apprentice will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be an independent clinical practitioner. They will be able to manage defined episodes of clinical care, while working as part of the wider health and social care team, putting excellent patient care at the heart of their practice. 
 
We look forward to welcoming your employees onto our programme and supporting them on their learning journey.”
Jo Amy Bailey, Lecturer in Adult Nursing

Assessment

Your ACP trainee will be assessed utilising a diverse range of assessment methods which will be linked to their own practice.
Throughout the programme apprentices will also be required to maintain an electronic portfolio of evidence of learning, which on successful completion of the programme will become a lifelong source to evidence your professional practice.

Support

Our experienced clinicians will be there to support the ACP trainees every step of the way; they will receive 12 weekly tripartite meetings with their workplace mentor and a member of our apprenticeship team to discuss their progress, as well as receiving visits from their academic tutor once every semester.
Advanced Clinical Practice
Inside of Roland Levinsky Building

Work-based degrees and higher apprenticeships

Helping employers develop, harness and focus the skills of emerging talent within their organisation while offering employees opportunity to pursue undergraduate degree qualifications alongside real-life work experience.