Advanced Clinical Practice (Neonatal)

The clinical focus of this module is designed to enable students to integrate the knowledge gained through completion of the Advanced Neonatal Practitioner Foundation module into their clinical practice. This will enable the trainee to develop capability as a neonatal practitioner and provide a robust base for transition to an advanced level of practice.
The module is designed to enable trainees to integrate knowledge gained through completion of the Evidence Based Practice and Advanced Neonatal Practitioner Foundation modules into clinical practice. Trainees will be working at neonatal practitioner level, but will start to develop advanced skills and knowledge which will be developed further in successive modules.

This module is designed to provide qualified healthcare professionals working with neonates with the theoretical knowledge and core skills underpinning advanced neonatal practice. It will provide students with the relevant underpinning anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology knowledge to gain mastery in their role. The module focuses on the acquisition of in depth bioscience knowledge and how this relates to the clinical conditions frequently seen in newborn infants and the development of core clinical skills.

This unit is designed to enable the student to consider sources of knowledge that impact on the development of health and social care practices. The nature of evidence and the skills of searching, retrieval, appraisal, utilisation, dissemination and implementation of evidence will be conceded in the light of health and social care service efficacy. A variety of teaching and learning strategies will be offered to facilitate the development of the knowledge and skills required for evaluation of evidence in practice, culminating in the development of a defensible proposal to support practice/service enhancement.

Healthcare professionals strive to provide care that is continuously improving, high quality, safe and compassionate. Such care needs to be adaptive to local and national organisational strategies, learns from incidents and is aligned to patient opinions, behaviours and service demand. Effective leadership behaviours are central to high quality clinical care, and focused on a patient safety culture that can transcend professional and organisational boundaries to drive quality improvements.

Within this module, we will critically explore and analyse the theories and evidence underpinning practice improvement, human factors, service redesign and transformational leadership, ensuring the student has the creative ability to propose and develop a practice-based report and use innovative approaches to disseminate their findings.

This module provides an opportunity for experienced neonatal practitioners to explore and identify contemporary issues in neonatal practice whilst critically reflecting on their development. In partnership with clinical supervisors, students develop bespoke skills relevant to their specialist practice and clinical work environment. This module is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and experience gained as a neonatal practitioner in year 1, thus enabling the trainee to transition into an advanced practice role. The focus of this module will be work-based learning, enabling the students to develop a professional knowledge base acquired in the workplace whilst playing a key role in the multidisciplinary neonatal team.

This module will enable qualified nurses and midwives to critically evaluate the principles underpinning nurse prescribing, including exploring the pharmacology of drugs and to examine the issues faced when prescribing in clinical practice as part of an interdisciplinary team. This will allow them to prescribe safely, appropriately, and cost effectively. Students are required to undertake supervised clinical practice under the mentorship of a designated prescribing practitioner. Successful completion of the module will in fulfil the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) criteria to allow annotation in the professional register as an independent/supplementary prescriber.

Applicants must be a registered nurse (level 1), a registered midwife or a SCPHN (registered with the NMC) before being considered as eligible to apply for entry onto an NMC approved prescribing programme

Applicants for V300 supplementary/independent prescribing programmes must have been registered with the NMC for a minimum of one year prior to application for entry onto the programme (change to NMC requirements 2018)

Applicants will also need to evidence that they have the necessary skills in clinical and health assessment, diagnostics, care management and the planning and evaluation of care

For level 7 applications It is expected that participants have 120 credits at level 6 (degree) or demonstrate the ability to study at this level.

All Registrants must have an up-to date Disclosure and Barring Service check i.e. within last three years, before they commence educational preparation to prescribe as a Nurse Independent Prescriber. This includes applicants who are self-employed or work in non NHS settings.

This unit is designed for those already with a prescribing qualification at undergraduate level who are training for advanced practice roles, which bring greater demands for autonomy and critical thinking. It aims to develop the knowledge and skills to fully integrate their prescribing practice into their new advanced role. The unit builds on the knowledge and skills already gained through completion of a previous course in independent prescribing and uses principles of reflective practice and work based learning to further develop effectiveness in relation to advanced practice.

Senior health and social care professionals need to be able to translate and apply learning from academic programmes in order to make a meaningful contribution to practice. The unit will enable students to complete a substantial piece of work that has the potential to stimulate development or innovation in their practice. It draws together learning from the programme and engages the academic skills of critical appraisal with development of a proposal of application to practice. Students identify a relevant issue and subject this to systematic analysis to produce an evidence based report which addresses improvement objectives through deliverable recommendations.