The MSc Advanced Clinical Practice course has been developed in response to the needs of stakeholders who require an advanced clinical practitioner who will be able to assess, diagnose and where appropriate prescribe as well as ensure that care and management of the patient is delivered and evaluated. As a student on this course, you will complete a range of challenging and stimulating modules that will help you advance your knowledge and skills and achieve success. I look forward to working with you, and please get in contact if you need any support.

Your Course Team

Key dates

Academic Calendar: Trimesters [15 Week]

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2025-26 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays. 

Welcome

The MSC Advanced Clinical Practice course, will offer you a course of study that has been developed to ensure that on completion you have reached the required educational level of an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP).

The successful completion of the MSc Advanced clinical practice does not mean that you are able to work as an ACP, you must also meet your employer’s requirements through completion of their bespoke competencies, supported to enhance your scope of professional practice, to be able to be classified as an ACP.

The modules on the course will follow nationally prescribed guidance on the ACP role. The course at Canterbury Christ Church University is accredited by the Centre for Advancing Practice.

Please note that if your profession does not allow you to prescribe you are still able to complete the course and work as an ACP. Therefore, you will undertake modules that will enhance your role.

This course is based on developing your role to be able to fulfil this advanced practice specification. In addition, the course ensures that the 4 pillars of ACP are considered: Clinical practice, management/ leadership, education, and research. These 4 aspects are embedded within the modules.

We would encourage you to review the course structure and module options via your course page before you arrive.

Getting started

Pre-course Tasks

Before the course begins take some time to familiarize yourself with the four pillars of Advanced Clinical Practice. 

 You could also look at the NHS England ACP website as well as the Multi-professional framework for Advanced Clinical Practice. Think about your own learning outcomes and how you plan to achieve them. 

Finally it would be useful if you have identified a co-ordinating education supervisor who can support you during the course. This should be a senior clinician. 

Welcome Sessions

Your welcome sessions will take place w.c 19 January 2026. These will be online using Microsoft Teams. Please see below for the times and dates and links to join the sessions.

You only need to attend one of the below sessions.

20/1/26 2pm

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 376 463 870 062 Passcode: QX2Ai2Pz

21/1/26 7pm

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 330 729 524 671 Passcode: Ej3bY2S4

22/1/26 12pm

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 345 136 437 447 3 Passcode: r7nW2Sr2

Registration

Once you have completed the application process you will receive further information from us regarding how to complete your registration and how to set up your computing account.

Registration generally opens several weeks before the course start date. You can only register once you have received an email titled: "Invitation to online registration". You will not be able to register earlier, so please check your emails regularly.

Please ensure that you action any emails as soon as you receive these - we recommend that you regularly check your junk folder as these emails may be directed there.

Without completing your registration and creating your computing account you will not be able to access our Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard, which is essential to your participation in the course.

Pre-course reading

Please make yourself aware of:

Further Reading

  • Diamond-Fox, S., Hill, B., Stone, S., Gardner, N., McCrea, C., Roberts, A. (2023) The Advanced Practitioner in Acute, Emergency and Critical Care. Wiley. London.
  • Higgins C (2007) Understanding laboratory investigations: for nurses and health professionals. Blackwell Publishing. UK 
  • Hill, B. (2021) Non-Medical Prescribing at a Glance. Wiley. London.
  • Hill, B. & Diamond-Fox, S. (2022) Advanced Practice at a Glance. Wiley. London.
  • Huether, S.E.; McCance, K.L. (2016) Understanding Pathophysiology. 6th edition. St Louis: Mosby. 
  • Kumar, P. & Clark, M. (2012) Clinical Medicine. 8th ed. London: Elsevier 
  • Japp A, Robertson C ( 2013) Macleads's Clinical Diagnosis. Churchill Livingstone . London. 
  • Llewelyn, H.; Hock, A.A.; Lewis, K.; et al. (2014). Oxford Handbook of Clinical Diagnosis. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press 
  • Lovell, B.; Lander, M.;& Murch, N. (2020) Clinical Skills, Diagnostics & Reasoning. Oxford: Scion 
  • Peate, I., Hill, B. & Diamond-Fox, S. (2023) The Advanced Practitioner. Wiley. London.
  • Phipps, O. & Lugg, J. (2016). Rapid Emergency & Unscheduled Care. Wiley Blackwell. 
  • Phipps, O, Setchfield, I, Diamond-Fox, S. & Hill, B. (2024) Pathophysiology, Diagnostics, and Decisioning Making in Advanced Practice. Wiley. London. (In progress).
  • Talley N J, O Connor S ( 2014) Clinical examination: A systematic guide to physical diagnosis. 7th Ed. Elsevier. London. 

Contact details

Have a question?

Student Zone is here to help you make the most of your CCCU experience.

Email - studentzone@canterbury.ac.uk

Telephone - 01227 922222 (10am-2pm)