Primary Care Route: nurse practitioner
This route is aimed at experienced nurses wishing to take on a first contact or advanced practitioner role.
Nurses are increasingly taking on new roles within the new NHS in the management of acute and chronic conditions as well as in the clinical leadership of primary care and public health. There are several pieces of legislation and initiatives that have paved the way for this, including the new GMS Contract, the development of Walk in Centres and PCT-led Out of Hours services, the development of community matrons and, most recently, the developments in prescribing by nurses. The NMC has recognised the need for nurses taking on these roles to be trained at an ‘advanced’ level, and in the near future ‘advanced nurse practitioners’ should become a registerable qualification on the NMC register.
The education of these nurses will be based on current RCN approved courses that educate nurses to advanced level via internationally approved competencies. The Nurse Practitioner scheme at City and QM is structured to incorporate the proposed NMC competencies. The current nurse practitioner route at City University leads to RCN approved nurse practitioner qualification. This means that on successful completion of the course practitioners will be able to ‘migrate’ to the NMC advanced practice register as and when this comes into effect.
Aims
To prepare nurses to develop the practical and critical skills and knowledge required for them to work autonomously in advanced clinical roles in primary care by:
- Developing the competencies to see, diagnose and treat and refer as appropriate clients/patients presenting with undifferentiated conditions in primary care.
- Developing skills in using, evaluating and analysing research and evidence based medicine in practice.
- Developing skills in clinical leadership in primary care
- Developing skills in using the advanced practitioner role to promote positive change in primary care.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
- Critically assess and apply research and evidence based knowledge in the management of client health and illness
- Synthesize knowledge of the social, environmental and public health context in the management of health of individuals, groups and populations.
Values and Attitudes
- Actively seeks knowledge and research based evidence in order to inform advanced practice
- Actively facilitates, through advanced practice skills, the empowerment of patients to make informed choices in their health care needs.
- Works collaboratively with other workers in order to facilitate care of patients, clients or communities.
- Works as an advanced practitioner and has a commitment to the development of advanced nursing practice in a wider context.
Cognitive/Intellectual
- Critically assess and apply contemporary research and evidence in order to continually improve and update advanced practice
- Reflect upon and evaluate performance in consultations and care provision.
- Actively facilitate or lead in evaluation of care, audit and research.
Subject Specific
- Has a patient centred approach to the care of clients and populations
Transferable
- Able to apply central concepts and themes of advanced practice in different situations and environments.
- Able to communicate effectively with patients, clients, health care workers and other groups in all settings
Core Modules
- Biological Foundations in Clinical Practice
- Clinical Practice
- Pharmacology in Clinical Practice
- Philosophy and Politics of Primary Health Care
- Physical Assessment 1
- Physical Assessment 2
- Research Methods 1
Option Modules
- Clinical Effectiveness
- Communicable Diseases
- Extended Nurse Prescribing
- Health Promotion
- International Perspectives of Health and Social Care
- Long Term Conditions
- Pain & Symptom Management In Palliative Care
- Social & Public Health Improvement