Entry requirements

Please view the Admissions Policy before applying.

Professional requirements  
Current professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) or The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)  
 
Experience  
A minimum of three years post-registration experience (or equivalent part time experience) on entry to the course  
At least one year’s experience in the clinical specialty that you propose to work in as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner 
 
Academic qualifications  
A relevant degree 
Competency in written and spoken English (IELTS 7.0 or equivalent)  
Previous study at level 7 or the ability to study at level 7

Clinical practice requirements  

• Be employed at minimum of Band 6 or equivalent  
• Ideally be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week in one relevant clinical environment, with access to appropriate clinical support and supervision
• Willingness of employer to release the student to enable them to dedicate the equivalent of 3 hours minimum per week throughout the module as protected learning time to enable the student to work in a 'supernumerary capacity' to focus on their clinical/professional development
• Students must be able to undertake at least 30 hours of direct supervision and 150 hours of indirect supervised clinical practice  
• Students should ideally be employed in a trainee / advanced practice or specialist role
• Student’s job description should include advanced practice skills as essential criteria to perform your role
• Student’s current role should require you to undertake comprehensive physical examination and formulate diagnoses and treatment plans
• Provision of day-to-day supervision and support by an experienced clinical team to enable the development of the knowledge, skills, behaviors, competence, and confidence commensurate with this level of practice

Information before you apply

Before beginning an application for any of our Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) modules or pathways, you must:

• Read the ACP Pre-Application Information and Guidance pack.
• Complete the ACP Pre-Application Form here.

If you have funding in place and would like to proceed with your application:

• Complete a School on-line Application below using the ‘Apply Now’ button. 

Practice Assessors / Supervisors
You will need to identify a separate practice assessor, and a practice supervisor to support you during your studies.

As detailed in the information pack, there are set requirements as to who can take this role on and they will also need to complete a declaration form prior to you starting the module.

Please advise your prospective assessors / supervisor to via the ACP assessor hub for more details and to complete the declaration form (Advanced Practice Assessor and Supervisor Hub)

Key topics

The module’s content is closely aligned to the Cancer Nursing Education Framework (EONS 2018) and Career Pathway and Education Framework for Cancer Nursing (RCN 2022), including:

• Physical assessment skills of the main body systems: Respiratory, Cardiac, Abdominal and Neurological
• Comprehensive patient history
• Analysis and interpretation of clinical findings
• Generation of differential diagnoses
• Using clinical decision-making to narrow the field of differential diagnoses
• Legal and ethical issues 
• Empowerment and accountability
• Risk management (‘safety netting’ & ‘red flags’) & dealing with uncertainty

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module at Level 7 you should be able to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate the ability to undertake a comprehensive and holistic health history assessment of an individual presenting with a range of symptoms that could be related to an acute episode, long term condition, or as a result of cancer and its treatments
• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required in performing a physical examination of the Neurological, Respiratory, Cardiac, and Abdominal body systems
• Critically discuss clinical decision making theories and evidence base used in producing a range of differential diagnoses within the learner’s clinical role
• Demonstrate the ability to critically interpret data and sources of information in order to generate a range of differential diagnoses
• Demonstrate an ability to synthesise the information from consultation and physical examination and effectively communicate this into a management plan to the individual and the wider inter-disciplinary team

Dates

Course 1

On-line Iive interactive sessions on: 2, 9, 23 September, 14 and 21 October 2024
Face to face at The Royal Marsden School, Chelsea on: 3, 16 September, 7 October, 4 and 11 November 2024
Submission date: 11 December 2024

Course 2

On-line Iive interactive sessions on: 13, 20 January, 3, 24 February and 3 March 2025
Face to face at The Royal Marsden School, Chelsea on: 14, 27 January, 10 February, 10 and 17 March 2025
Submission date: 16 April 2025

Course 3

On-line Iive interactive sessions on: 7, 14 April, 12 May, 2 and 9 June 2025
Face to face at The Royal Marsden School, Chelsea on: 8, 28 April, 19 May, 16 and 23 June 2025
Submission date: 22 July 2025

Assessment

Practice Assessment Document 

Student support

Tutorials with the module leader or personal tutor are available if students require additional help with the planning and writing of their assignments. Email and telephone support is also available from the module leader/personal tutor. 

The Royal Marsden School uses an online environment called Moodle which students must access during their studies to support and enhance our courses. The site provides resources and communication tools. All students will be provided with a username and password to access module specific sections as well as general learning support such as study skills and library resources. Students also have access to the David Adams Library and Electronic Resource Centre. 

To get the best from the live video-conferencing sessions and enable you to participate fully you should have access to a computer or laptop with a camera and microphone. If you have any concerns or need help, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Related pathways

This stand-alone module also forms part of these pathways:

• MSc Advanced Clinical Practice in Cancer Care
• MSc in Cancer Care