School of Nursing and Midwifery

MSc Advanced Critical Care Practitioner

Continue your studies and gain your MSc Advanced Critical Care Practitioner qualification with our new top-up programme, designed to follow on from the PgDip Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme. This final year will equip you with advanced research skills and deeper understanding of how to improve patient care.

Please note: you must have completed the PgDip Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme to enrol for this award.

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Key features
  • Increase your understanding and use of complex data to evaluate the effectiveness of critical care delivery. This will enable you to be innovative and utilise both knowledge and skills to continue to improve patient care.
  • Demonstrate your ability to work in complex and unpredictable environments, developing your problem solving skills and the ability to take the initiative in your workplace.
  • Develop a clinically focused project to enhance and benefit your practice.
  • Join a programme developed through a dynamic collaborative working relationship between the University, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and other local NHS trusts, providing opportunities for networking and career development.
  • Shape your studies around your existing expertise with our student-centred approach.
  • Equip yourself with the skills to be responsive to the ever-changing nature of the healthcare environment. This contemporary and dynamic programme means you can position yourself at the leading edge of critical care practice.
  • Benefit from the extensive professional experience of our team, hailing from a diverse range of health and social care environments.
  • Accredited by the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM).
This programme is also available as an Apprenticeship MSc Advanced Clinical Practice in Critical Care. For further information on the apprenticeship route and details of how your employer can apply for you please visit our apprenticeship webpage.

Course details

  • Programme overview

  • Please note: you must have completed the PgDip Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme to enrol for this award.

    Core modules

    • Substantive Professional Project (SPP702)

      The substantive project enables the student to demonstrate their ability to manage practice development. The project provides an opportunity to apply knowledge and understanding of methodology and methods to develop an area of practice, evaluating the impact or potential impact upon the practice area. Students may undertake this project in their actual workplace, or the workplace may be a defined sphere of practice.

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest programme structure and may be subject to change:

MSc Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme specification_6146

The modules shown for this course or programme are those being studied by current students, or expected new modules. Modules are subject to change depending on year of entry.

Entry requirements
Applicants for this course will need:
  • to have completed the PgDip Advanced Critical Care Practitioner programme within the last 5 years
  • evidence of employment from their home trust
  • a named consultant intensivist who will be the clinical supervisor
  • a current live registration with either the Nursing and Midwifery Council (Part 1 or 2) or The Health and Care Professions Council
  • three years post-qualifying experience in intensive care
  • a satisfactory enhanced DBS (formerly CRB) check
  • a satisfactory Occupational Health Clearance.
We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.

Fees, costs and funding
Student 2023-2024 2024-2025
Home To be confirmed To be confirmed
International To be confirmed To be confirmed
Part time (Home) To be confirmed To be confirmed
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 60 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

Tuition fee discount for University of Plymouth graduates

If you studied your undergraduate degree at Plymouth, you may be eligible for a fee discount if you complete your postgraduate studies here as well.
  • 20% discount on tuition fees for home students
  • £2,000 discount on tuition fees for international students

Please see the module webpage for SPP702 for further information.
Please be aware that there may be additional costs to undertaking your studies relating to printing of course materials, and requirement for an initial outlay for travel and accommodation in respect of practice placement. If you have any questions regarding these costs please contact admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.
International
If you are studying on a programme where placements are integral to your study there are costs associated with travel and accommodation. Please speak with the programme admissions tutor to find out more.

How to apply
Applying for this programme
Please visit our admissions homepage for full details on the application process and to download the relevant forms.
Please return your completed forms to:
Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA
What happens after I apply?
After your application is received by the PDU Admissions team, it will be processed and sent to the Programme Lead for a decision to be made on your suitability to study. You may be asked to provide additional information or to take part in an interview (for overseas students this may be by telephone or video conference). Once this decision has been made, you will be sent an email either confirming your place on the programme, or rejecting your application and giving the reasons for this decision (you may request further feedback in order to improve your chances of selection at a later date).
Please note that you will be enrolled on the full MSc programme. You may choose to exit with the qualification of PgCert upon completion of an appropriate 60 credits, or a PgDip upon completion of an appropriate 120 credits. More information is contained within the programme specification.
Applying for this programme
Please visit our PDU admissions homepage for full details on the application process and to download the relevant forms.
Please return your completed forms to:
Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, PL4 8AA

Career opportunities

You’ll be able to apply for Band 8a roles, and work in stage 1, 2 and 3 intensive care units (ICUs) as an autonomous practitioner who is able to assess, diagnose and manage critically ill patients and prescribe independently.
On completion of the programme, you'll be able to apply for voluntary registration and associate membership of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine.
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