Advanced Clinical Practitioner: Information for Employees
Enabling registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to prepare for an advanced clinical role, whilst remaining in salaried employment

As an apprentice remains in salaried employment for the duration of the Advanced Clinical Practitioner programme, you will need to express your interest in the programme to your employer.
The employing organisation manages the electronic application form and is responsible for supporting the applicant in the application process.
When the application form is completed by the apprentice this is returned to your employer who is then responsible for sending the application to apprenticeships@plymouth.ac.uk
For more information please contact us at enterprisesolutions@plymouth.ac.uk or 0800 052 5600
The apprentice must be on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register or the Allied Health professionals Council register to apply for the Advanced Clinical Practitioner and must meet the University's entry requirements for study at postgraduate level.
They must hold a first degree at 2:2 or above and have a minimum of three years post-registration experience and will be currently working in a role that facilitates advanced clinical practice.
If you have any questions about the Advanced Clinical Practitioner degree apprenticeship or any of our other programmes, please email Enterprise Solutions on enterprisesolutions@plymouth.ac.uk or you can give them a call on 0800 052 5600.
Introduction
Our Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship provides registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals with the opportunity to study for a fully-funded masters degree, MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, whilst in paid employment.
This programme has been designed to meet the needs of health professionals across all healthcare sectors, giving you the opportunity to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice. As an Advanced Clinical Practitioner, you will drive service improvements, provide professional leadership and supervision in complex situations and manage defined episodes of clinical care and treatment independently from beginning to end.
This contemporary, flexible programme will develop your practice by building on your current expertise and knowledge and equip you with the skill set required for an advanced clinical role.
@No course fees – Costs are covered by the government and/or your employer.
@Flexible study – Remain in salaried employment whilst studying for your MSc Advanced Clinical Practice.
@Ongoing support – Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprentices will be supported by experienced academic clinicians who all currently work in clinical practice.
@An education provider you can trust – We’re one of the largest providers of healthcare education in the South West, with an excellent reputation for delivering healthcare study at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
This is an exciting opportunity for registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. This programme is aimed at multi-professionals from a variety of clinical settings who wish to develop their research and leadership skills and clinical expertise at masters level.
This programme will be of interest to those wishing to work at advanced levels of practice or those who are currently working as specialist practitioners in bespoke clinical areas.
You will study three core modules in your first year:
In your second year, you will study one core module:
You will also choose two of the following optional modules:
In your final year, you will work towards:
As an ACP trainee you will be assessed utilising a diverse range of assessment methods from written reports and research proposals, to Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). Your academic tutor will provide you with formative feedback to help guide you and shape your assessments.
In addition to this, you will also be required to maintain an electronic portfolio of evidence of learning, which on successful completion of the programme will become a lifelong source to evidence your professional practice.
Our experienced clinicians will be there to support you every step of the way. You will receive 12 weekly tripartite meetings with your mentor and a member of our apprenticeship team to discuss your progress, as well as receiving visits from your academic tutor once every semester.
“We are happy and proud to offer the first Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship in the South West. This exciting programme is firmly embedded in the workplace and offers registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals the opportunity to study and work in a trainee ACP role in their clinical area, supported by the academic team here at the University of Plymouth and clinical mentors in practice.
On successful completion of the 3 year Master’s degree you will have the knowledge and skills to be an independent clinical practitioner and will be able to manage defined episodes of clinical care whilst working as part of the wider health and social care team, putting excellent patient care at the heart of their practice.
We look forward to welcoming you onto our programme and supporting you on your learning journey.”
Jo Amy Brancher, Lecturer in Adult Nursing
Our higher and degree apprenticeships enable learners to obtain a higher level qualification whilst gaining valuable, industry-specific work experience and earning a salary.