Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice (PHEM)

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The Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice (Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine) is a University of Cambridge award offered by the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE). It has been designed collaboratively with the Department of Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the College of Paramedics (CoP) and the Intercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine.

Course delivery: We plan to deliver our postgraduate and MSt qualifications in-person in the academic year 2021-22. Please note that this will be reviewed in line with the latest public health guidance available at the time. If required, to ensure the health and safety of students, we may look to utilise alternative teaching formats and will contact students if we expect changes to the course delivery.

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Overview

Who is the course designed for?

The Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice (PHEM) is aimed at clinicians currently employed in areas of practice across the UK including paramedics, specialist paramedics, nurses and other emergency services professionals as the key providers of pre-hospital emergency medicine (PHEM).

Aims of the course

To develop a postgraduate programme which is open to healthcare professionals (paramedics and nurses) who are eligible to undertake accreditation as an Advanced PHEM practitioner.
To contribute to shaping regional and national perspectives relating to continuing professional development of advanced clinical practitioners.
To meet the College of Paramedics’ post-registration career framework aspirations related to PHEM practice.
To develop a cohort of Advanced Practitioners possessing a depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding within the specialist field of PHEM.

Teaching & Assessment

Teaching and learning

This course is designed to provide a mix of asynchronous, remote synchronous and face-to-face delivery (where feasible and in accordance with University/government guidelines).

The course comprises three modules, each with teaching sessions held in Cambridge and additional between-module reflection, study and assignment work. A virtual learning environment [VLE] will support students' learning throughout the programme.

It is essential that applicants are available to attend all teaching events.

Please note: dates and venues are provisional and subject to change in accordance with University/government guidelines.

The Modules:

Module 1: Advanced clinical assessment - January to March 2021

13/14 January 2021
24/25 February 2021
17/18 March 2021

Module 2: Clinical Leadership and decision making - April to June 2021

14/15 April 2021
5/6 May 2021
9/10 June 2021

Module 3: Pharmacology and therapeutics for PHEM - September to December 2021

22/23 September 2021
3/4 November 2021
8/9 December 2021

Participants will acquire through the programme a grounding in each of these areas, which will be reinforced by referral to the available evidence base and guidelines for current best practice. The teaching will be experiential and intended to demonstrate theory and how this might be applied.

Venue for teaching sessions:

Where face-to-face delivery is possible, the venue will be confirmed in advance.

Assessment

Students will be given formal feedback on their assignments and informal feedback throughout their course.

You will be assessed throughout the three modules using a variety of formative and summative techniques including ongoing completion of a professional portfolio and reflective learning journal. The summative components will include written examinations of underpinning knowledge, as well as an objective structured practical examination (OSPE). There will also be a requirement for you to take part in peer review of other students, both as the observer and as the learner, and then to provide a written reflection on that process.

Demonstration of active participation in the programme will also be required.

Requirements

Professional requirements

Applicants must be either a paramedic with current Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration or a nurse practitioner with current Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration. Eligible candidates will be expected to have significant experience and ongoing exposure in pre-hospital care practice.

Expected academic standard

Graduate work in Cambridge is intense and intellectually demanding and as a result the University has high academic entry requirements. You are normally expected to hold:

At least a 2i honours degree from a UK university or an equivalent standard from an overseas university; and
Completion of, or release from, any current training or education course

Due to the professional nature of the programme there is provision to accept non-standard applicants who do not satisfy the standard academic criterion. Such applicants must produce evidence of relevant and equivalent experience and their suitability for the course.

Language requirement

All applicants are required to demonstrate competency in English at a high level before commencing the programme; students whose first language is not English must be able to satisfy the requirements below.

IELTS Academic: Overall score of 7.0 (a minimum of 7.0 in Listening, Writing and Speaking; 6.5 in Reading)
TOEFL Internet: Overall score of 100 (a minimum of 25 in each individual component)
CAE: Grade A or B (with at least 193 in each individual element), plus a Language Centre assessment
CPE: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 in each individual element)

Fees & funding

Fees and funding

The fee per annum for 2021 will be:

£5,250 Home students

£9,450 International students

The fee status of EU nationals for 2021 entry onwards will be International by default until the UK government announce further details and amendments of the current regulation. EU students should regularly check for updates at: www.cam.ac.uk/eu

Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£70 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence incurred during the course and teaching sessions in Cambridge.

How to apply

Applications will be accepted until Saturday 5 December 2020. Please see APPLY NOW button above and follow the instructions carefully.

Interviews are due to be held on Monday 7, Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 December 2020.

Candidates must be available to attend all of the sessions and meet assessment deadlines.

All eligible candidates will be considered for interview.

Documents

Course guide

Unless otherwise stated, teaching and assessment for ICE courses are in English. If your first language is not English, please refer to our Information for Applicants pages for further guidance.

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Course dates

05 Jan 2021 to 31 Dec 2021

Course duration

1 Year

Apply by

05 Dec 2020

Course fee

Home: £5,250
Overseas: £9,450

Academic director

Dr Lee Soomaroo

Academic Directors, Course Directors and Tutors are subject to change, when necessary.

Venue

Virtual Classroom

(via Zoom or equivalent)

Qualifications / Credits

60 credits at Master of Studies

Course code

2021PCB525