Programme Title Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner 1
2
3
4
Programme Code
JACS Code
Level of Study
5a Final Qualification
5b QAA FHEQ Level
6a Intermediate Qualification(s)
6b QAA FHEQ Level
NURT108
B730
Postgraduate
MMedSci Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner
7
Post Graduate Certificate Paediatric Nurse Practitioner
Post Graduate Diploma Advanced Paediatric Nurse
Practitioner
7
7
8
9
Teaching Institution (if not Sheffield) Not applicable
Faculty Medicine Dentistry andHealth
Department School of Nursing and Midwifery
10
Other Departments involved in teaching the programme
11 Mode(s) of Attendance
Not applicable
12 Duration of the Programme
13
Accrediting Professional or Statutory
Body
Part time
Minimum 1 year maximum 5 years
Not applicable
14 Date of production/revision September 2015
15. Background to the programme and subject area
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is committed to providing post graduate opportunities for practitioners working within the context of paediatric child health care in order to advance clinically and professionally.The development of this programme has, in part, been driven by NHS directives, in particular The European Working
Time directives (EWTD) that were implemented in 2007. These directives set strict restrictions on the working hours of junior doctors and have had a negative impact on staffing and resources within paediatric units. At the same time the NHS modernisation agenda has embraced the concept of advanced nursing practice, and new ways of working within multidisciplinary teams. The School of Nursing and Midwifery, as a response to clinical demand and external drivers, has developed an award that will advance the delivery of complex care to children and their families in a dynamic and ever changing environment. This reflects the structure within the School of
Nursing and Midwifery and the teaching and research interests of the staff and thus offers clinically based programmes that enable practitioners to study within the specialist area of paediatric practice and demonstrates an ability to engage pro-actively in a constantly changing health and social care arena.
16. Programme aims
The aims of this programme are:

To enable the paediatric practitioner to gain the relevant underpinning knowledge of applied pathophysiology to inform judgements and decisions about clinical practice.

To enable the paediatric practitioner to gain mastery in paediatric health assessment and diagnostic reasoning across a range of clinical situations within the paediatric environment.

Develop a systematic critical understanding of a substantial body of knowledge to enable the development of critical thinking and mastery of the broader contemporary knowledge, skills and attributes commensurate with their developing Advanced PaediatricNurse Practitioner (APNP) role. nurt108 - ver15-16
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
Enable paediatric nurses to critically evaluate the impact that their unique specialist role has on the quality of care delivery in the clinical setting and the organisation of health care in general by bringing a constructive but questioning attitude towards clinical practice.

To promote evidence-based holistic care delivery and develop practice through initiating research-led care and teaching.
17. Programme learning outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding: PG Certificate and Diploma Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner
K1 To critically review the structure and function of major paediatric body systems (LO 1-5).
K2 To gain comprehensive knowledge and understanding of applied pathophysiology in children (LO 1-5).
K3 To gain mastery of history taking, health assessment and diagnostic reasoning from well to critically ill children (LO 1-5).
K4 Providing paediatric nurses with the opportunity to critically analyse and evaluate the theoretical perspectives, which underpin their unique role. (LO 1-5).
K5 To gain advanced knowledge and skills to in the delivery of holistic evidence-based care that addresses the physiological, psycho-social, developmental and cultural needs of children and their families who require specialist care (LO 1-5).
K6 Advance their knowledge of communication with the multi-disciplinary team in primary and secondary and intermediate care settings who work with families to deliver integrated care for children (LO 1-5).
K7 To think strategically about policy and contribute to policy development (LO 1-5).
K8 Critically evaluate the impact of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics on the individual and the implications for prescribing practice. (LO 1-5).
K9 Critically evaluate the relevant legislation and its application to the practice of nurse/midwife prescribing
(LO 1-5).
K10 Critically appraise sources of information/advice and decision support systems in prescribing practice
(LO 1-5).
K11 Advance their knowledge of a variety of methodologies used in planning and undertaking research
(LO 1-5).
Knowledge and Understanding: MMedSci Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner
K12 Critically explore an issue or problem pertinent to their area of practice (LO 1-5).
K13 Provide a defensible rationale for the methodological approaches chosen. (LO 1-5).
Skills and other attributes: Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma Advanced Paediatric Nurse
Practitioner
S1 Demonstrate the application of pathophysiology to clinical practice (LO 1-5).
S2 Demonstrate the ability to select and interpret common clinical tests on the basis of the patient history and examination and processing this information using diagnostic reasoning (LO 1-5).
S3 Critically analyse data and critically evaluate the level of care required identifying nursing concern and employing collaborative multidisciplinary referral (LO 1-5).
S4 Master advanced clinical nursing skills and demonstrate evidence of the ability to carry out complex clinical skills independently (LO 1-5).
S5 Demonstrate understanding of leadership and management styles that enable transformational practice across traditional boundaries (LO 1-5).
S6 Provide safe, effective and evidence based care for children and their families in complex situations (LO
1-5).
S7 Be accountable for personal practice (LO 1-5). nurt108 - ver15-16
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S8 Take forward their developing role as an APNP to meet the challenges of service provision in the twentyfirst century whilst becoming sensitive to context and exploring the implications of uncertainty and change (LO 1-5).
S9 Critically evaluate the principles underpinning nurse prescribing to prescribe safely, appropriately, and cost effectively as an independent / supplementary prescriber (LO 1-5).
S10 Critically evaluate the influences that can affect prescribing practice, and demonstrate understanding by managing prescribing practice in an ethical way (LO 1-5).
S11 Undertake a thorough history including medication history and current medication to inform diagnosis (LO
1-5).
S12 Critical appreciation of the role and responsibilities of the researcher in paediatric practice. (LO 1-5).
S13 Critical awareness of the implications for participants taking part in research studies. (LO 1-5).
S14 Comprehensive understanding of the range of knowledge and skills necessary to undertake research.
(LO 1-5).
S15 Originality and the ability to act autonomously in designing a research proposal at the forefront of the chosen subject area. (LO 1-5).
Skills and other attributes: MMedSci Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner
S16 Conduct a systematic and critical review of the literature (LO 1-5).
S17 Demonstrate critical analysis of the practice context and make recommendations for future paediatric practice also demonstrating how these can be achieved. (LO 1-5).
18. Teaching, learning and assessment
Development of the learning outcomes is promoted through the following teaching and learning methods : A wide variety of teaching methods and strategies will be utilised to provide stimulation and to ensure the varying learning styles of adult learners are met. These strategies include the following:

Completion of a pre course pathophysiology work book : This will be accessed on-line prior to the students accessing the biosciences unit to enable the students to revise their existing knowledge in paediatric bioscience and prepare themselves to understand the higher level of knowledge required for this unit. The pre-course work book is a package which they will receive access to as soon as they have been offered a place on the course. It requires self directed learning which they are advised to complete by undertaking the self assessment using multi choice questions (MCQs) (K1 & S 1).
For all units including the APNP, Non-Medical Prescribing and Critical Development of Clinical Practice:

Lectures: Guided study which provides a structured opportunity to disseminate information, this is the medium by which students access the main knowledge base (K1-13 & S1-17).

Seminars: which are either staff-led or student-led are used throughout the programme .They are designed to reinforce information imparted through lectures by allowing students to work through, analyse, understand and respond to that information. They are used to enable students to make the link between theory and clinical practice (K1-13 & S1-17).

Group tutorials: are meetings arranged between a lecturer and a small group of students in order to clarify a particular problem experienced by the student(s) in the understanding of material or to support the student(s) in the process of preparation for a seminar or assessment (K1-13 & S1-17).

Individual tutorials: are meetings arranged between a lecturer and an individual in order to clarify a particular problem experienced by the student(s) in the understanding of material or to support the student(s) in the process of preparation for a seminar or assessment (K1-13 & S1-17).

Independent Learning: is used to assimilate and clarify material explored in lectures, to prepare for seminars and assessments and to generally examine literature pertinent to the module outcomes (K1-
13 & S1-17).

Reflection: Students are encouraged throughout their learning to reflect on their own clinical area and their own practice. This approach encourages critical and analytical thought and changes to practice
(K1-13 & S1-17). nurt108 - ver15-16
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For the APNP and the NMP

Supervised Clinical Practice: This will be negotiated with relevant nominated supervisors in practice to enable the development of practice through supervision and assessment of the required clinical skills through the development of a portfolio of evidence (see next section for details) (K1-10 & S1-11).
For On-line Research Modules

Core material will be available to students in the form of on-line 'learning packages' equivalent to topic lectures. Students will supplement this material with tutor-directed reading and with student-led exploration of relevant publications. Tutor-directed on-line tutorials will be supplemented by on-line discussion groups and 'chat rooms'. Students will be encouraged to seek, and provide, peer feedback and support on work-in-progress. Such interactions will form an important aspect of contextualising the learning experience for students. (K11& S12-15).
For the Critical Developments in Practice

Students are provided with an academic tutor who supports them using a variety of approaches including e-mail tutorials, telephone tutorials or face to face tutorials, for the duration of the unit (K12-13
& S16-17).
Opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes are provided through the following assessment methods:
The units for this programme are assessed using a variety of methods:
For the PG Cert and Diploma APNP Units

Completion of a pre course work book: This will be completed prior to accessing the biosciences unit (K1 &S
1).

Extended Matching Sets Questions (EMSQs): Formative assessment to test the students developing knowledge of paediatricapplied pathophysiology at weeks 1.4.and 8 during the module (K1-2 & S1).

Short answer examination: This is a formal summative examination lasting 1.5 hours which will include the use of EMSQs (K 1-3 & S3).

An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to examine students’ abilities to effectively use health assessment and diagnostic reasoning across a range of clinical situations in the paediatric environment (K 1-
3 & S1-3).

An Situation Background Assessment Recommendation (SBAR) scenario to examine a student ’s ability to effectively communicate pertinent information regarding a patients clinical situation and using diagnostic reasoning be able to demonstrate an ability to order and interpret appropriate tests and formulate a therapeutic management plan.

Completion of a skills log and portfolio on health assessment and diagnostic reasoningdemonstrating history taking, diagnostic reasoning, selection and correct interpretation of common clinical tests, processing of information using diagnostic reasoning, analysis of data and evaluation of care, and identification of nursing concern using the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) referral systems (K 3-7 & S 3-8).

Acquisition of bespoke skills log using advanced practice development needs analysis tool and clinical competencies in a portfolio (K 3-7 & S 3-8).

Write a 2000 word report which identifies and critically evaluates a clinical issue which has been experienced in practice (K3-7 & S3-8).

Summative clinical skillsassessment will be achieved by working with a practice supervisor and completion of a portfolio and a bespoke skills log using an advanced assessment of needs assessment tool as described above (K3-7 & S3-8).
For the NMP
 An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) will examine students’ abilities to write a legal prescription and how knowledge concerning the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics of a drug is conveyed to the client. (K8-10 & S9-11). nurt108 - ver15-16
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
An unseen exam consisting of short answer and multiple choice questions will assess knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, phamacotherapeutics and drug calculations (K8-10 &
S9-11).
Students will be required to submit a portfolio of learning including two 3000 word assignments arising from case studies which will demonstrate a critical evaluation of clinical practice in light of the body of evidence and government/professional guidelines (K8-10 & S9-11).
For the On-line Research Modules

Student progress will be formatively assessed in an ongoing fashion throughout the unit. Typically, students will be asked to analyse, synthesise and summarise the information underpinning each topic
(K11 & S12-15).

The students will be summatively assessed by submission of a 3000 word written assignment in the form of a research project proposal on an issue pertinent to paediatric practice (K11& S 12-15).
For the Critical Development of Clinical practice

Assessment will be through submission of a 12,000 – 15,000 word assignment that will focus on an area of health and/or social care that is of interest to the student. The assignment will require the student to demonstrate a critical appreciation of the underpinning research and critical analysis of the evidence they present (K12-13 &S16-17).
19. Reference points
The learning outcomes have been developed to reflect the following points of reference:

The Mission Statement of the University of Sheffield as presented in its corporate plan.

The Mission Statement of the School of Nursing and Midwifery as presented within its strategy document.

The appropriate qualification descriptors contained in the QAA Framework for Higher Education
Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Professional points of reference indicated by the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) and the
Department of Health.

ADC Plan of The University of Sheffield School of Nursing and Midwifery.

The Advanced Nursing Practice Toolkit. NHS Scotland
20. Programme structure and regulations
The programme of study can be completed in not less than one year and not more than five years on a part time basis for those entering with the degree or equivalent relevant study and experience.
During year one of the programme students will undertake three units focussed around child health and assessment in contemporary clinical practice:

Child Assessment and Applied Pathophysiology (SNM664)

Advanced Paediatric Nursing: Contemporary Clinical Practice (SNM666)

Work-based Learning in Specialist Practice (SNM665)
These will enable students to apply theoretical knowledge to their own specialist clinical environment and develop knowledge and skills commensurate with their advanced practice role.
In year 2 students will undertake 2 online research modules in order to prepare them for critical development of clinical practice:

Research Methods (SNM663)

Evidenced Based Practice (SNM660)
In addition SNM 624 Nurse/Midwife Independent/Supplementary Prescribing Programme. will also be taken in order to prepare for advanced practice in their workplace nurt108 - ver15-16
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In year 3 students who wish to progress to MMedSci will undertake:
Critical Development of Clinical Practice. 60 credits (SNM637)
This will require engagement with both theory and practice and will include a review of the literature with a plan for a development in their own area of practice
Detailed information about the structure of programmes, regulations concerning assessment and progression and descriptions of individual modules are published in the University Calendar available on-line at http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html
.
21. Student development over the course of study
All of the above units must be successfully completed in order to achieve the award. The students will be given academic support by the programme leader for academic supervision tutorial support and guidance. This will ensure that the student has the most appropriate person to ensure continuity who also has the skills and knowledge of the specialist context of practice.
The student will also be offered the opportunity of personal development planning in order for them to be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses so that appropriate academic support can be provided. This will also enable the student to make informed career choices and develop their confidence in articulating their potential confidently to prospective employers.
22. Criteria for admission to the programme
Detailed information regarding admission to programmes is available from the University’s On-Line Prospectus at http://www.shef.ac.uk/courses/ .
The prerequisites for entry to this programme are:
A person may be admitted as a student who:

Holds a relevant Bachelors degree or equivalent or demonstrates the ability to work at post graduate level.

Must be qualified in the paediatric specialism with at least 2 years post qualifying experience in specialist practice.

Is on the appropriate part of the professional register with evidence of current professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Holds a current relevant employment contract in a paediatric setting for the duration of the programme for a minimum of 15 hours per week excluding study days.

Has evidence of support from a manager and a paediatric consultant to undertake the course and has identified an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor in clinical practice.

Has current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check completed. When accessing the non medical prescribing they must bring evidence at registration that the DBS check was completed at least or no more than 3 years prior to commencement of the programme (NMC 2007).

Completion of a pre course package and reading which they will receive access to as soon as their application is completed. It requires self directed learning which they are advised to complete by undertaking the self assessment using multi choice questions (MCQs) at the end nurt108 - ver15-16
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23. Additional information
Jenny Longden
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Barber House Annexe
3a Clarkehouse Road
Sheffield
S10 2LA
Telephone: +44 (0) 114 2222073
Email: j.longden@sheffield.ac.uk www.sheffield.ac.uk/snm snm.enquiries@sheffield.ac.uk
Application for the units can be made by accessing www.shef.ac.uk/hsccpd (Look under Neonate, Children
Family and Public Health)
This specification represents a concise statement about the main features of the programme and should be considered alongside other sources of information provided by the teaching department(s) and the University. In addition to programme specific information, further information about studying at The University of Sheffield can be accessed via our Student Services web site at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid . nurt108 - ver15-16
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