Advanced Clinical Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship
Enabling healthcare professionals to prepare for advanced clinical roles, whilst in employment
If you have an enquiry about any of the apprenticeships at the University of Plymouth, please complete the below form.
Enquiry form
You can also call us on +44 1752 583625.
Office hours are Monday – Friday, 08:30–16:30
Entry requirements
The apprentice must be on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register or the Allied Health Professionals Council register to apply for the Advanced Clinical Practice programme 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.
They must hold a GCSE Grade C/4 or above in Maths and English, or Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths and English. Other alternative qualifications may be considered please email apprenticeships@plymouth.ac.uk for more information.
Expressions of interest are welcomed – please contact mscadvancedpractice@plymouth.ac.uk and one of the team will respond to your query.
How to apply
The potential apprentice will be required to complete an Initial Needs Analysis (INA) with the support of their employer and the University to ensure the Apprenticeship programme is an appropriate solution to their skills development needs. On completion of the INA the University will assess the information provided and determine the next steps.
The employer must request the Initial Needs Analysis by emailing apprenticeships@plymouth.ac.uk.
Applications for September 2025 will open on Monday 13 January 2025.
Deadline to apply for September 2025 is 30 June 2025.
For more information or to express your interest please contact us via our enquiry form.
Fees and funding
Apprentices do not pay any course fees. Costs are covered by the government and/or the organisation. As education funding experts, we can support you in accessing funding via the apprenticeship levy or can provide alternative funding options to minimise or eradicate any up-front costs.
The total course cost for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice is £12,000.
Funding models
There are currently two funding models available:
- Co-funded: Non levy organisations and Levy who have exceeded their Levy contribution.
- Fully funded: Levy paying organisations.
Co-funded
If you are a non-levy paying organisation or you are a Levy organisation who has exceeded their pot the government will financial co-support your Apprenticeship training – they will contribute 95 per cent of the costs and as the employer you will contribute 5 per cent.
Government contribution £11,400
Employer contribution £600
Apprentice contribution £0
Fully funded
Employer contribution £600
Apprentice contribution £0
Fully funded
If the annual pay bill of your organisation exceeds £3 million you will pay for your apprenticeship training through your levy account. If you have exceeded your levy contribution you will fund apprenticeship training through the co-funded model – to better understand how this will work please make contact with us.
Employer contribution £12,000
In addition to the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner, we offer the following pathways within the Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard:
Introduction
We are delighted to be offering the first Advanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship in the South West. This is a valuable opportunity for registered nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to prepare for work in an advanced clinical role, by studying for a work-integrated masters degree in Advanced Clinical Practice whilst in employment.
This programme has been designed by sector specialists to meet the needs of health professionals across all healthcare sectors, giving your employees the opportunity to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice. As an advanced clinical practitioner, you will confidently 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 and flexible-focused programme will equip the clinician to take on a lead role in supporting and meeting the demands of the ever-changing health service.
Other Advanced Clinical Practitioner pathways
Programme overview
- A three-year, full-time programme with a blended approach to learning with face to face study days at the University and highly directed online study resources.
- Employees will have seven and a half hours of protected study time per week.
- Apprentices will be employed as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner Trainee throughout the duration of the programme.
- This is a Level 7 programme – they will graduate with an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice.
- Apprentices will remain as part of the workforce and continue to contribute to patient care whilst working towards their qualification.
- As education funding experts, we can support you in accessing government funding via the apprenticeship levy or provide alternative options to minimise or eradicate any costs.
Key benefits
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@Support — Advanced Clinical Practice apprentices will be supported by experienced academic clinicians who all currently work in clinical practice.
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@Flexibility — a contemporary and dynamic programme which can be linked to the apprentice's current practice area and is responsive to the changing healthcare environment.
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@Highest quality education — teaching is always current and integrates best practice, through internationally renowned research and national frameworks and policies.
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@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.
Who is this programme for?
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.
Assessment
Your ACP trainee will be assessed utilising a diverse range of assessment methods which will be linked to their own practice.
Throughout the programme apprentices 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.
Support
Our experienced clinicians will be there to support the ACP trainees every step of the way; they will receive 12 weekly tripartite meetings with their workplace mentor and a member of our apprenticeship team to discuss their progress, as well as receiving visits from their academic tutor once every semester.
“We are happy and proud to offer the first Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship in the South West.
On successful completion of this exciting three-year masters degree, the apprentice will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be an independent clinical practitioner. They 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 your employees onto our programme and supporting them on their learning journey.”
Jo Amy Bailey, Lecturer in Adult Nursing
Work-based degrees and higher apprenticeships
Helping employers develop, harness and focus the skills of emerging talent within their organisation whilst offering employees opportunity to pursue undergraduate degree qualifications alongside real-life work experience.