Overview
Our course enables healthcare professionals who have registered with diploma level only to advance their qualification to first degree level.
The BSc (Hons) Healthcare Practice is a part-time course of continuing professional development (CPD) designed to meet the needs of employers and individuals. It aims to develop professionals who will be equipped to act as change agents to promote innovation and transformation within their practice environments towards the overall enhancement of person-centred care.
Fundamentally this course seeks to develop you as an expert lifelong learner in order that your personal and professional development and learning is not confined only to your period of study.
The course begins with the Transforming Quality in Health and Care module which will review your learning to date and begin to equip you to develop a focus on quality improvement and acting as a change agent in practice. Understanding your learning and engaging with learning for life is a core skill of the Health or Social Care professional and is fundamental to CPD. As part of preparing you to be an agent for change this module will also examine the identification, critique and application of sources of evidence vital to any QI process.
During this first module, you will, in partnership with your Personal Academic Tutor and, where appropriate employer, produce a small-scale quality improvement proposal linked to your area of professional practice. You will consider barriers to change and optimal means of fostering and maintaining QI initiatives in the workplace to ensure change is not only initiated but also maintained.
You can opt to study individual modules which are pertinent to your practice, without working towards the degree award. You may choose to put these towards an award later using a process we call Recognition of Prior Certificated Learning (RPCL) so long as you do this within 5 years of studying the module. You may seek to apply for a maximum RPCL 40 level 6 credits. If you have completed two 20-credit standalone modules you will be required to enrol on the programme rather than undertake further standalone module. The one exception to this is if you are studying the three neonatal modules detailed later.
This course enables you to become an expert lifelong learner who has the capability and capacity to make a positive and transformative difference to practice. To achieve this, the course will empower you to take control of your own learning journey and to understand how to apply different forms of evidence in practice while being cognisant of the impact of these on self and others.
Sarah Crouch, Course Director BSc Healthcare Practice
Entry requirements
The BSc (Hons) Healthcare Practice is a part-time continuing professional development (CPD) course designed to support both employers and healthcare professionals. It is tailored for individuals registered with professional bodies such as the NMC or HCPC, equipping them with the skills to drive innovation, lead transformation, and enhance person-centered care within their practice environments.
Prospective students will normally be required to have completed a health professional qualification to diploma level. Prospective students who have not yet attained a diploma can be supported to reach that level prior to enrolling on the course.
Find out more information about entry requirements.
If you have any questions about entry requirements for this course, please contact our Course Enquiry Team.
International students
This course is only open to overseas students who are already in the UK and working for the NHS. We are unable to sponsor a Student Route VISA for this course.
Module information
Please note that modules require a minimum number of students in order to run.
Core/optional modules
*Modules subject to approval
How you’ll learn
Learning and teaching strategies will involve you as an active participant; you will be encouraged to use self-evaluation and reflection on your own experience to deepen and consolidate, as well as plan your future, learning.
We will facilitate opportunities for you to study both collectively, with other students, as well as independently using a range of learning and teaching approaches. These include lectures, workshops, debates, seminars and group/one-to-one tutorials. You may participate in Peer Learning Sets in which you exchange ideas, knowledge and learning with fellow students as well as engaging the formative assessment of each other’s work as well as challenging each other to justify or consider revising what you ‘know’.
Teaching and learning methods are supported by technologies e.g. our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and our electronic portfolio tool. E-portfolio usage will be introduced in the Foundations for Practice module and its use encouraged and supported throughout the course. In some modules its use may be compulsory (e.g. Developing Leadership). As well as providing a valuable mechanism to support your studies, the e-portfolio will enable you to collate evidence which may be required for annual professional registration renewal.
Check out our Continuing Professional Development Timetables for more information. Information about BSc Healthcare Practice can be found on pages 4-14.
How you’ll be assessed
Summative (final) assessment activities may include essays, portfolios, examinations, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), seminar presentations, poster presentations, case studies or report writing to enable you to demonstrate the fulfilment of the module learning outcomes. Some modules also include skills-based work-based learning components for which you would need a practice-based assessor to help you complete.
Your future career
Gaining a first degree in your area of practice will equip you to become a leader and agent for change within your practice area and may give you opportunities to apply for career advancement that might not otherwise be available. Additionally completing your first degree will enable you to continue your studies at Masters level and beyond.
Fees
Tuition Fees for 2025/26 have not yet been finalised. These course web pages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once they have been agreed.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Professional accreditation
Applicants to the course would be expected to have professional accreditation within their area of practice and also to be working in an employed or voluntary capacity within that field. The course does not carry any professional accreditation although some modules are required study within certain fields of practice.
Specialist facilities
Most teaching on the course is by seminar and small lectures supported by our virtual learning environment although some modules do also make use of the facilities in our simulation suites to develop clinical skills.
Industry links
The course has been developed in consultation with local NHS and private sector healthcare providers to meet the needs of local workforce development. Several modules link directly with specific practice areas and may use the expertise of practitioners to support module teaching and learning.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.