November 9, 2020, by bbzswh

University of Nottingham celebrates Advanced Practice Week

The University of Nottingham is proud to support Advanced Practice Week which takes place from 8 to 14 November. The week-long celebration is an opportunity to raise awareness and recognise the valued contribution that Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) make to healthcare services. The contribution of both qualified and trainee ACPs here in Nottingham is felt across the county and beyond.

The University offers an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice and in recognition of the demand for ACPs, launched its ACP degree apprenticeship programme in 2018, which was created in collaboration with Nottinghamshire employers.

James Pratt, Trust Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) and University of Nottingham ACP alumni explains the importance of ACPs.

“We have 180 NUH trainee and qualified ACPs across 15 specialties the majority of which are University of Nottingham graduates, they provide excellent consistent care for the patients we care for. In addition to direct patient care they lead on innovation, quality improvement, clinical education and research projects across the Trust.”

ACPs are healthcare professionals, educated to masters level and have developed the skills and knowledge to allow them to take on expanded roles and scope of practice. They come from a range of professional backgrounds including nursing, pharmacy, paramedicine, physiotherapy, and operating department practice.

The University’s current cohorts of ACP students have faced a challenging year, making an exceptional contribution to the country’s healthcare services during the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside their studies.

“Over the last 8 months, our trainee ACPs have faced numerous challenges but have overcome each with professionalism and good humour. I could not be more proud to be involved in the training of our ACPs, they have provided such vital individual and team contributions to the national healthcare effort during the Covid-19 pandemic, and have continued to produce fantastic academic work, and perform brilliantly in examinations and OSCEs.” Sonya Stone, ACP & Assistant Professor Advanced Clinical Practice.

ACPs enhance capacity and capability within multi-professional teams by providing clinical leadership and enabling collaboration across the multidisciplinary team. They help to improve clinical continuity, provide more patient-focused care, enhance multi-professional teams and help to provide safe, accessible and high-quality care for patients.

When asked what motivated them to train as an ACP, Rebecca Connolly who is a trainee ACP in Acute and Emergency Medicine said:

“I wanted to work as a senior clinician within an Emergency Department and broaden my clinical knowledge in order to provide the best patient experience while bringing my unique paramedicine experience to add a new and fresh dynamic to the Emergency team.”

In celebration of Advanced Practice Week, Sonya Stone, in collaboration with Sadie Diamond-Fox (ACCP) of Northumbria University is launching an Academic ACP Network on 13^th November to provide peer support, mentorship, CPD and collaborative research opportunities. For more information, please follow them on Twitter.

If you are looking to develop your career in Advanced Clinical Practice, please visit our website.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on LinkedIn