Assistant Practitioner (Health), Higher Apprenticeship FdSc

You develop knowledge of human anatomy and its underlying physiology and relate this to the pathophysiology of disease. This will be pertinent in the coming years as you learn about the risk factors for different ocular pathologies.

Foundations of Practice is a 60 credit module. It is a work-based learning module exploring practice-related theory and work-based learning with emphasis on safe practice and patient safety.

You develop your knowledge, skills and professional conduct, values and attitudes that are relevant and important to your work-based role.

Develop a range of skills to support your academic studies. Emphasis is placed on communication skills, gathering and collating evidence and the development of a coherent argument. You enhance your ability to work independently, building on relationships, literacy and numeracy skills, and the use of information and communication technology to support learning in higher education.

Develop and enhance the fundamental skills you need to provide, safe and effective care and support to patients/service users and their carers. Consider holistic care, examining the care processes that you may follow, the use of risk assessments to facilitate care with emphasis on the importance of person-centred care.

You are introduced to theory and current issues of reducing the risk of infection in the operating theatre. Pathophysiological changes relating to surgical intervention are explored, focusing on changes that occur in bodily systems. You consider tissue viability and tissue injury in the integumentary system. Gain the underpinning knowledge relating to practice and patient care in the perioperative environment through the disciplines of chemistry, biology, human biology and physics. There is a strong emphasis throughout on relating theory to practice.

Explore scientific theory underpinning projection radiography including radiation physics, radiation protection and the production and review of radiographic images. You are introduced to the legislation that you practise under when in the clinical environment.

Consider attitudes and concepts of illness, disease, and disability, which progress on to models of rehabilitation. Biopsychosocial development through the lifespan is considered alongside the restrictive effects congenital or acquired conditions may have on an individuals’ independence in occupational performance at any stage in their life. You also discuss the foundations of occupational therapy including theoretical models, applied frames of reference and approaches. You apply this theory to the therapeutic process with assessment, problem identification, professional reasoning, goal setting, treatment planning, discharge and evaluation.

Prepare for your end point assessment to showcase your ability as a qualified assistant practitioner. Develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours as an assistant practitioner, including working as part of the wider health and social care team. Gain an in-depth understanding of factors that influence health and ill-health such as anatomy and physiology.

Build your knowledge and skills relating to health and social care practice, and your ability to critically appraise evidence relevant to the subject. Explore how evidence is used to underpin national guidelines, decision-making and high-quality nursing practice. Apply leadership and change management concepts to explore service improvement models that facilitate your ability to contribute to change.

You explore practice-related theory and have opportunities to demonstrate safe practice when working as an assistant practitioner. You focus on workplace learning. You are allocated a Practice Assessor, a registered practitioner in your field, who supports your work-based learning and assessment of competencies.

Extend your knowledge of projection radiography. You investigate and examine the current evidence base for your technical radiographic area of practice. Discuss the new technology and trends that are being adopted in radiographic practice. Build your understanding of current UK, European and International Legislative frameworks for the use of ionising radiation in practice, in line with the working protocols of your everyday practice. You also consider the modified and supplementary projections associated with the upper limb, lower limb, chest and abdomen, and study the unmodified technique of the spine, pelvis and thorax (shoulder girdle and sternum).

You explore practice-related theory and have opportunities to demonstrate safe practice when working as an assistant practitioner. You focus on workplace learning. You are allocated a Practice Assessor, a registered practitioner in your field, who supports your work-based learning and assessment of competencies.
Develop your knowledge and understanding of the role of the assistant scrub practitioner whilst working safely and effectively within the theatre department. You consider the perioperative environment, including the preparation and use of specialist theatre equipment, and clinical decision making in the care of the perioperative patient.

Enquiry-based learning (EBL) is used throughout this module, moving you towards self-directed learning with given scenarios within the practice of the assistant scrub practitioner. EBL allows you to consider all possible outcomes to a given scenario, rather than looking for only one solution, as every patient is unique.

You explore practice-related theory and have opportunities to demonstrate safe practice when working as an assistant practitioner. You focus on workplace learning. You are allocated a Practice Assessor, a registered practitioner in your field, who supports your work-based learning and assessment of competencies.

Develop your knowledge and understanding of acute and long-term conditions across the health and social care sector. You consider the whole patient using a biopsychosocial approach, with consideration for assessment and safe management of service users, across all health and social care settings.

You explore practice-related theory and have opportunities to demonstrate safe practice when working as an assistant practitioner. You focus on workplace learning. You are allocated a Practice Assessor, a registered practitioner in your field, who supports your work-based learning and assessment of competencies.

Develop the foundations for practice as a therapy assistant practitioner. You cover a broad range of topics reflecting the diverse remit of integrated therapy services. You learn and discuss typical pathologies and their pathophysiological processes, identifying their impact on movement and occupational performance/engagement. You also learn key evidence-based therapeutic assessment/interventions within the rehabilitation process. This includes therapeutic interventions in musculoskeletal health, neurology and cerebral vasomotor regulation amongst others. You also explore the use of grading and adapting to support progression through rehabilitation.