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Advanced Clinical Assessment unit

The Advanced Clinical Assessment unit is specifically designed for prescribing pharmacists taking the next steps into advanced clinical roles.

Unit features

This unit is tailored to meet the profession-specific needs of pharmacists, focussing on clinical examination and consultation skills and their effective application in prescribing practice.


The Advanced Clinical Assessment unit will allow you to:

  • gain a range of advanced clinical and physical assessment skills through workshops facilitated by expert trainers
  • guide development of your knowledge and skills through a range of practice-based activities within your clinical area and under the supervision of a clinical supervisor
  • produce a portfolio evidencing your new skills that will be part of the unit assessment and can be shared with future employers or other credentialling bodies
  • access a dedicated online learning environment and an electronic portfolio

There are also a number of compulsory workshops that will enhance your learning. Some of these run remotely and others are in-person on the University of Bath campus, where you will be able to develop your assessment skills using our clinical simulation equipment and by working with medical actors. With ongoing practise, education and clinical support after this course, you can continue to develop diagnostic competence in a range of clinical areas.

The course will be assessed through an Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), to demonstrate technical proficiency of examination skills; a case presentation, to demonstrate an ability to apply examination findings to clinical reasoning; and a number of portfolio tasks, including observed clinical assessments and reflection-based activities.

Please note that this unit covers examination skills for adult patients, we do not have a paediatric component.

Student testimonial

Hear from Danielle Gorman, a postgraduate pharmacist training in prescribing and clinical practice.


Study pathways

The Advanced Clinical Assessment (ACA) unit is designed for pharmacists who have completed an accredited Independent Prescribing course. It can be taken as a stand-alone Continuing Professional Development (CPD) unit or contribute to a postgraduate award.


CPD (stand-alone unit)

  • 6 months part-time
  • 30 CATS credits
  • Advanced Clinical Assessment can be studied as a CPD unit by pharmacists who have completed a GPhC accredited Independent Prescribing unit at Bath or another institution

MSc in Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice (ACPP)

  • ACA is a mandatory unit in our ACPP MSc and can be included in other MSc pathways
  • Pharmacists interested in studying an MSc can find additional information on the MSc webpage

Dates

The unit has up to two intakes a year (depending on demand) and teaching runs for roughly six months per cohort


The workshop dates for the September 2024 cohort are planned as follows:

  • Induction (online) 12 Sept 2024
  • 16 & 17 Sept 2024 (in-person at University of Bath campus)
  • 21 Oct 2024 (in-person at University of Bath campus)
  • 11 Nov 2024 (online)
  • 09 Dec 2024 (in-person at University of Bath campus)
  • 20 Jan 2025 (online including assessed presentation)
  • Assessment day (OSCE): 10 Feb 2025 (in-person at University of Bath campus)

2025 dates

Next year's main cohort is planned to run in September 2025 but if there is student demand, we may run an additional earlier cohort. Please get in touch with the team if you would like further details about this or provisional dates for study days.


Apply now

Applications are now open for the September 2024 intake - closing date 29th July


Application process for new students

The application link for the September 2024 cohort is now live.

Please make sure you have completed the additional Essential Information Form and have uploaded this to your application tracker. Please note that all elements of the application must be submitted on time for you to be considered for a place on the course. If the demand for places is greater than the number of places available, then the admissions panel will review applications following agreed selection criteria.

Most of our students work in, or plan to work in, the NHS in some capacity, and so we follow the NHS Values Based Recruitment Guidance. We strongly believe in the NHS values and will be looking for them in our applicants. All applicants will be assessed on individual merit, as well as their understanding and practice of NHS values in pharmacy.

Application process for existing students

If you are a current Bath student on a diploma or MSc clinical pharmacy programme, please register your interest for the this unit via the Resources Hub Moodle page. You will still need to complete a copy of the Essential Information form to be considered for a place.

Key Dates for September 2024 start for all students

  • Application deadline: Monday 29 July 2024 at 5pm
  • Pre-online induction (for new registrants only): from 26 August 2024
  • Live online induction (for all): 12 September 2024

Fees and Funding

Course fees are based on the costs for individual units and can be combined in different ways to achieve named awards. The final fee for an award will depend on the combination of units taken in any given year. Please note that tuition fees are liable to increase annually for all University of Bath students. Please note that tuition fees do not cover travel, subsistence, delegate fees and accommodation at workshops.

Fees for the 2024/25 courses.

Entry requirements

Find out what criteria you need to meet before applying.


You will be eligible to take the unit if you:

  • have completed an accredited Independent Prescribing course
  • are working in a setting where you will be able to both observe and carry out hands-on clinical examinations on a range of patients under supervision
  • have a Clinical Supervisor to supervise your learning in practice. This could be the person who acted as your Designated Prescribing Practitioner during the Independent Prescribing course
  • have the support of your workplace to complete this unit, including a commitment to protected learning time when you can observe and participate in patient examinations.

English Language Requirements

If your first language is not English, you will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in all components.


Related courses

Explore related courses and how to apply for 2024 entry.


Contact us

We’re very happy to discuss possible routes of study with you. Contact us with any questions, or to arrange an appointment with a member of admin or teaching staff.