This module is an option module within the MSc Healthcare Practice programme. It may also be taken as a free-standing module. This module is designed for health and social care professionals who have been locally selected to act as professional advocates. The professional advocate role is underpinned by the Advocating-Educating for Quality Improvement model (A-EQUIP) (NHS, 2017; 2021). This model supports health and social care staff to evaluate their working environment through a continuous improvement process and to support individuals to build professional resilience. The A-EQUIP model works for the people cared for through supporting staff to act as advocates, facilitating staff to develop through restorative clinical supervision (RCS) processes and in developing opportunities for quality improvement. 

Participants will have supported opportunities to facilitate group and individual RCS in class, to enable them to progress to facilitate RCS in the workplace. Participants will write a reflective account of an experience of RCS facilitation for the summative assessment. 

The academic team offer participants support with their written work through group tutorials and formative assessment.  As the Professional Advocate (PA) role is practice and work based, it is expected that the participants will be supported by either a professional advocate in their workplace or line manager to support them in facilitating RCS and negotiating time to participate in the role. Participants will keep a portfolio of evidence (Competency Self-Assessment Tool; CSAT) to record their activities as PA in their workplace. The CSAT is a requirement for module completion along with the e-learning for health (e-lfh) modules. 

 

Aims

The module will prepare aspiring professional advocates for the professional advocate role.

 

What and how you will learn on this module

 

How you will learn:

This module is delivered using a blended learning approach which integrates a variety of on-campus and online activities, supported by Canvas, the University’s virtual learning environment. A complementary range of activities are employed to engage you in the critical exploration of key topic areas, and the completion of formative tasks during the module also helps to keep you on track with the learning and gain feedback on your understanding of the content. A sense of community is developed and maintained with frequent opportunities for peer learning, enabling you to share your practice experiences and to learn from each other. 

Academic writing and critical thinking skills are developed through ‘The Critical Thinking Skills Toolkit’ and other academic practice activities embedded within the module, that have been designed to nurture the skills needed to facilitate you to become a thoughtful, objective and reasoned thinker. This will help you tackle the assignment confidently, understand marking criteria, use evidence, take a reasoned approach, make structured arguments and engage with other points of view. 

 

What you will learn:

• Tools for quality improvement e.g. Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle

• Facilitation of group or one to one Restorative Clinical Supervision (RCS) sessions

• Managing change

• Self-awareness through sessions such as cultural competency & reflection

 

Course length: 10 teaching days (5 taught and 5 self-directed study days)

 

Assessment

1. Critical appraisal (1500 words)

2. Portfolio of evidence & Completion e-lfh