Continuing Professional Development Certificate in First Contact Practice in Primary Care

Program Overview

This Continuing Professional Development Certificate in First Contact Practice in Primary Care equips allied health professionals with the clinical, professional, and academic skills to assess and manage common conditions in primary care. Through a blended learning approach, students develop complex clinical reasoning skills, explore patient presentation and management, and demonstrate their knowledge and competence through summative assessments. Completion of the program allows students to register as first contact practitioners and aligns with professional standards for allied health professionals in primary care.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This program is a Continuing Professional Development Certificate in First Contact Practice in Primary Care, designed for allied health professionals who are working or aspiring to work in first contact practice in primary care. The program aims to develop the clinical, professional, and academic skills necessary to function as a first contact practitioner. It focuses on assessing and managing patients presenting with a wide range of common conditions at the front line of primary care.

Objectives:

The program aims to:

• Develop complex clinical reasoning skills required for the FCP role.
• Explore clinical management of patients in primary care, including determining referral, testing, or treatment needs.
• Address red flag symptoms in cancer diagnosis, disease progression, acute oncology, and oncological emergencies, and discuss their clinical management.
• Emphasize communication and consultation skills, exploring alternative consultation styles and the use of digital assessment tools.
• Promote understanding of the primary care landscape, referral pathways and processes, national policies and guidelines, clinical targets, quality frameworks, and the role of FCPs in primary care.
• Encourage consideration of implications for patients and staff in secondary and tertiary care.
• Prepare students to facilitate quality improvements in primary care by encouraging consideration of patient safety, service development, and innovation.
• Promote advanced clinical thinking, clinical reasoning, and higher-level clinical practice skills.

Assessment:

The program includes three summative assessments:

• 3000-word written assignment: This assessment allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the course material and apply it to real-world scenarios.
• Poster presentation: This assessment provides students with an opportunity to present their research findings and engage with their peers and faculty.
• Portfolio: This assessment requires students to document their clinical practice learning and demonstrate their competence in the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the program.
The portfolio must be signed off by a clinical mentor.

Teaching:

The program utilizes a blended learning approach, incorporating face-to-face, in-class, online, and simulation-based learning.

• Keynote lectures: These lectures introduce topics through a combination of theory and case-based discussions around clinical scenarios.
• Self-directed learning: Students are expected to explore topics in greater depth and relate them to their own practice through self-directed learning activities.
• Formative problem-based learning case presentations: These presentations provide students with opportunities to practice their clinical reasoning skills and receive feedback from faculty and peers.
• 500-word draft case report with tutorial time: This assessment allows students to receive feedback on their writing and research skills before submitting their final assignments.

Careers:

This professional development course offers academic and professional progression in the specialist field of first contact practice in primary care. Upon completion, students will be eligible to register with the Centre for Advancing Practice as a first contact practitioner (FCP).

Other:

• The program aligns with stages 1 and 2 of Health Education England's Roadmaps to Practice for allied health professionals, which form the standard of practice and proof of capability in primary care.
• The University of Bolton has been offering high-quality courses designed to meet the health and social care sector's needs for over 30 years.
• The course curriculum is reviewed regularly to ensure it includes and applies contemporary theories.
• The program is designed to fit in with busy home and working lives.
• The program encourages students to develop skills, values, and behaviors sought by employers, including action planning, personal impact and confidence, self-awareness, social and ethical responsibility, problem-solving, initiative, and communication skills.
• The program welcomes allied health professionals such as dieticians, paramedics, physiotherapists, podiatrists, and occupational therapists.
• Students can take this course as a stand-alone module or as part of the PgCert First Contact Practice in Primary Care.
• After completing this course, students may wish to pursue one of the University of Bolton's postgraduate degrees in MSc Advanced Clinical Practice.
• The university will use all reasonable endeavors to deliver the course as described in its published material and the program specification for the academic year in which students begin their course.
• The university considers changes to courses very carefully and will minimize any changes.
• Courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis, and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory, and academic reasons.
• The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated annually to ensure all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs.