HE Short Course - Healthcare and Professional Skills

Course overview

This online short course is designed to prepare learners for a career in social care or healthcare. The module consists of 5 units that are based upon the core principles necessary for working within the Health and Social Care sector and has been developed in conjunction with key health and social care stakeholders. Whilst there is no qualification associated with the framework, it has been developed in line with the FHEQ Level 4 descriptors as outlined by the QAA.

The course examines the importance of the professional values, standards and working practices required to support person-centred care. It will equip students with the skills to acquire new knowledge that can be applied in and across the sector.

This course also examines the central importance of effective communication and inclusive practice and its importance for good service delivery across a range of service users and groups in diverse contexts, enabling students to develop an understanding of communication and inclusivity.

Course detail

Unit 1: Academic skills This unit has been developed in order to help students succeed, regardless of whether they are just beginning an academic journey or for those that already excel as a student. This unit will take you through some of the essential skills required to succeed in both your higher education journey and in professional practice.

Unit 2: Professional practice and occupational standards. This unit will examine the issues impacting upon professional practice and give an understanding of the regulatory standards within the health professions.

Unit 3: Communication This unit will give students an opportunity to explore the complexity associated with effective communication. You will analyse a range of communication methods, systems, and contexts, while critically reflecting on your own communication skills and ability to work with diverse individuals and communities.

Unit 4: Values and qualities This unit will give students the opportunity to explore the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in health and social care settings.

Unit 5: Reflection and Evidence-Informed Practice This unit will give students an opportunity to explore the importance of reflection as a concept, and the need for evidence based practice in the delivery of health and social care.

How you'll learn

This course is 100% online learning based on The Skills Network platform Equal

Students will need to spend approximately 400 hours studying and completing assessments over 6 or 12 weeks.

Students will study this module in a part-time mode which will span across one or two, CU Group blocks. As such, there will be up to five possible entry points for students throughout the academic year.

Assessment

Students are required to keep an online reflective portfolio (2500-3000 words total) documenting their competencies on a range of skills throughout the module.

At the end of each unit students will draw on the module learning so far to answer the question (s) posed. Each entry will be approximately 500 words in length.

Job ready 

This short course has been designed to be highly transferable, attractive to employers and flexible for learners who are not, or perceive themselves not to be in a position to access the ‘traditional’ HE offer. The skills and the learning outcomes achieved will prepare learners for their chosen pathways; the principles can be applied to developing in the healthcare sector or continuation of level 4 study.

Once you have successfully completed this course you should be able to meet the following learning outcomes;

1. Demonstrate an understanding and application of academic writing skills appropriate for use in higher education and professional practice
2. Examine the issues impacting upon professional practice, and understand the regulatory standards within the health professions
3. Discuss factors that influence communication, and outline methods of promoting effective communication used to overcome such barriers and enable equality, diversity and inclusion
4. Explore values and behaviours required to support person-centred care
5. Develop an understanding of the role of evidence informed practice and critical reflection

Further study

There are a number of progression pathways into higher education available at CU Coventry.

The following courses available as either part-time or full-time study;

• Foundation Nursing and Allied Health Professionals
• Foundation Year Applied Biosciences
• Foundation Year Health Education & Wellbeing
• Health & Wellbeing Practice HNC/HND/BA
• Public Health & Community Studies HNC/HND/BA
• Early Childhood Development & Learning HNC/HND/BA

The following are taught as full-time only;

• Access to Health & Human Sciences
• Access Course in Nursing
• Access Course in Social Science