PgCert Clinical Practice
Course Overview
At the University of Bolton, we take a distinctively different approach to clinical practice, focusing wholly on patient care and dispensing with traditional modules in less relevant areas such as professional development and leadership. Our PgCert in Clinical Practice is built around solution-focused problem solving and patient journeys, challenging students to become exceptional thinkers, safe decision-makers and skilled clinicians. You’ll have the opportunity to build your theoretical knowledge and put your skills into practice safely within our supervised on-site setting.We’ll cover modules within the areas of human anatomy and physiology, and explore the biological basis and mechanisms of disease. Working with advanced resources such as the Anatomage anatomy table, you’ll have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge of clinical practice and learn to work in ways that aim to improve quality and productivity. Within the Clinical Simulation Suite, meanwhile, you can experience the dynamics of a clinical setting and test your abilities on high-tech, computerised manikins - as well as your classmates!
Highlights
- The PgCert Clinical Practice is taught in our state-of-the-art, purpose-built Clinical Simulation Suite.
- You’ll have access to advanced resources, including the Anatomage anatomy table and high fidelity patient simulators.
- The course is entirely clinically focused, with the aim of enhancing both your knowledge and skills.
- We offer flexible pathways to achieving your award.
- On successful completion of the course, you'll receive the award of PgCert Clinical Practice from the University of Bolton.
Key Features
- This course offers evidence-based training and is designed especially for problem-solving clinicians rather than academics.
- Modules are built around clinical problems and patient journeys rather than traditional theory.
- Our PgCert Clinical Practice course has an excellent reputation among many local trusts.
Entry Requirements
- You should be a health professional with at least a lower second class honours degree (2.2) in a subject relevant to health or social care practice, or recent evidence of relevant study at level HE6 or above.
- If you don’t meet these requirements but have significant relevant experience, a professional qualification, or show significant promise to excel on the course and have a positive impact on clinical practice, we’ll be happy to consider your application.
- You’ll be invited for an interview to ensure that you understand the requirements and level of this course and ensure it’s the correct course for you. We may also ask you to submit a portfolio of evidence in support of your application or undertake an assessment so that we can gauge your current academic ability.
- You’ll need to satisfactorily pass a fitness to practice assessment.
- We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 7.0 with normally no less than 6.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The University of Bolton's PgCert Clinical Practice aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to directly care for patients and prepare you to take on more senior clinical roles. It's designed to develop your knowledge and therapeutic skills, enabling you to manage patient/client health needs within specified clinical frameworks.
Experienced healthcare practitioners can acquire skills in relation to patient assessment, examination, diagnosis and management. You can also gain transferable employability skills such as critical appraisal, communication, teamwork, decision-making, and problem-solving.
What can I do with this qualification?
On successful completion, the PgCert also offers you a clear progression pathway onto a full master's award, such as the MSc Clinical Practice.
Alternative career options
You can also use the qualification as a stepping stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Possible careers include:
- Medical communications
- Medical writing
- Research and development
- Teaching and education
- Health care/services management
- Armed forces
- Clinical psychology
- Health promotion
- Overseas aid and development
- Prison service
- Occupational health
- Counselling
- Mental health
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton PgCert Clinical Practice - 27 January 2025
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Apply online: University of Bolton PgCert Clinical Practice - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
International applications are not possible for this course
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Teaching & Assessment
To provide you with a comprehensive learning experience, we use a range of teaching methods, including one-to-one sessions and online learning. Case studies are an integral aspect of this course, with patient studies forming the basis of learning activities to provide an appropriate context for the knowledge learned. You’ll also attend seminars to discuss and debate issues with your classmates and tutorials with your tutor, which are designed to provide guidance and support. Additionally, self-directed study is an important aspect of this course. You’ll be expected to spend time engaging in background reading and preparing for assessments.
Problem-solving is a key area of learning, so you’ll investigate seminar content in practice using enquiry-based learning methods. You’ll be asked to research particular cases and present your findings to your peers for review. This will prepare you for independent learning while building your research and analytical skills. You’ll also participate in clinical simulation and resource-based learning activities using specialised equipment and use our virtual learning environment to access online course material.
We'll assess your work and progress using various techniques, including structured clinical exams, online questions, presentations and journal article submission. We use a range of assessment methods to maximise opportunities for successful achievement, taking into account how different students have preferences for different assessment and learning styles.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- The Human Body Anatomy and Physiology for Health Care
- Acute Medicine
- Developing a Specialist Interest in Clinical Care
- Biological Basis of Diseases
- Diagnostics and Therapeutics
- Care of the Frail Adult
- Non-Medical Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Nurses and Midwives (26 weeks)
- Non-Medical Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Allied Health Care Professionals (26 weeks)
- Non-Medical Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Pharmacists (26 weeks)
- Clinical Examination Skills
- Respiratory
- Geriatric Medicine
- Advanced Clinical Practice in Primary Care
- Advanced Physical Skills Assessment in a Mental Health Setting
- Advanced Clinical Practice in Oncology
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 25% Written exams 75% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 70% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 30% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our 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 on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
