This two year work-based programme is designed to prepare health and social care support staff to work at assistant/Associate Practitioner level.  Wherever your role is based, you will already be working with people with diverse needs and your role may involve working across traditional boundaries.  We will use this experience to enhance your knowledge and skills.

This programme provides you with an academic qualification of a Foundation Degree which is nationally recognised in further and Higher Education and conforms to the Core Standards for Associate Practitioners identified by Skills for Health (MS Word , 17kb)

Looking at your own skills

The course is learner centred. We aim to build on your existing experience and current role in health and social care, to develop a deeper understanding of client and carer needs. You will learn to think clearly about your role so that you can identify gaps in your knowledge and skills and be able to relate these to your workplace.  We feel your learning should have real relevance to your daily practice and life, so the new knowledge and skills you develop can benefit you and your organisation in an incremental way as you progress through the programme.  We believe this will enhance the care you provide and your own job satisfaction.  

Information for employers 

The following webpage contains a wealth of information for employers.

Funding

Fully funded places are open to NHS staff employed in areas covered by the Yorkshire and the Humber (NHS Y&H).  Funded places may be available to social services staff working in a healthcare environment or to staff in independent sector homes providing placements for pre-registration students from the University of York. This is agreed on a case-by-case basis. For further information please contact dohs-ug-enquiries@york.ac.uk.

"The course has increased my confidence and is enabling me to put the theory learnt into practice."

Chloe Curry: Community Support Worker

What you'll study

This is a full-time ‘work-based learning’ programme. This means that a significant portion of your learning takes place in practice. You will be required to attend University 1 day a week for 12 weeks in each term. The remainder of the week will be spent in practice.

Your learning takes place at University and in your workplace. In each module you will gain new knowledge, but you will also be expected to apply that knowledge to your everyday work as you go along. To help you achieve this you will be given practice outcomes which focus on what you should do in practice. In some cases this may mean taking on new activities to develop your role further.

These are the modules in each year of the programme:

Year One

• Preparatory academic skills
• Key concepts of health and wellbeing
• Ethical delivery of care and maintenance of health status (including fair and anti-discriminatory practice)
• Assessing needs and planning care 
• Meeting health and social care needs to quality standards
• Introduction to evidence based practice and health informatics
• Promoting communication in health and social care

Year Two

• Health and safety issues and risk management
• Promoting social inclusion
• Medication management 
• Family and carer support
• Personal development
• Promoting health, well-being, self management and independence
• Care management 
• Collaborative working and professional boundaries

How you'll be taught

Flexible learning

Don’t let the title put you off. This is a work-based flexible course where all of your practice based learning will take place in your own workplace. You will also join up with fellow students for sessions on campus one day a week. You are provided with significant academic support at the start of the programme, as you may be returning to education after a gap.

Supportive approach

We are aware some of you are returning to study after a break so there is a range of support available to you. In practice your manager will identify a registered practitioner, a mentor, to support your learning in practice. They are responsible for helping you achieve practice outcomes and will evaluate your performance when you learn new skills.

In addition to this you will have a personal supervisor, who is a lecturer, to help you with the academic aspects of the course such as writing skills, presentations and working in groups. The personal supervisor is also there to provide pastoral support and advise you about the processes you must follow to meet the requirement of the course.

All your practice learning takes place in your normal work environment. However, if your manager or you think it may be beneficial to gain experience somewhere else in the organisation where you work you can agree this locally, but it not a requirement of the programme.

Learning Resources

Our libraries provide study space and a wide range of resources to support you in your studies. The J.B. Morrell Library on campus contains extensive collections of books and print journals.

In addition, the University Library also provides access to a wide range of electronic resources. These include over 4,000 electronic journals as well as research databases.

How you'll be assessed

We are mindful that many candidates are returning to education after a gap, therefore the course uses a portfolio and a range of other innovative methods to assess the knowledge and skills of students engaged in work-based learning.

Careers and employability

The purpose of the programme is to prepare you to move on in your career. On successful completion you are in a very good position to apply for a Band 4 Associate/Assistant role. However, the availability of these roles rests with your employer.

It is also important to us that there are career opportunities beyond this and you may wish to continue your studies and/or to consider becoming a registered nurse. If so, there are 2 options available at the University of York. You can either pursue a BSc in Healthcare Practice which gives you a full degree. This will take an additional year. The other option is a BSc Nursing with professional registration. This requires a further 2 years of study.

You have guaranteed progression to either of these options if you successfully complete the Associate Practitioner programme (Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care: Associate Practitioner).

How to apply

If you are interested in applying please complete the application form.

• Application form for foundation degree (MS Word , 184kb)
• Entry requirements (MS Word , 61kb)
• Further information on the programme (MS Word , 78kb)

Do I need any specific qualifications to apply?

You need an NVQ3 or equivalent qualification and a minimum of 2 years experience in practice as a support worker. If you are unsure about your qualification you can contact Student Information Service for advice on 01904 321321.

Entry requirements