Advancing Assessment and Reasoning Skills

Course Content

• Course Details

  During the module you will develop the skills required to undertake a comprehensive and holistic health assessment of service users including history taking, physical examination and psychosocial assessment. Relevant anatomy and pathophysiology will be applied to aid in the analysis and interpretation of the data gained from the assessment.

  Consideration will be given to differential diagnoses, service user risk assessment, diagnostic tools utilised in practice and the management of common conditions. Theories and methods underpinning clinical reasoning and decision-making in healthcare, advanced communication strategies, legal and ethical issues of advanced assessment and evidence-based practice will be explored.

  Using an active-blended learning approach teaching approaches are varied and include lectures, interactive group work, online learning activities, enquiry based learning and practical simulation sessions within the clinical skills laboratory at the University.

  Students will be taught and have access to tutor support over two semesters. The module is taught on Wednesdays over approximately 12 structured days at the University which includes both face to face and online teaching and 1 assessment day.

  You will take a structured approach to holistic health assessment with the opportunity to develop skills to enhance their practice.

  There are two items of assessment which must be successfully completed to pass the module, each with a 50% weighting to the overall mark:

  1) Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) 

  The OSCE assessments will be used to assess competency, based upon objective testing through direct observation. Areas to be evaluated include communication, general and focused history taking, physical examination, investigations, patient advice and documentation.

  2) Reflective Case Study 2 x 2000 words

  Students will be asked to write 2 x 2,000 word critically ‘reflective cased-based analyses’ of their advanced clinical assessment, decision making and management of two patients within their area of clinical practice.

  Please note the modules shown here relate to the academic year 24/25. The modules relating to the academic year 25/26 will be available from June 2025.

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• FAQs

  Who can I contact for more information?

  For further information on the module please contact Laura Elliott, Module Lead on advancedpractice@northampton.ac.uk

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