Advanced Professional Practice (Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation) PgCert, PgDip and MSc

Are you a qualified physiotherapist working in musculoskeletal practice and looking to take your career to the next level? Maybe your role involves assisting patients who require rehabilitation after surgery or sporting injury, or perhaps you work with individuals who have a disability or long-term condition that limits their functional level.

This course in advanced clinical practice of musculoskeletal rehabilitation is designed for physiotherapists who wish to further develop their skills and expertise as an advanced or specialist clinical practitioner across a range of musculoskeletal (MSK) healthcare settings here in the UK and abroad.

On this course, you’ll gain advanced clinical reasoning skills in assessment and evidence-based management for the treatment and rehabilitation of MSK patients, presenting within various clinical settings. You’ll be taught the latest theory, science and principles behind MSK practice, which will give you a broad, yet in-depth, understanding of evidence-based rehabilitation approaches and how these can be used to treat patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

Our master’s degree will also develop your cognitive skills, such as writing skills, which are important in clinical practice to enhance communication with other clinicians, allied healthcare personnel, and for research.

You’ll be encouraged to be creative in your thinking, as well as enhancing your proficiency in analysis and evaluation - meaning you’ll graduate as a highly competent practitioner, ready to become a leader within your field.

The full master's course can be studied in 1 year part-time starting in September.

For information on Vice Chancellor's Excellence Award which offers £5000 fee reduction for self-funded international students please click here

Your learning will be patient-centred and clinically focused, studying evidence, concepts, and theories related to musculoskeletal practice. You’ll benefit from a course designed to incorporate a multidisciplinary perspective, which is essential when entering leadership roles in healthcare systems around the world.

Throughout the course you’ll be required to think broadly about a range of rehabilitation services, exploring how to improve the care and experience of service users, alongside service provision, in a variety of global scenarios.

On this course, you’ll learn a holistic approach to patient care alongside clinical leadership skills and how to use evidence-based practice and research to make informed decisions that grow your knowledge and expertise.

Your learning will be underpinned by the national Advanced Clinical Practice framework as set out by NHS England (formally HEE), encompassing the four pillars: clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research. You’ll develop the essential skills that are required by advanced clinical practitioners working in the NHS and other clinical settings.

You’ll study a combination of modules consisting of compulsory modules in clinical leadership, teaching and learning, evidence-based practice and research, plus you’ll select from a list of optional modules that define your specialist pathway in musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

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Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel

Career Prospects for Advanced Professional Practice Graduates

Following successful completion of this advanced practice programme, you will be fully prepared for a leadership role as an advanced practitioner in your relevant clinical profession (e.g. nursing, occupational therapy or physiotherapy) and within your clinical specialism.

Our graduates typically go on to senior clinical leadership positions within a range of healthcare settings, with many gaining prominent positions to pioneer service development at regional, national or international levels.

With increasing global demand for advanced practitioners, our graduates enjoy excellent employability and opportunities for career advancement. This master's will give you the relevant knowledge and skills to step into these positions. Designed to meet the needs of global healthcare organisations and employers, our graduates have excellent prospects in the UK and internationally, making them sought-after professionals in their preferred countries.

This programme is ideal for senior clinicians and clinical leads who are looking to take their clinical career to the next level, or in a new direction into management and service innovation, or academic research and education.

Professional Registration

To register as a healthcare professional in the UK you will need to hold a relevant pre-registration qualification. Though the MSc APP is not considered a pre-registration programme and therefore does not provide direct eligibility to register as a healthcare professional in the UK, the programme may be used alongside your international pre-registration qualifications to support your application for registration.

If you are seeking to register as a healthcare professional in the UK we recommend that you contact the relevant regulator for your profession to explore the current requirements. For allied health professionals (AHPs) information on international applications to the Health and Care Professions Council can be found on the HCPC website.

For nurses and midwives, more information on international applications to the Nursing and Midwifery Council can be found on the NMC website.

Rights to Work in the UK for International Students

International students graduating from this programme who hold UK professional registration may be eligible to apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa that provides the right to work within the UK healthcare sector. This visa also provides the right for dependants to come to the UK and exemptions from UK health insurance surcharges.

Further information about the current benefits of the Health and Care Worker Visa and rules for applying can be found at the UKVI website.

Information on further visa options is available on our Post Study Work Options webpage.

You’ll benefit from the expertise of academics across our well-established health sciences department, giving you a truly interdisciplinary perspective on important topics. Many of our academics currently work in hospitals and other clinical settings, so they'll be teaching you up-to-date scientific knowledge and patient assessment and management skills.

Our lecturers are active in research and often contribute to the development of professional guidelines, so you know you’re being taught by practicing healthcare professionals with a high profile in the sector. You’ll also be able to benefit from studying alongside other healthcare professionals in similar fields, giving you the opportunity to network and share ideas.

Our teaching approach is diverse and you’ll benefit from lectures, tutorials, seminars, and workshops.

The course uses a range of flexible and engaging approaches to assessment. You'll be assessed through exams, critical essays, portfolios, oral presentations and your dissertation.

The choice of the specific type of assessment will be appropriate to the intended learning outcomes of the taught modules. The assessment strategies will balance the need to demonstrate knowledge and competencies with more in-depth and critical approaches to learning.

Such assessment approaches will include examinations, presentations of relevant clinical case scenarios, and coursework, which will take the form of critical assessment of literature and research, critical essays, and the development of the selected portfolio of learning.

Finally, the dissertation provides demonstration of an ability to synthesise and critically evaluate current research underpinning clinical practice, and to develop and undertake relevant research, as well as its dissemination.