AC7131 - Advanced Clinical Assessment Skills for Community Specialist Practice-Babies, Children and Young People

What will I learn on this module?

This module focuses on advanced clinical skills assessment in community specialist practice and is a core module for those students undertaking the community specialist practice qualification- Community Children’s Nursing. You will be supported to strengthen and develop your knowledge base in relation to conducting, interpreting, and evaluating complex health and social care needs for babies, children, and young people, working in partnership with their families, drawing upon principles of person and family centred care.

You will develop your practice in addressing the physical and psychosocial dimensions within clinical assessment, taking into consideration epidemiology, community demography and social determinants of health and illness. Advanced communication skills will be developed, and you will be supported to apply strategies with developmental consideration of babies, children, and young people, enabling them and their families to make informed choices about their care.

The module will have a distinct focus on common as well as complex conditions encountered when caring for babies, children, and young people. Teaching will adopt a body systems approach with a range of seminars, practical workshops, tutorials, lectures (Online Supported Learning OSL packages), and tutor guided learning, with sessions focusing specifically on conditions, examining the physiology, pathophysiology, and relevant pharmacology, as identified in the co-production of this module with our stakeholders and employing partners. In addition, you will have the opportunity to understand the application of genomics and epigenetics in informing person and family centred care.

You will develop your autonomous practice and ability to lead, and manage whole episodes of care for babies, children, young people, and their families, understanding when to admit, discharge or refer as appropriate. You will have the opportunity to advance your specialist knowledge, critical thinking, and decision-making skills, undertaking comprehensive clinical assessments, focusing on practice-based scenarios. Similarly, you will be supported to analyse a range of informatics, including clinical investigations, to assist your assessment and diagnosis, distinguishing between normal and abnormal findings across the differing needs and age ranges of babies, children, and young people. You will also demonstrate your ability to accurately document your findings, identifying pertinent clinical and care solutions and effectively communicate these appropriately within the inter-professional team as well as to babies, children, young people, and families.

How will I learn on this module?

This module draws upon the department and universities approach to universal design for learning principles, recognising that each person has their own learning needs and styles. As such, this module enables opportunities to engage in directed learning activities as well as self-directed learning, critical evaluation, reflection, knowledge, and skills acquisition, including collaborative working, which underpins and shapes teaching and learning on your programme of study. The module will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face seminars, practical workshops with practice-based scenarios using simulation to enable formative development of knowledge and skills including, tutorials as well as lectures (Online Supported Learning OSL) packages.

The assessment strategy adopts an authentic assessment approach, drawing on real world employment tasks, addressing both the theoretical and practical elements of the module, and as such, your summative assessment will be an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), relevant to the advanced clinical assessment of babies, children and young people being cared for within a community setting. You will be taught by appropriately skilled experts who will have significant knowledge and experience relevant to the taught session, and the care of babies, children, and young people, allowing for a diverse variation of academic delivery across the module.



For part-time students, this module includes your Practice Assessment Document (PAD) which is your ongoing record of achievement. You will be supported in practice by a Practice Assessor (PA) as well as Practice Supervisors (PS) as part of your formative assessment. You will receive tripartite support from an appropriate Academic Assessor (AA) and your PA in your clinical placement setting. These will be held at planned stages throughout year one of your programme, where you will gain experience and insight into your professional role, ensuring you are supported with the achievement of the required NMC standards of proficiency. 

How will I be supported academically on this module?

You will be supported by the module team who will guide your academic learning and assessment throughout the module. The Module Lead will provide you with an overview of the module and guide you in your studies and will offer opportunities to discuss content, issues, and assessment feedback. Constructive feedback is given on both formative and summative components. Each module is supported by Blackboard Ultra and all modules adhere to the university’s minimum standards. The site includes module information, assessment information, power-point presentations and lectures (Online Supported Learning OSL) packages including reading lists and relevant web links. A discussion board is available to the you, through which you can post comments and ask questions of your peers while you are not on campus. Peer support is encouraged and facilitated via group work embedded within this module and your programme of study. Group tutorial and formative sessions delivered through practice-based learning sessions will help you prepare for the summative assessment. Your Programme Lead and Personal Tutor are also available to offer guidance on academic support throughout the programme. The University Libraries at both Coach Lane and City Campus offer an extensive collection of material, both hard copy and electronic, access to international databases and training in information retrieval. A variety of study-skills-related help sheets, and online videos can be found on the library Skills Plus site. You can also access a range of student support and wellbeing services via Student Central at Coach Lane Campus Library or by accessing the student support and wellbeing pages and Ask4Help via your electronic student portal.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding:

Demonstrate ability to effectively conduct a comprehensive clinical assessment, focusing on practice-based patient scenarios relevant to babies, children, and young people.

Interpret, synthesise, and utilise contemporary evidence as part of effective clinical judgement and decision-making within the assessment process of babies, children, and young people.

Recognise abnormal physical features and pathophysiology in association with diagnostic test results, interpret clinical and psychosocial data and recognise the ill and/or deteriorating baby, child and/or young person.



Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities:



Demonstrate the application of advanced skills in articulating, accurately documenting and defending your clinical judgements and actions, critically evaluating emergent findings to inform case management. 





Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):



Demonstrate the ability to work independently and collaboratively with peers, colleagues, and public and people who access health and care services, to assess, plan and lead high quality care in accordance with legal, professional, and ethical principles

How will I be assessed?

Formative assessment -Full Time

This will be ongoing throughout the module; you will engage in interactive self-assessment via the ELP; simulations and taught sessions.



You will have the opportunity to engage in an interactive tutorial to prepare you for your summative assessment. In addition, group work within class will provide the opportunity for informal peer assessment.

(MLO’s 1-5)



Formative assessment – Part Time

This will be ongoing throughout the module; you will engage in interactive self-assessment via the ELP; simulations and taught sessions. Field specific group tutorials will provide the opportunity for informal peer assessment. 

(MLO’s 1-5).  

 

You will have the opportunity to engage in an interactive tutorial to prepare you for your summative assessment. 

 

You will also have your PAD document which is your record of ongoing achievement. You will receive organised tutorial support throughout the year where progress will be formatively assessed. 



Summative assessment- Full and Part Time:

This will be an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which will assess your ability to conduct a comprehensive clinical assessment, summarise your main findings and defend your plan of action.



During this assessment you will be expected to complete 2 stations of 30 minutes duration. Each station will provide you with a practice-based scenario relevant caring for babies, children, young people, and families, on which to base your clinical assessment, summary, and plan case management. (MLO’s 1-5)



You must achieve a pass in both stations to pass the summative assessment.
Station 1 – 50% weighting   

Station 2 – 50% weighting   



If you refer on one or more station(s), you will be reassessed on these referred stations only. Your marks and feedback will be provided electronically via Blackboard Ultra.

Pre-requisite(s)

n/a

Co-requisite(s)

n/a

Module abstract

This module relates to advanced clinical skills assessment of babies, children, and young people. This is a practice focused module where you will have the opportunity to advance your critical thinking and decision making through developing enhanced knowledge and skills in relation to comprehensive clinical assessment based on community and primary care clinical settings. During this module you will be able to evaluate routine clinical investigations, assess the severity of symptom complexes, explore both physical and psychosocial dimensions of assessment pertaining to babies, children, and young people. A range of advanced communication skills will be developed including effectively communicating findings to other members of the inter-professional team and public and people who access health and care services. A systems-based approach is used during the module to provide you with the clinical skills and underpinning theoretical evidence to undertake clinical consultation and assessment.

This module will enable you to be able to recognise normal and abnormal clinical findings, including the onset of acute and/or exacerbations of chronic illness, provide objective clinical data to inter-disciplinary colleagues, enhancing patient safety and the effectiveness of patient care. You will apply your analytical and assessment skills to a range of scenarios and, from the interpretation of your findings, formulate a plan of care, which is in partnership with babies, children, young people, families, and the practice context. Learning will be supported through a combination of seminars, tutorials, lectures (Online Supported Learning OSL) packages as well as practice-based scenarios facilitated in the simulation suite. The assessment strategy addresses both the theoretical and practical elements of the module, adopting a real-world environment task and your summative assessment will be an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). This module will prepare you for your specialist role, with learning outcomes benefitting all aspects of your practice, helping to provide you and your peers with contemporary knowledge, skills and values desired in the workplace.

Course info

Credits 20

Level of Study Postgraduate

Mode of Study 2 years Part Time
1 other options available

Location Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University

City Newcastle

Start September 2025

Fee Information

Module Information

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

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