DA7013 - Service Improvement and Research Methods in Advanced Clinical Practice

As a collaborative research community, your cohort will engage in a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies. Learning will be focussed on tangible outcomes and the final assessment to ensure you are clear and mindful of the formative and summative assessment criteria. The content will be delivered by research-active academics ensuring it is research informed and relevant for your clinical roles. Seminars will be used to critically explore contemporary approaches to research, service evaluation and service improvement. A range of directed activities will be undertaken to benchmark knowledge drivers in your organisation, identify gaps in practice and facilitate the formation of collaborative links. Workshops exploring the prevalent research philosophies, methodologies and methods associated with a range of research traditions and peer group work will help to develop and present your research ideas.

Specifically, you will learn about:
• Searching and synthesising the literature to formulate a research question, or service improvement initiative
• Philosophical assumptions and foundations of enquiry
• Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches
• Service improvement methodologies
• Data collection and data analysis
• Research governance and ethical issues

During the module you will be provided with robust support and guidance to help meet your individual learning and research needs. The module lead will provide guidance and academic counselling on the formative and summative assessment opportunities to ensure that you are able to confidently engage with the academic rigour of this module.

Ongoing feedback will be available during the lectures, seminars, workshops, and group/individual tutorials will be provided. Extensive support is also provided online as part of the University’s commitment to technology enhanced learning and the module will utilise Blackboard Ultra, EMA, digital reading lists, digital communication, social networking, and collaborative tools.

A central feature of the academic support available to you is the service provided by the University Library. This 24/7 service caters for all your learning needs, has extensive access to electronic texts and tutorials and supports the development of academic skills aimed at improving your critical thinking and analytical skills. Many of the electronic texts can be accessed via electronic reading lists.

You will also be supported to form proactive and collaborative links by networking with clinical colleagues, research and development departments and other active researchers.

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.

Knowledge & Understanding (K&U):
K&U 1. Critically appraise and synthesise a range of research approaches, using the findings to underpin practice development.

2. Identify relevant ethical and governance issues and engage in strategies for their surveillance and management.

Intellectual/Professional skills & abilities (IPSA):
IPSA 3. Critically reflect upon and evaluate competence to audit clinical practice and select reliable methods to ensure best practice.

4. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of evidence-based knowledge and validate strategies to address the deficits in a safe and effective way

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
PVA 5. Appraise your role within the research process and identify strategies to form collaborative links with other active researchers.

Formative Assessment, Learning activities, tasks and taught session.

Workshops/Seminars/Lectures: exploring real world research and service improvement initiatives, critique of research and its development within health and care sectors.

Peer reviewed presentation identifying a research topic or service improvement topic.

Reflection on own and others development and engagement in a peer reviewed presentation of proposal outline.

Feedback will be on an ongoing basis via seminars and tutorials.

Summative assessment

Research Proposal (2500 words) outlining a plan for an empirical research project OR practice project OR systematic appraisal. Individualised feedback will be given electronically. (All MLO assessed).

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This service improvement and research methods module has been designed to reflect the requirements of the HEE (2017) research pillar for students working in Advanced Clinical Practice roles across a diverse range of speciality and subject-specific areas. It introduces you to the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to transform service delivery and secure continuous quality improvement. It will further enable you to work collaboratively with research active colleagues and you will be given the opportunity to share good practice with peers and establish contact with local research networks and forums.

You will be encouraged to actively debate and explore evidence-based practice, research and service improvement case studies relating the findings to your sector and consider how your practice can be transformed to meet personal, organisational, and national drivers. You will be assessed using engaging strategies designed to support your practice and allow you to find solutions to authentic issues supported by research and current debate.

Throughout the module, you will engage in a wide variety of authentic learning activities and critically examine aspects of the research process and service improvement methods including its visibility and impact. Utilising good research practice guidance and appraising a range of validated methodologies you will develop a broad understanding of how the various approaches can be used to enhance care provision, promote safety, and improve productivity.