Prospective Students

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The ever increasing complexity of health care delivery and the demand for continual improvement in service efficiency and effectiveness necessitates clinicians and health care professionals to engage in continual professional development to support a higher level of skill acquisition and analytical ability.

As a qualified health care professional you are expected to maintain your practice registration by engaging in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) - for information regarding the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) CPD requirements click on the links to their websites below:
http://www.nmc-uk.org/Employers-and-managers/Your-responsibilities/CPD-and-practice/

http://www.hpc-uk.org/registrants/cpd/

We currently offer a range of CPD learning modes, including Pathways, Specialised Stand-Alone Modules, Workshops and Bespoke Training

Pathways

We currently offer a wide range of CPD learning pathways which are suitable for a variety of fields of healthcare.

The structure, mode of delivery, and level of support for our CPD programmes reflect our awareness of the learning needs of contemporary practitioners. The curricula reflect the changing focus of health care in the twenty first century.

The core components of the programmes are designed to ensure graduates acquire attributes and skills which will enhance their professional practice.

Applicants may choose from programmes and stand alone modules which are accredited at an undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Click on the links below to see an overview of the programme pathways we currently offer:

Alternatively for more in depth information, please look at our programme specifications pages:
http://www.essex.ac.uk/programmespecs/degreeslist.asp

If you are unable to find the information you require, please contact us: cpd@essex.ac.uk.

Stand Alone Modules

In addition to our pathways, we also offer a number of stand alone modules. There are a number of different subject areas, including Clinical Practice, Leadership, Research, Professional Development, to name a few. These modules can be offered in one of the University's campuses (Colchester or Southend) or off campus (eg based in a Healthcare Provider locality). In addition some include face-to-face teaching, some are based on-line and some use a blended learning approach.

For extensive details on these including when the modules are running (Module Calendar), content, assessment requirements and contact details, please view our Flyer page.

Please note:
A module running is subject to sufficient numbers. If you are interested in taking a specific module, please contact us directly.

Funding

Tuition fees for these modules and programmes can be funded in a variety of ways:

  • Employer-Funded
  • Self-Funded
  • Payment by a Charitable Trust

If you are employed through an NHS organisation within the East of England, we currently have an annual contract with the East of England Strategic Health Authority. As part of this contract they support staff development through educational courses and programmes of study.

If you hoping to receive assistance with funding and are employed in this way, please check with your employer to see if funding is available before accepting a place on the course.

For further guidance on funding for these programmes please see our Funding and Scholarships page.

Further details on modular fees can be found here: CPD Fees.

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Certified Learning
(AP(E)L)

All CPD programmes at the School are structured to facilitate flexible engagement and staged development. The CPD programmes and stand alone modules may be undertaken in a variable pattern of enrolment over a two to five year period.

In addition to this we also recognise some elements of previous academic learning and recent professional experience that you may have completed. This is dependent on many factors, however, if you are interested in this option, please discuss this with the Director of Teaching and Learning - Vikki-Jo Porteous-Butler - before you apply.

It is necessary to highlight any relevant prior learning before you apply as the modules you wish to study may be dependent on this.

For further information on our Accreditation for Prior (Experiential) Learning, please review the main University of Essex Quality Enhancement pages.

How to apply:

If you are intending to follow a programme pathway, please contact the relevant programme lead to discuss your pathway plans. From this discussion an outline of your pathway will be produced; although your plans may change over time this helps us plan delivery of modules over the coming years AND helps your sponsor to plan funding arrangements as appropriate.

If you are interested in applying for a specific module, you will need to complete the module application form which can be found here.

Your application and funding

  • If you are being funded by your employer, please obtain your line managers signature once you have completed the application form including how payment will be made and forward to your Education Liaison Manager for processing.
  • If you are self-funded - please complete the application form, providing the required information and forward to our Contracts Administrator, who will then instruct you on how to make payments.
  • If you are being funded by a charitable organisation, please complete the application form, with the signature of the person providing the funds and the way in which they will be paying, and forward to our Contracts Administrator, who will then instruct your sponsor on how to make payments..

Once we have received your signed and completed application form we will write to confirm if you have been successful in gaining a place.

For further information on these pathways and modules, please contact our CPD Administration Lead:

Mel Hassack
Health and Human Sciences
University of Essex 
Wivenhoe Park
CO4 3SQ
T 01206 873375
E cpd (non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create the full e-mail address)