Undergraduate

Professional Practice in Health and Social Care CertHE

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Start date

Duration

Location

UCAS code

Fees: per year*

Overview
Course detail & modules
Entry requirements
Fees & funding
Study & career progression

Study options

Start date

Overview

The Certificate of Higher Education (Cert HE) in Professional Practice - Health and Social Care has been developed to meet the increasing demand for formalised healthcare education for those who are already working in the sector or wishing to move into the sector in care support roles.

The course addresses a wide range of topics relevant to working in contemporary health and social care and welcomes students from a range of backgrounds, both in the acute and community care settings.

Completion of this course will enable you to gain skills and knowledge related to the provision of high-quality, evidence-based based compassionate care.

Why choose Ruskin College?

We put you first. Our teaching is designed for you: your ambitions and your needs. You will study in a supportive learning environment with a small learning group approach that really focuses on you.
Career-focused courses. Course content is designed to give you the skills that employers are looking for and are delivered by lecturers with industry experience and connections.
Part of a top 30% UK university. Ruskin College is part of the University of West London (UWL), ranked as 32 out of 122 UK universities in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2024. You will benefit from access to UWL student support services throughout your time at Ruskin College.

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Why study Professional Practice in Health and Social Care with us?

A student writing down notes on a table with a pen.

I hope that my story inspires others to push to the limits of what’s possible within their practice and study. I believe innovation and quality improvement are key to the continued evolution and future of healthcare. I am grateful to have been supported so well by UWL throughout my two years.

Joe Maslen*

Course detail & modules

The Professional Practice in Health and Social Care course is at certificate level and comprises five core modules.

The course has been designed to enable you to demonstrate the generic skills required of any health/support worker.

You will develop the following skills:

clinical skills
judging evidence
communication skills
team working
working independently
analytical skills
reflective practice
academic skills.

The design of the course means learning undertaken in earlier modules is further developed in later modules and in greater depth. For example, in the Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare module, you will be taught how to take a pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure manually and identification of the normal ranges.

In the next module you will learn what abnormal recordings mean, how to complete a NEWS chart and when and why to escalate findings to registered staff. You will have the opportunity to practice your skills in the classroom.

Educational visits will be arranged where possible to broaden your perspective of health and social care.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Learning Skills Development

This module will prepare you for the course by identifying your learning style and needs. It will teach you how to write an academic essay, develop effective literature search skills, note taking and paraphrasing and time management.
Principles of Health and Social Care
The aims of this module are to:
Develop your understanding of the complexity of the range of relationships within which the health and social care team and multi-professional service operates.
Equip you with the ability to identify how effective management of a variety of relationships ensures more effective service delivery for the service user/patient.
Skills for Health and Social Care
The module aims to:
Develop the skills needed to provide effective care to service users/patients within a range of health and social care settings, regarding assessment of ongoing needs of individuals, identification of deterioration in the person’s health, communication, nutrition, fluid, and elimination needs
Develop knowledge and skills related to infection control.
Safe Practice in Healthcare

This module introduces health and safety issues and risk management strategies, together with associated professional, legal, and ethical requirements, to enable you to reflect on care delivery in their individual care settings and identify both best practice and areas of concern requiring intervention.
Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare
The aims of the module are to:
Provide you with the underpinning knowledge and understanding of the normal anatomy and physiology of the human body.
Identify the relevant aspects of human anatomy and physiology related to practice.
To develop knowledge, clinical and analytical skills related to caring for patients within the health and social care environment.

Entry requirements

Requirements: UK

Applicants will usually hold GCSE Mathematics and English Language Grade 9-4/A*-C or Level 2 equivalents.

Will be supported to undertake Functional Skills Level 2 English and maths whilst on the course. This requires an additional 57 hours of study for each subject.

Fees & funding

Funding: UK

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The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

You will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year.

Fees for the 2026/27 academic year and onwards may be subject to Government regulation and change.

Funding your studies

You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.

Bursaries and scholarships

If you've completed an access course at Ruskin and want to progress to study a degree course, we offer funding support through the Ruskin College Progression Bursary or Ruskin College Alumni Bursary.

We also offer the The Sanctuary Scholarship to support students who are seeking sanctuary in the UK to study for an undergraduate degree course at Ruskin College.

Information about fees and funding

Teaching staff

Study & career progression

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On successful completion of this Cert HE and your English and maths Functional Skills Level 2 courses you can:

1: Progress to year 2 of the following course subject to meeting the employment entry criteria*:

FdSc Assistant Practitioner

*Applicants who chose this progression route would need to be in employment (minimum of 20hrs/week) and supported by their employer to undertake the course.

On successful completion of the FdSc Assistant Practitioner course, you can join Year 2 of the BNursing (Hons) Pre-registration Nursing course, should you wish to work towards becoming a registered nurse.

2: Apply for the 3-year BNursing (Hons) Adult/Mental Health/Learning Disabilities/Children's course.

How to apply

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Professional Practice in Health and Social Care CertHE

Overview

Why study Professional Practice in Health and Social Care with us?