FdSc Assistant Practitioner - London at University of West London

Programme overview

This 2-year Foundation Degree Science (FdSc) Assistant Practitioner course has been designed for healthcare assistants/support workers who want to advance their career. What is an assistant practitioner? Assistant practitioners are experienced staff working in support roles, alongside registered healthcare professionals.

Duration: 2 years intensive | Study mode: full-time | Intake: October 2026 | Location: London, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

On this assistant practitioner course, you will learn how to: work effectively and safely within your area of practice in a health/social care environment, within the limits of your own competence support the care, protection and wellbeing of patients and service users develop effective communication skills, including the use of verbal, written and interpersonal skills, IT skills and accurate record-keeping develop skills of critical, analytical, and reflective thinking to question your own practice and seek solutions to potential problems and identify best practice opportunities develop the skills to access, retrieve, analyse, and evaluate evidence to decide the extent to which it should inform or influence your practice. Modules include: Learning Skills Development; Assistant Practitioner: Introduction to the Role; Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare; Skills for Practice; Safe Practice in Healthcare; Introduction to Research; Pathophysiology for Healthcare; Enhanced Skills for Practice; Improving the Quality of Care; Assistant Practitioner: Developing the Role.

Career pathways

There is a range of roles and jobs for assistant practitioners across the NHS. a Band 4 Assistant Practitioner post/equivalent post, i.e. Job roles include: assistant practitioner; healthcare science associate.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

You will: usually hold GCSE English Language and Mathematics Grade 9-4/A*-C or Level 2 equivalents, on entry to the course; OR. you will be supported to undertake Functional Skills Level 2 English and maths whilst on the course, with the aim of normally achieving this by the end of year 1 (level 4) or by the end of the course. This requires an additional 57 hours of study for each subject (there is no additional cost). Employment information; You must: Be employed in a health or social care setting, in a role that involves providing care to service users. Be employed for a minimum of 20 hours a week. Have support from your manager to ensure you can attend the x1 study day per week. Have an identified mentor who will assess you in practice and support you to complete the clinical competency document. Change of Employment. Change of employment during the course could impact your studies and any plan to do so should be discussed with the course leader first. Where change of employment is unavoidable support will be given to ensure the new employer is aware of the support needed and course requirements. If no immediate supportive employer is found, the student will need to defer their place on the course. Selection Process. All applicants will be required to successfully pass a value-based interview. UCAS/course code: UGF112~W.

Domestic applicants: GBP 9,790 a year (2027/28). Tuition for: Intensive (2 years, October 2026). Source

Intake: October 2026

Duration: 2 years intensive

Apply through the official page: https://www.uwl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/how-apply-undergraduates

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