About the course

The course has been designed primarily for health and social care professionals such as support workers, nurses, social workers, paramedics and other allied health professionals such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, counsellors and those providing holistic therapies.

The development of graduate skills and attributes is an essential feature of our course and as such individual module content will encourage you to explore new ideas and challenge existing views on contemporary health issues affecting everyday practice.

By the end of the course, you will have the ability to identify and propose solutions to problems which capitalise on the potential for enhanced health and wellbeing for patients, clients, residents, and wider groups; through the development of health improvement strategies at individual, organisational and wider societal levels.

The modules in our course are aligned to three themes:

Theme 1: Research Skill Development

The ability to make use of current best evidence is often seen key to effective practice (NES, 2015) and is also the first step in research skill development (Newell and Burnard, 2011). Students will be required to draw on relevant theoretical knowledge and be able to locate, review and evaluate research findings relevant to health and related issues across a range of disciplines. Students will also be expected to make use of best evidence as a tool to underpin decision-making and problem solving, in order to improve and advance their practice. These skills are transferable, not only to other modules in the programme, but to the realities of professional practice and multi-agency working (QAA, 2008b).

Theme 2: Professional Development

There are compelling reasons for improving the professional development skills of practitioners which are mainly centred upon sustaining and improving professional competence, enhancing opportunities for career progression and keeping abreast of new technology and practice (Scottish Government, 2013). In addition continued professional development is required to respond to the needs of a much better informed and more sophisticated public who demand a higher duty of care and level of service (Scottish Health Council, 2014).Students undertaking this programme should be keen to explore new ideas and challenge existing views in order to encourage effective and leading edge practice. By improving their ability to lead change within rapidly evolving and complex care systems, honours graduate students will have the potential to positively influence the quality of care and shape future practice locally, nationally and internationally (NES, 2015).

Theme 3: Contemporary Healthcare Issues

Students participating in modules within this theme are expected to be able to critically evaluate outcomes of health and other social care interventions, adjust care accordingly and acquire the skills to contribute with proficiency and confidence to effective multi-professional/ multi-agency working. They should also be able to critically reflect on the links between the health and care issues under study and peoples’ individual experience of health and wellbeing, which are set against a cultural backdrop. Students will also be encouraged to develop a wider view where they see these contemporary issues in relation to the wider structural elements relevant to maintaining and improving health and well-being. These attributes are vital to the development of a future workforce (Scottish Government, 2013) and also in the development of the current workforce which is underpinned by the Four Pillars of Practice (NES, 2015).

You will study at least one module from each theme which will allow you to acquire a holistic range of graduate and other transferable skills that are essential to work successfully and professionally within the health and social care sector.

Career prospects

This degree prepares you for a successful career in a diverse range of job roles within the health and social services sector in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Previous graduates have achieved promotion in their current workplace while others have gone on to work for local authorities, health boards, local and national government agencies and charities.

Our aim is to provide an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating course of study that will prepare you for a successful career in the health & social care sector.

This may include career prospects in/as:

• Providing therapies and support activities in specific areas of healthcare such as cancer and palliative care
• Project management
• A therapy assistant
• A senior support worker
• Clinical effectiveness
• Bereavement support