The Advanced Clinical Practitioner Trailblazer group has opened a consultation on the draft Apprenticeship Standard.
The consultation will close on Tuesday, 25 July.
Feedback will be reviewed following the closing date and the trailblazer group will consider where amendments should be made to the draft standard. It will then be submitted to the Institute for Apprenticeships for approval.
Charlotte Beardmore, the SCoR director of professional policy, said, "It is important that members of the profession respond to this consultation in order to ensure the Advanced Clinical Practice apprenticeship standard is fit for the radiography profession.
“We are reviewing the standard at the Society and will be contributing to a joint response from the allied health profession education leads,” Charlotte continued.
“The standard rightly encompasses the four core domains of advanced clinical practice, however please consider the following questions when responding to the on-line survey:
- Is it inclusive of the diversity of radiography roles across sectors and settings? The focus is upon one core standard and the Society believes a core with options for specific areas of ACP in radiography is more appropriate.
- The specific indication that an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice should be the singular underpinning qualification for the apprenticeship. The Society would prefer a model that could be sustained by the implementation of credit accumulation and transfer, with options focused upon the specific areas of practice relating to ACP in radiography.
- Does the draft standard sufficiently reflect the knowledge, skill and capabilities that AHPs and radiographers bring to advanced practice roles?
- There is specific reference to prescribing as a core element of all ACP roles. However, the intended meaning of the term is ambiguous, ie there has been discussion that prescribing could refer to not just medicines but wider decision making relating to patient pathway decisions. If the intention is medicines’ prescribing, clearly this could be okay for some in ACP radiotherapy roles, but not for diagnostic radiography where legal change is required.
Please either complete the on-line survey, or if you would prefer to feedback into the main SoR response, please forward your views by Monday, 17 July. Please indicate in the subject line: Apprenticeship Standard for Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Consultation.
The Society understands that the number of responses received on specific issues will be materially significant in terms of whether changes need to be made. It is therefore very important that individual members respond.
Both the draft standard and the consultation survey are available online.