Professional Advocate Preparation

If you’re a current healthcare practitioner who wishes to develop their clinical leadership skills, our Royal College of Nursing accredited Professional Advocate module is for you. We'll combine academic rigour with practical applications to create a forward-thinking, dynamic healthcare practitioner with the ability to lead the services in which you work.

Modern health and social care practice is a challenging place to work. Stress and burnout will almost certainly increase due to the exceptional pressure that many healthcare staff are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic (Kinman et al 2020; NHS Confederation 2020; West et al 2020). Our Professional Advocate module supports learning located primarily in the workplace to enable practising staff to become Professional Advocates (NHS England, 2017). The role of a PA and the use of A-EQUIP model (advocating for education and quality improvement) is part of the solution to supporting many of these issues.

We aim to develop your skills and expertise in the four functions of the Professional Advocate: education and development (formative function), restorative clinical supervision (RCS), monitoring, evaluation and quality control (normative function) and personal action for quality improvement.

Delivered over ten online study days, the course includes online activities supported by interactive sessions and key speakers. There is an emphasis on the support of healthcare staff in practice, building resilience using RCS, demonstrating the importance of having a safe and confidential space allowing time to reflect and make sense of workplace issues. You will develop skills to be an advocate for colleagues, patients, and your profession.

The assessment will include a portfolio of evidence, demonstrating how you've utilised your new skills and knowledge to support staff in practice by using all elements of the A-EQUIP model. As an applicant, you'll need to identify a clinical supervisor to sign off your clinical competency.

On successful completion of the module, you’ll be able to undertake the role of the Professional Advocate (PA) and be appointable as a Professional Advocate by your employing organisation. This module has been developed to meet the PA standards set by NHS England, including the mandated ten taught days.

Outline content

• Background to the development of the A-EQUIP model
• Four functions of the Professional Advocate
• Education and Development (formative function)
• Restorative Clinical Supervision
• Monitoring, Evaluation and quality control (normative function)
• Personal action for quality improvement
• Fundamentals of leadership and its defining characteristics. Differences between leadership and management, and the role of the Professional Advocate
• Leading change, and the key challenges that organisations and individual managers encounter in the organisation
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Promoting collaborative working and engaged followership behaviour

The expectations of students accessing the PNA/PA/PMA are that they are available for the full study day from 9.00 hrs – 16.00hrs each week for the 10-week programme.

Students will need to ensure they are available to complete the self-directed study each morning prior to the late morning/afternoon sessions.  

Each week students will be invited to be part of a small group where they will have opportunity to practice and discuss RCS skills. They will be allocated to the same group each week. It is important students attend this activity.

Group lectures will also take place each week usually in the afternoon. Student discussion and participation will be an essential part of these sessions.  Most of the sessions on the PNA/PA/PMA are not recorded. This programme requires a full study day each week for 10 weeks and 2 full day self-directed study days to complete the summative assignments.