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Foundation Degree in Healthcare Practice - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

The aim of this qualification is to develop and enhance the intellectual and practical skills needed to underpin your practice as a health care assistant or aspiring associate practitioner and to prepare you for further study.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this foundation degree you will have knowledge and understanding of:

  • the biological, physical, social, political, ethical and psychological concepts relevant to your healthcare practice
  • the differing approaches to person-centred care
  • the development of health and social care in the UK and the political and contemporary context in which care takes place
  • theories, concepts and professional principles that underpin healthcare practice
  • a range of research methods and their application to healthcare practice.

Cognitive skills

On completion of this foundation degree you will be able to:

  • analyse and evaluate practice critically and systematically
  • through discernment, apply concepts, principles and theories to your healthcare practice
  • select, integrate and interrogate ideas and evidence to sustain an argument or develop new insights into practice
  • reflect on your own values and those of others.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this foundation degree you will be able to:

  • act in accordance with the legal, ethical, political and policy boundaries of your healthcare practice
  • examine the personal boundaries of your practice and be competent to make appropriate referrals as required
  • work effectively and maintain appropriate relationships with others including the multi-disciplinary team
  • use appropriate knowledge and evidence to defend the rationale for making professional judgements
  • respond sensitively to the needs of service users from a diversity of backgrounds
  • utilise strategies for improving practice, contributing to the development of quality services and working with change
  • reflect on and engage in personal or professional development.

Key skills

On completion of this foundation degree you will be able to:

  • communicate and defend ideas, arguments, principles and theories effectively in speech and in writing, using visual and ICT tools where appropriate
  • prepare, manipulate, present and interpret data (textual, numerical and graphical) using appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques
  • make effective use of appropriate information and communication technologies
  • manage your own learning, organise your own time, and work independently in a way appropriate for continuing personal and professional development.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

These outcomes are taught, developed and assessed across different modules. All can be demonstrated in the work-based learning modules at both OU level 1 and 2. These modules will provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate how your practice has been informed through teaching and learning as well as demonstrate increasing skill competence in identified practice criteria.

You will demonstrate this increasing level of competence through:

  • tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) that review your ability to evaluate your evidence base for care
  • the end-of-module assessment (EMA) which will incorporate a portfolio of practice development and reflective commentary on practice.

Throughout the qualification, cognitive skills are also assessed in practice by the demonstration of thinking, understanding and reflective skills.

Cognitive skills are assessed through adherence to marking criteria that require you to demonstrate relevance and depth within project work whether this be through TMAs, examination or differing forms of EMA.

The development of key skills is woven through all the modules and demonstrated through the preparation of assessed student work. Your skills of problem solving, communication and competence with numeracy are also reviewed and assessed.
The curriculum map demonstrates how increasing use of information technology is reflected through your learning and development of your practice.
Practical and/or professional skills are assessed primarily in practice during the work-based learning modules at OU level 1 and 2. You will need to demonstrate application of your learning to practice at a level of competence that satisfies internal and external standards for Foundation Degrees.

The learning outcomes for this section are assessed through portfolio evidence, TMA and EMA.