Diploma in Clinical Education and Leadership for Healthcare Professionals
(EduQual Level 7),
PG Dip Clinical Education & Leadership

Our Post Graduate Programmes are blended virtual learning courses and comprise a 2-day virtual classroom with pre-course study and self-paced post course online assessments.

Our shorter delivery timeframe isn’t about cutting corners – it’s about building on your prior learning in the most efficient way possible. We recognise that our delegates bring substantial professional expertise, allowing us to maximise Accredited Prior Learning (APL) recognition more effectively than traditional programs with a practical approach to professional education.  This approach mirrors established UK higher education principles where extensive professional experience reduces study time requirements.

The qualification is built from the following units:

Hours and credits: 380 hours / 38 credits:

Unit 1: Educational principles and theories – 90 hours, 9 credits

Unit 2: Deliver clinical lectures and teach clinical skills – 90 hours, 9 credits

Unit 3: Integrative Professional Practice: Experience, Reflection and Growth (Acquired prior learning) – 200 hours, 20 credits (see below)

The qualification achieved is equivalent to 8 months of full-time study on a Level 7 course.  It is possible to complete your diploma within our timeframe because, due to the eligibility criteria, you will have sufficient accredited prior learning (RPL) to fulfil the study requirements for the qualification.

Masters – When considering awarding credits for HCS qualifications towards any specific Masters Degree, Universities consider these three overlapping elements:

1. The relevance of the HCS course to the Masters being applied for.

Each University is an institution in their own right and will award credits on an individual basis at their discretion. The university will review your qualification transcript, and where the HCS course units are covered wholly or in part by their Masters Course, they will award an appropriate number of credit exemptions accordingly.

2. The number of credits inherent in the HCS course

Hours and credits: 380 hours / 38 credits:

Unit 1: Educational principles and theories – 90 hours, 9 credits

Unit 2: Deliver clinical lectures and teach clinical skills – 90 hours, 9 credits

Unit 3: Integrative Professional Practice: Experience, Reflection and Growth (Acquired prior learning) – 200 hours, 20 credits (see below)

3. Your professional and educational background

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) portfolio for Unit 3 (Acquired Prior Learning), which requires you to have 200 hours of verifiable CPD available if requested by the Awarding Organisation. This equates to 4 years of CPD, for medical practitioners who are required to complete 50 hours per year to maintain their professional registration, for example. For non-registered healthcare workers, CPD for the APL unit must be relevant to Education in their professional role to be considered.

Historically the majority of universities have given exemptions for the whole credit value of our courses where the applicant is medically qualified and the HCS course is relevant to the Masters degree. However, it must be emphasised that this is a discretionary process, with each student being assessed individually – not only can students with similar educational backgrounds be awarded different credit exemptions at the same university, but also different universities offering the same qualification titles may have different awarding criteria. Educational organisations, such as ours, outside of the university framework do not have any input to the universities’ exemption panels.

If you wish to use a HCS qualification to obtain a Masters Degree from a university, you will need your qualification transcript.

Fellowships – We are an international organisation, and as such, our delegates go on to seek further qualifications (and credit exemptions/ recognition) from many other educational organisations across the world. When it comes to applying for fellowships with other higher education organisations (e.g. Higher Education Academy/Advance HE), their processes are so variable that we are unable to give specific guidance.  However please approach them directly to establish whether they will recognise your PGDip Clin Ed qualification for eligibility. Whilst we have no input in these decisions, the transcripts of your qualification(s) will be available if required.

To be eligible for a Diploma in Clinical Education, you require:

• A university degree and four years experience working in the healthcare sector or in a clinical role in healthcare
• Or APL / APEL/RPL (contact us to discuss):
  • Five years experience working as a manager in the healthcare sector (APEL)
  • Any other source of Recognised/Accredited Prior Learning

Our course maximises your Accredited Prior Learning (APL) more efficiently than many contemporary offerings.  Universities routinely accept “experience acquired through work or other means” through Accredited Prior Learning (APL) and Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

RPL can come from previous study, employment experience, voluntary work, training courses, including courses and qualifications you didn’t complete. If your eligibility includes any CPD as part of your RPL, you must be prepared to demonstrate this through a portfolio of evidence. As part of your Professional registration, you will already be required to keep such a verification by your own professional registration organisation.

Examples of eligible delegates for our Post Graduate Programmes include:

• Registered Healthcare professional with a university degree
• University degree holders with experience in healthcare
• Relevant training or incomplete qualifications, combined with experience in the healthcare sector may be considered

You need a sufficient level of English to complete your course and take part in discussions during the 2 day virtual classroom, and to complete your assessments.

Deadlines for assessment submissions are given at the end of each course, the period is different for all courses.  Information on assessment deadlines for specific courses can be provided on request. Irrespective of deadlines given, we may accommodate extensions in exceptional circumstances.

It is also worth noting that the two virtual training days on a Diploma course are consecutive. However, if you can only attend day one and wish to attend the second day on another course, we will, with advanced notice, try to accommodate you.

Please get in touch with us if you require more information.

Historical Context (Pre-August 2024):

• UK diploma recognition required 360+ hours of learning
• Regulated by Ofqual (England) and SSQA (Scotland)
• Credit system: 10 hours = 1 credit
• Level 7 (England & Wales) / Level 11 (Scotland) = postgraduate

Current Requirements (Post-August 2024):

• New legislation increased minimum requirement for a level 7 diploma from 360 to 1200+ hours

HCS Legacy of Excellence: Pre-2024 Qualification Rights

• Diplomas established before this date retained “protected status”
• Established in 2008, our Healthcare Skills Training Diplomas maintain full recognition under protected legacy status
• Protected legacy status – operates under original 360-hour framework. Maintains full diploma level 7 status
• Academic standing – no reduction in qualification value, Quality assurance – externally validated approach proven over 16+ years