Advanced MSK Practice 2: Upper Quadrant (ACP module)

The Advanced Musculoskeletal Practice 2 module is particularly representative of the clinical pillar of advanced clinical practice and Domains A (Person-Centred Care), B (Assessment, investigations and diagnosis), C (Prevention, condition management and intervention) and E (Research) of the NHSE Advanced Practice Musculoskeletal Curriculum and Capabilities Framework (NHSE AP MSK CCF).

An evidence-based overview of assessment and management of acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorders will be provided and critically discussed. You will be able to select and attend the taught sessions pertinent to your area of MSK practice, thus creating an individually tailored Applied Advanced MSK Practice module.

The module is part of the Advanced Clinical Practice MSc and can also be taken as a stand-alone module.

Timetable

Module dates

• 3 November 2026
• 10 March 2027
• 21 April 2027
• 28 April 2027
• 5 May 2027
• 12 May 2027
• 19 May 2027
• 26 May 2027
• 2 June 2027
• 9 June 2027
• 16 June 2027
• 23 June 2027
• 30 June 2027
• 7 July 2027.

Assessment dates and type

• 2 x Summative OSCE: 21 July 2027
• OSCE resit: 4 August 2027.

Who is it for?

This course is for registered healthcare professionals working in any area of musculoskeletal clinical practice. Ideally, students will have already completed the Advanced Musculoskeletal Practice 1 module.

Benefits

This module is part of the Advanced Clinical Practice MSc (Musculoskeletal) programme and as such will facilitate MSK healthcare professionals to meet the relevant capabilities outlined in the NHS England Advanced Practice MSK Curriculum and Capabilities Framework (2023) and Multiprofessional Framework for Advanced Practice (2017).

You may use completion of this module as evidence of Advanced Practice capability and it may also be used to contribute to an overall Advanced Practice MSc or as part of a portfolio route to achieve the NHS Advanced Practice digital badge.

Completion of this course will allow you to:

• Understand, apply, and evaluate contemporary Advanced MSK Practice theory for a range of acute and chronic MSK disorders within individual MSK clinical practice settings
• Demonstrate insightful and effective critical analysis of own approach in the application of Advanced MSK Practice theory within individual MSK clinical practice settings
• Demonstrate problem solving and innovation skills in the application of Advanced MSK Practice theory in addressing the MSK health burden on the micro, meso and macro levels within individual MSK clinical practice settings.
• Understand and apply principles of good academic practice within individual MSK Clinical Practice settings.

This short course module is designed to be flexible in allowing you to study and reach your goals at your own pace. Our health CPD courses are credit-bearing modules that may contribute to a University degree or award.

Transfer course credits towards postgraduate taught degree

As a health care professional, once you've completed this course you could offset 15 credits as part of a postgraduate programme, continuing your study with further modules to make up a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) 60 credits.

Now that you have acquired the principle skills and knowledge required to optimise your practice, it is time to integrate this knowledge with your area of MSK clinical practice.

This module will provide you with contemporary theoretical and evidence-based pathophysiology of MSK conditions, their subjective and physical examination, and their management.

The course will cover the following topics (which vary by curriculum as shown):

Teaching MSK outpatients curriculum:

• Temperomandibular dysfunction
• Disorders of the cervical spine
• Disorders of the thoracic spine
• Disorders of the shoulder
• Disorders of the elbow
• Disorders of the wrist and hand
• Disorders of the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint
• Disorders of the hip
• Disorders of the knee
• Disorders of the foot and ankle

The below curriculums will be available from 26/27:

Podiatry curriculum:

• Diabetic foot
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Peripheral arterial disease and limb preservation
• Dermatology of the foot
• Disorders of the ankle
• Disorders of the hindfoot
• Disorders of the midfoot
• Disorders of the forefoot

Major trauma/T&O curriculum:

• Mechanisms of injury
• Pre-hospital and critical care
• A&E and surgical care
• Intensive care and dietetics
• Frailty
• Orthopaedic and major trauma injuries
• Head trauma and the impact on recovery
• Peripheral nerve injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Psychological response to trauma
• Initial ward-based assessment
• Skill sharing session – manual handling techniques
• Inpatient rehabilitation
• Outpatient rehabilitation
• Optimising post-hospital care
• Technological advances and adjunctive interventions

Hand therapy:

• To be confirmed

Bespoke MSK curriculum:

If any of the above curriculums do not meet the learning needs required for your area of practice, you may hand select your chosen curriculum from any of the above sessions.

You will undertake a clinical scenario OSCE and Viva with a professional actor playing the role of the simulated patient. The clinical scenario at hand will be based on real life patients seen within MSK AP clinical settings. You will be required to conduct a subjective assessment, objective assessment, and treatment/management with the patient, and will then perform a viva examination to demonstrate their depth of knowledge and clinical reasoning in managing this patient appropriately.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

Apply for this course by completing this online form.

If applying for this module, you MUST state the Module Title and Course Code in the personal statement tab. Without this we will be unaware of what module you are applying for and will delay your application decision.

The module is intended for registered health care professionals who practice clinical assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with sufficient clinical experience and knowledge to engage fully in level 7 learning (assessed via application process).

It is recommended that you are working in a musculoskeletal clinical practice setting whilst undertaking this module, but this is not a formal requirement. It is also recommended that you have previously completed the Advanced Musculoskeletal Practice 1 module.

In addition, you must possess the following UK or international qualifications:

Students with UK qualifications

You should have all of the following:

• Honours degree (2:2 or above) from the UK or Republic of Ireland
• recognised healthcare/health-related professional qualification and current professional registration
• at least one years full-time clinical experience (or the equivalent in part-time hours) in health or social care employment (for example nursing, paramedics, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, radiology, etc).

Students with International qualifications

We accept equivalent qualifications gained in other countries. Please see our Entry Requirements page. For countries not on this list, we use UK ENIC to assess. Please see our International Student Support pages for more information.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at pec@sgul.ac.uk

English requirements

If English is not your first language, you will require one of the following:

• A first degree from a UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City St George's, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

Full details can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.