HND in Healthcare Practice (Integrated Health and Social Care)

The purpose of Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals in Healthcare Practice is to develop students as professional, self-reflecting individuals able to meet the demands of employers in the healthcare sector and adapt to a constantly changing world. The qualifications aim to widen access to higher education and enhance the career prospects of those who undertake them.

The objectives of the Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals in Healthcare Practice are as follows:

• To equip students with the Healthcare Practice skills, knowledge and the understanding necessary to achieve high performance in the global health and social care environment
• To provide education and training for a range of careers in healthcare, including: senior care assistant, senior support worker in a range of health and care settings, pathway tracker, integrated support worker, care navigator or co-ordinator
• To provide insight and understanding into the diversity of roles within the healthcare sector, recognising the importance of collaboration at all levels
• To equip students with knowledge and understanding of culturally diverse organisations, cross-cultural issues, diversity and values
• To provide opportunities for students to enter or progress in employment in healthcare, or progress to higher education qualifications such as an Honours degree in Nursing, Public Health, Healthcare Administration or a related area
• To provide opportunities for students to develop the skills, techniques and personal attributes essential for successful working lives
• To support students to understand the local, regional and global context of healthcare practice, management and health promotion and, for those students with a global outlook, to aspire to international career pathways
• To provide students with opportunities to address contemporary health and care issues facing the sector, and society at large, with particular emphasis on integrated and compassionate care, and person-centred approaches to providing healthcare to individuals across their lifespan
• To provide opportunities for students to achieve a nationally-recognised professional qualification within their chosen area of specialisation
• To offer students the chance of career progression in their chosen field, with particular emphasis on achieving management-level positions, professional recognition and beyond
• To allow flexibility of study and to meet local or specialist needs
• To offer a balance between employability skills and the knowledge essential for students with entrepreneurial, employment or academic aspirations
• To provide students with the context in which to consider professional ethics and their relation to personal, professional and statutory responsibilities within the industry.

We meet these objectives by:

• Providing a thorough grounding in healthcare principles and a degree of specialism at Level 4 that leads the student to a range of specialist progression pathways at Level 5 relating to individual professions within the healthcare sector
• Equipping individuals with sector-relevant acumen, understanding and healthcare practice skills for success in a range of the healthcare, health promotion, navigation and non-clinical supervisory or lower management roles in healthcare
• Enabling progression to a university degree by supporting the development of appropriate academic study skills.