Healthcare Practice: HNC

What you will learn

The course is made up of 9 units, delivered over one year. The course promotes and provides you the values and skills required to work within a health care setting. It is delivered using a variety of teaching methods including tutorials, group work, self-directed study and simulation.

Units include:

• Professional Standards for Care Practice
• Therapeutic Relationships: Understanding behaviour
• Safe Working Practice for Care
• Clinical Skills for Care Practitioners
• Sociology and Health in Scotland
• Understanding Personal and Professional Development
• The Human Body in Health and Illness
• Healthcare Practice: Graded Unit 1
• Exploring Mental Health

A wide range of assessment strategies are used including essay and report writing, closed book examinations, presentations, practical observations and group work.

You will also complete a 12-week clinical placement within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. During this time you must complete 24 hours of clinical practice per week alongside your learning days in college. In most cases, this will consist of two 12-hours shifts in a hospital placement and two days in college.

Entry requirements

• Two Highers (preferably English and a science subject)
• National 5 Maths (or equivalent)
• Level 6 NC Health & Social Care or a related subject
• SWAP Access to Nursing
• Or if you have no formal qualifications but you have significant care experience

For this course, if English is not your first language

• you need to have SQA ESOL Higher (or equivalent, click here to see equivalent qualifications)

• If you do not have a formal ESOL qualification but your language skills meet this level, you should apply for your course and then contact our Admissions team to organise an internal language assessment  here at the College.

If you do not meet the entry criteria for your chosen course, you may be offered an alternative course in a similar subject area.

You will be assessed through your personal statement and be invited in for an interview based on the personal statement as part of the recruitment process

You will be required to complete an application to join the PVG scheme from Disclosure Scotland

You need to provide a comprehensive personal statement with your application which MUST include the following:

1. State why you wish to study health care.
2. Include the type of health care field you would like to work in and state why.
3. What does the term discrimination mean and what would you do as a health care worker if you witnessed a service user being discriminated by a colleague?
4. Describe the skills and qualities that make an effective care worker and give an example
5. Include the skills, qualities and attributes you believe you have that would make you the right person to work in your chosen field

Career Opportunities

The course is designed to meet the requirements for entry to many health-related degrees including Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health professions and Paramedic Science.

The qualification can also help you to get into employment as a senior Healthcare Support Worker.

Future prospects

There is an option to progress into Year 2 of the BSc Nursing in Adult and Mental Health at Glasgow Caledonian University or University of the West of Scotland if you meet additional requirements.