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Accessibility statement
A image to illustrate Advancing professional practice module
Develop the knowledge and skills required to advance your professional practice as you explore the role of service improvement in health and social work. A key part of the assessment involves identifying an aspect of quality improvement within your practice to investigate through a critical literature review. You'll examine the role of leadership in delivering improvement and undertake practice-based activities as you progress, building a practice portfolio to embed your learning. You'll gain advanced skills in the systematic, critical use of evidence relevant to your practice, enabling you to engage stakeholders as you plan and deliver a service improvement project.
Studying this module will provide you with the knowledge and skills to scope your advancing professional role in practice, systematically and critically use evidence in your practice, and plan for the implementation of a service improvement project.
In the first week, you'll be introduced to the four blocks of study and you will revisit some important knowledge that will help you complete the module.
Block 1: Service improvement – the big picture
This block explores the role of service improvement in health and social work practice. You will also start to focus in on your own practice, revisit the concept of critical thinking, complexity and change, service improvement models and professional implications in leading service improvement.
Block 2: Focusing in and scoping your practice
This block provides you with some tools to enable you to scope your quality improvement in practice and identify a topic area to investigate further as part of a critical literature review. It provides you with the knowledge and skills to create a review question on your chosen topic, plan and do a critical literature review.
Block 3: Doing a literature review
In this block you will be provided with support to conduct your critical literature review.
Block 4: Planning your service improvement
This block revisits some of the content you have covered in blocks 1 and 2 relating to planning service improvement and engaging different stakeholders. It builds on this and provides you with the knowledge to produce a service improvement plan.
This module will equip you with the skills to scope your quality improvement in practice, conduct a critical literature review, and plan your service improvement project for your area of practice. However, you will not be expected to implement your service improvement plan during the module.
You will be required to complete practice-based activities throughout your study which contribute to an e-portfolio to be submitted for assessment at the end of the module.
This module is suitable for registered health and social work professionals currently working in an area of practice.
Advancing professional practice is the final module studied in the MA in Social Work (F80). You will need to be a registered professional already to study.
You will have the support of a module tutor and will be required to engage with your tutor and peers through online discussion forums related to the module materials. There are two compulsory full-day schools, which are currently delivered online and you must attend these to pass the module. There is also a series of tutorials delivered by your tutor throughout your study.
Course work includes:
You will have access to a module website which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
K805 is a compulsory module in our:
Sometimes you cannot count a module towards a qualification if you have already counted another module with similar content. To verify any excluded combinations with this module, check with an adviser before registering.
Advancing professional practice (K805) starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2029.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
To study this postgraduate module, you’ll need to:
Please note that your registration for this module is conditional until we confirm that you meet these entry requirements.
If you plan to study Advancing professional practice (K805) as part of the MA in Social Work (F80), refer to the qualification description for entry requirements.
For further guidance or details of the application process, contact us.
Before your module begins, it may be useful for you to revise topics such as:
If you have specific learning support needs, you may be eligible to received printed or suitably adapted versions of the module materials.
StartEndRegister byEngland fee
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If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in England.
Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.
Over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2027. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
This module is the final part of the MA in Social Work (F80), and you can’t register for it directly. See Entry requirements for more information.
This module is the final part of the MA in Social Work (F80), and you can’t register for it directly. See Entry requirements for more information.
Level info