Health & Social Care (Double Qualification) - Level 3

The BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care have been developed in the health and social care sector to provide;

The opportunity for full-time learners to enter employment in the health and social care sector
Ways to progress to vocational qualifications such as the Edexcel BTEC Higher Nationals in Health and Social Care
Opportunities for learners to develop a range of skills and techniques, personal skills and attributes essential for successful performance in working life.

The National Diploma is Equivalent to two A Level.

Course Content

The BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care have been developed in the health and social care sector to provide;

The opportunity for full-time learners to enter employment in the health and social care sector
Ways to progress to vocational qualifications such as the Edexcel BTEC Higher Nationals in Health and Social Care
Opportunities for learners to develop a range of skills and techniques, personal skills and attributes essential for successful performance in working life.

Skills students will acquire through the course include:

Interpersonal skills: knowledge and understanding of skills involved in effective communication.
Counselling skills: caring for the young and elderly, supporting and protecting vulnerable people.
Presentation skills: how to produce a report; care plan; oral presentation.
Cognitive skills: Analyse different perspectives on health and social care including sociological and psychological views.

The subject encourages students to enhance their knowledge of:

Equality and Diversity: the rights of patients and professionals in a health and social care setting
Anatomy and Physiology: How the body works; factors that can affect health
Health and Safety: At home and in the workplace.

The subject also encourages students to:

Explore their own view points on ethical issues regarding health and social issues.
Challenge ideas of morality
Apply their knowledge to a health and social care setting as well as everyday lives.

This course would be a great asset to students wishing to broaden their skills and knowledge in sectors related to health and social care.

Mandatory units covered, include;

Unit 1: Human Lifespan development
Unit 2: Working in health and social care
Unit 5: Meeting individual care and support needs.
Unit 14: Physiological disorders and their care.
Unit 4: Enquiries into Current Research in Health and Social Care
Unit 7: Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care
Unit 8: Promoting Public Health

Optional units that may be covered include;

Unit 10: Sociological Perspectives
Unit 11: Psychological Perspectives
Unit 12: Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs
Unit 14: Physiological Disorders and their Care
Unit 6: Work Experience in Health and Social Care

Promotional Video

Assessment

Assessment is specifically designed to fit the purpose and objective of the qualification. It includes a range of assessment types and styles suited to vocational qualifications in the sector. There are three main forms of assessment that you need to be aware of: external, internal and synoptic.

Externally-assessed units

Each external assessment for a BTEC National is linked to a specific unit. All of the units developed for external assessment are of 90 or 120 GLH to allow learners to demonstrate breadth and depth of achievement. Each assessment is taken under specified conditions, then marked by Pearson and a grade awarded. Learners are permitted to resit external assessments during their programme.

The styles of external assessment used for qualifications in the Business suite are:

• examinations – all learners take the same assessment at the same time, normally with a written outcome

• set tasks – learners take the assessment during a defined window and demonstrate understanding through completion of a vocational task.

Some external assessments include a period of preparation using set information. External assessments are available twice a year.

Internally-assessed units

Most units in the sector are internally assessed and subject to external standards verification.

Learners could be given opportunities to:

write up the findings of their own research
use case studies to explore complex or unfamiliar situations
carry out projects for which they have choice over the direction and outcomes
demonstrate practical and technical skills using appropriate presentations and role plays.

Synoptic assessment

Synoptic assessment requires learners to demonstrate that they can identify and use effectively, in an integrated way, an appropriate selection of skills, techniques, concepts, theories and knowledge from across the whole sector as relevant to a key task. BTEC learning has always encouraged learners to apply their learning in realistic contexts using scenarios and realistic activities that will permit learners to draw on and apply their learning.

Progression

After completing the Health & Social Care Extended Certificate qualification at Meopham School you will be able to access a variety of undergraduate university courses, such as;

University of Kent - Health & Social Care BA (Hons)
City University of London - Psychology for Health & Social Care
Manchester Metropolitan University - Integrated Health & Social Care BA (Hons)
Brighton University - Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons)
University of Greenwich - Social Work BA (Hons)

Jobs directly related to a Health & Social Care degree include:

Community development worker
Further education teacher
Health improvement practitioner
Health service manager
Medical sales representative
Naturopath

Jobs where a Health & Social Care degree would be useful include:

Adult nurse
Anatomical pathology technologist
Counsellor
Dental hygienist
Dental technician
Dental therapist
Occupational therapist
Personal trainer
Physician associate
Prosthetist/orthotist
Special educational needs coordinator (SENCO)
Social worker
Youth worker

There are a huge array of apprenticeships available within the Health and Social Care sector, to find out more, please visit the careers section of the NHS website.

Entry Requirements

In order to attend Meopham Sixth Form the minimum entry requirement is 5 level 4 GCSEs, including English and Maths.