BSc Healthcare Science (Audiology) / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

My placement at Withington Community Hospital is very enjoyable. My placement team have really allowed me to get hands on and help me understand key practical elements.

This has also increased my confidence and has improved my overall practitioner approach to patients.

Nafeesa Khan / BSc Healthcare Science (Audiology)

Our three-year BSc Healthcare Science (Audiology) course offers practitioner-level training and a qualification accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists (RCCP) and the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS), allowing you to work within both the NHS and the independent sector.

You will study the theoretical, practical and clinical aspects of audiology that are needed to practice as an audiologist and hearing aid dispenser.

The course includes topics and placements in closely related healthcare science areas such as neurophysiology and vision sciences in Year 1. Teaching and Learning will be delivered using a variety of methods, including: interactive lectures, videos, examples classes, tutorial sessions, laboratory classes and projects. The course contains strong practical and clinical elements in every year.

This is a demanding fulltime clinical programme. A typical week of study will include up to 37-hours of timetabled learning activity (including directed and self-directed learning).

In Year 2, you will learn about inter-professional practice in group workshops with nursing, midwifery, pharmacy and dentistry students. Studying alongside other healthcare professionals will equip you to be a 21st century health practitioner working in diverse multidisciplinary teams.

In addition to learning degree-level skills and core audiology academic content, you will have 48 weeks combined of placements and in house clinical skills training. Placements, and clinical skills training is included in all three years of the course, with substantial clinical skills training taking place in our Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD) laboratories.

Our clinical placement network is large and covers the North West England region. Some placements can require overnight accommodation and travel in excess of 90 mins one way. Health Education England North West (HEENW) provides us with financial support for this programme's placement travel costs. You are supported to claim back placement-related additional travel or accommodation costs within the placement expense rules of the HEENW financial support scheme.

Please note that clinical placement attendance is a mandatory part of the course. Due to the clinical demands of the course, you are required to attend clinical placements, or on-campus clinical skills teaching and assessments, outside of normal term-time teaching periods.

Throughout this course, you will use the skills you develop to assess and treat patients in clinics offering a range of audiology services, while under expert supervision. This is undertaken in independent sector training placements and NHS training placements.

Special features

Expert teaching

This course is led by members of the Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD), an internationally recognised multi-million pound hearing research programme.

Placements in all three years

You will undertake 48 weeks of practical skills and clinical placement work. 8 weeks in Year 1, 18 weeks in Year 2 and 22 weeks in Year 3. You will be provided with uniforms for your placements

Please note that practical skills labs and clinical placements may be subject to change and are under continuous review.

Eligibility for professional registration

Become eligible to register with professional bodies including the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) after completing our course.

Leadership training and awards

The Year 2 Leadership unit aims to inform, enlighten and inspire students to become the leaders of tomorrow by providing an opportunity to develop your own leadership skills.

Extensive careers support

Receive guidance on entering your chosen career from your academic advisor, the Audiology Employability Lead, service managers from the NHS and independent sector organisations in Year 3. You can also attend an annual audiology careers fair.

Additional course information

Placements

The majority of the 48 weeks of clinical training within this course takes place at NHS audiology clinics in the north-west.

While placements can be at clinics throughout the region, students' individual circumstances (eg disabilities) are taken into account when allocating placements.

Healthcare Science Practitioner Training Programmes : travel and accommodation policy

Students enrolled on this course will not be funded by the NHS and as such will not be entitled to student support through the NHS Student Grants Unit.

However, Health Education England North West recognises that there may be occasions where you will need to attend clinical placements as part of the course at significant distance from the University or term-time residence, and therefore currently reimburses students for additional travel and accommodation costs.

Please note that the above information will be reviewed by HEENW on an annual basis.

Teaching and learning

You will learn using a variety of methods including:

  • lectures
  • tutorials
  • clinical skills labs and clinics
  • directed study
  • group and individual presentations
  • case studies
  • problem-based learning
  • research projects.

A large part of the degree involves clinical placements in audiology clinics and similar units in and around the north-west.

These placements will expose you to a wide range of different clinic types and settings, such as:

  • adult clinics
  • paediatric assessment
  • newborn hearing screening
  • hearing aid centres
  • tinnitus clinics
  • bone anchored hearing aid clinics.

Coursework and assessment

We use a range of methods to assess your knowledge, including:

  • written assignments
  • reflective writing
  • creative reflection
  • poster presentations
  • oral presentations
  • group tasks
  • problem based learning
  • case studies
  • OSCE practical skills examinations
  • formal end-of-semester examinations.

Course content for year 1

You will:

  • receive a general foundation in healthcare science, including general anatomy and physiology and pathophysiology of the neurosensory systems;
  • learn the technology involved in relation to diagnostic testing procedures;
  • explore the perception of disease and health psychology;
  • learn about specific techniques for evaluating hearing (and other senses) including brain processing and how we as healthcare professionals can help improve the quality of people's lives;
  • start to develop your practical skills in conducting various clinical test procedures, including hearing assessments;
  • start to develop your communication skills to allow you to communicate effectively with people who experience hearing loss;
  • be introduced to the basic principles and theories that underpin aural rehabilitation and explore its role in relation to a patient-centred approach to healthcare delivery.

You will also undertake three separate one-week audiology clinical placement blocks. These blocks will include adult and paediatric audiology service settings. Each block may take place in a University vacation period such as Christmas/Easter/Summer to ensure maximum placement educator support and the best learning experience for our first years. These periods are when our placement network is empty of other students allowing you maximal learning opportunities as you learn about the working world of audiology and start to demonstrate your skills with patients.

You will also have clinical skills labs training throughout Year 1. You will work in small groups and be supervised and supported by University clinical staff throughout your clinical skills labs. In addition, you will also have a half-day neurophysiology and a half-day vision placement experience lead by clinicians with expertise in that healthcare field.

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Professional Studies 1 PCHN10000 20 Mandatory
Introduction to Health Science PCHN10040 10 Mandatory
Audiological Science 1 - Physics and Measurement PCHN10050 20 Mandatory
Introduction to Audiology PCHN10070 20 Mandatory
Clinical Placement & Practical Skills PCHN10080 20 Mandatory
Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare Professionals 1 PCHN10211 10 Mandatory
Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare Professionals 2 PCHN10212 10 Mandatory
Introduction to Psychology and Lifespan Development PCHN11601 10 Mandatory

Course content for year 2

You will focus more on specific areas of audiology, including the more complex aspects of hearing and an introduction to balance assessments, adult aural rehabilitation, state-of-the-art digital technology, including hearing aids.

As well as broader elements of patient care, you will explore public health issues and how healthcare is delivered in the NHS and beyond. You will also be introduced to research methods and statistics.

In addition, you will take a Leadership in Health Care unit that aims to inform, enlighten and inspire students as the leaders of tomorrow by providing an opportunity to develop leadership skills.

You will also undertake audiology clinical placements 2 days a week throughout Semester 1 and Semester 2 in the NHS. In addition, you will undertake an independent sector audiology placement during the summer.

Your clinical skills training will also continue to be supported by time spent training in university-supervised clinical skills labs throughout Semester 1 and Semester 2.

Course units for year 2

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Audiological Science 2 - Physiology and Perception PCHN20001 20 Mandatory
Research Methods and Statistics PCHN20002 10 Mandatory
Adult Audiological Assessment and Management PCHN20020 30 Mandatory
Leadership in Healthcare PCHN20032 10 Mandatory
Hearing Aids PCHN21200 30 Mandatory
Clinical Placement and Practical Skills II PCHN21300 20 Mandatory

Course content for year 3

You will develop your specialist knowledge and understanding of audiological science and become able to apply this to clinical practice. You will also continue to develop your knowledge and understanding in areas of professional practice, counselling and rehabilitation.

In addition, you will undertake study in some of the more specialist areas of audiology, including:

  • tinnitus
  • vestibular assessment
  • paediatric audiology
  • advanced hearing instruments including cochlear implants

The purpose of these units is to enable you to explore the management of particular groups of patients with more complex needs in audiology. You will also conduct an individual research project supervised by one of the researchers in the department.

You will work with your academic advisor to plan and prepare your next steps into your chosen career or planned further study. Preparation for clinical practice sessions will be delivered by the Audiology Employability Lead, service managers from the NHS and independent sector organisations.

You will have the opportunity to have University-assessed mock interviews and gain useful feedback for successful job applications. You will be supported by the University's award-winning Careers Service .

You will also undertake a 20-week clinical placement, predominantly in Semester 2. Your clinical skills training will also continue to be supported by time spent training in university-supervised clinical skills labs throughout Semester 1.

Course units for year 3

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Professional Studies PCHN30090 10 Mandatory
Advanced and Specialist Hearing Instruments PCHN32221 10 Mandatory
Tinnitus PCHN34441 10 Mandatory
Counselling & Communication Skills in Clinical Practice PCHN35550 20 Mandatory
Vestibular Pathology and Assessment PCHN36661 10 Mandatory
Paediatric Audiology PCHN37770 10 Mandatory
Audiology Research Project PCHN38880 30 Mandatory
Work Based Placement PCHN39990 20 Mandatory

Course collaborators

This course falls under the umbrella of the Manchester Academy for Healthcare Scientist Education (MAHSE), a partnership between The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and the University of Salford, as well as leading healthcare scientists from partner Trusts.

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Facilities

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Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability and Advisory Support Office .