PMA Business Administration with embedded Clinical Coding | Incorporating the Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard

This apprenticeship covers all things administration, such as communication, organisation, decision-making, interpretation of information and IT skills. The PMA Business Administration Apprenticeship has been contextualised to include specific areas within the primary care and trust environments.

Accurate and effective clinical coding is vital in the health sector. By completing this programme, you will be in a position to accurately record clinical decisions and make informed choices using the evidence contained in clinical codes. You will be able to decipher data and ensure that patient records are accurately recorded and stored to better support patient care. Through accurate record keeping, you will be able to understand the needs of your practice, plan future required interventions for patients and ensure that your data remains current, compliant and stands up to external governance scrutiny.

Using evidence-based practice, this apprenticeship will deliver practitioners with high-quality coding analytical skills.

Fees

This apprenticeship is 95% government-funded with a 5% employer co-investment. Please call or email for more information.

If you are an employer with a pay bill over £3 million each year, you will automatically be paying into the apprenticeship Levy. Please call or email for more information.

Further funding information can be found here.

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Duration: 15-18 Months

Location: Workplace

It is expected that the learner will be working towards Functional Skills Level 2 or have prior accepted GCSE certificates. Alternatively, learners with long-standing evidence of work to a Level 3 standard may apply if they are supported by their employer and would then follow Functional Skills training alongside the apprenticeship.

It should also be noted that the learner will need to achieve a Level 2 standard in English and mathematics prior to their End Point Assessment. These are referred to as Functional Skills and during enrolment, learners will be required to complete both Maths and English Initial Assessments and diagnostic tests to assess their level of understanding. If learners are exempt due to prior achievements, certificates must be presented as evidence before enrolment if this is the case, failure to do so will result in learners having to complete Functional Skills.

To be eligible for the apprenticeship learners will need to work a minimum of 30 hours per week and have the support of their line manager and employer. Learners will complete a self-assessment to assess their knowledge, skills and behaviours to ensure they are eligible for the apprenticeship.

Assessment

A clinical coding process document to be completed by the learner and rolled out to the practice/department

A 15-minute professional discussion of what coding was like in the practice/department, what the codes are telling the learner about the patients in that practice/department, the interventions that were put in place to support the practice/department and the patients, and the POSITIVE IMPACT that this has had on the learner, practice/department and patients.

Course content will include: 

• IT packages
• Record and document production
• Decision making
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication
• Quality
• Planning and organisation
• Project management
• Wider economy and political environment
• Value of skills
• Stakeholders
• Relevant regulation
• Policies
• Processes
• External factors
• Behaviours
• Managing performance

Course Delivery

This will include a wide range of teaching and learning techniques and styles including one-to-one coaching, discussions and teaching, observations, practical assessments, mentoring, independent research and e-learning. The assigned PMA Tutor/Assessor will use online face to face platforms such as Zoom/MS Teams/FaceTime/Skype, as well as periodic workplace visits.

Learners will have access to Aptem, our e-post system that supports in monitoring progression throughout the apprenticeship.  It is the central system that keeps track of learner assignments, evidence and holds resources that will support learners to complete the apprenticeship.

Line managers will be a key driver in learner development, importantly in agreeing the unique learning plan and kept abreast of progress at every step.

What is off-the-job training (OTJ)?

The learner will be able to evidence that they spend 6 hours per week on learning/training and that this is:

• Directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard or framework and is teaching new knowledge, skills and behaviours
• The learning is taking place within the apprentice’s normal working hours (paid hours excluding overtime)

Apprentices will be expected to keep a log of all learning activities working towards the off-the-job requirements of 6 hours per week.

Off-the-job activities could include:

• Attending masterclass teaching and learning sessions
• Coaching
• Independent research
• In-house training
• Shadowing
• Industry visits
• Mentoring
• Supervision with employer
• Writing assignments
• Online learning
• Manufacturer training
• Role play
• Simulation exercises
• Team meetings that include training
• Completion of reflective journal

Functional Skills

Functional Skills are nationally recognised qualifications in English and maths.  They are part of a government initiative and designed to improve literacy and numeracy skills across the workforce.  Due to this, Functional Skills are a mandatory part of Apprenticeship Standards.  Anyone enrolling to an Apprenticeship must complete Functional Skills English and Functional Skills maths unless they have already achieved them previously at Level 2 or have GCSE’s (or equivalent) in both subjects at Grade C or above.  Certificates must be presented as evidence before enrolment if this is the case, failure to do so will result in learners having to complete Functional Skills.

In order to support you in completing Functional Skills, PMA will undertake an initial assessment and diagnostic assessment which will enable its specialist tutors to identify which areas to focus on with you and this will form the basis of a personalised learning plan.

It is important to bear in mind that Functional Skills do require apprentices to sit formal examinations.  The team will support you with exam technique alongside your learning plan, and will arrange for the examinations to take place at your workplace.

If you are undertaking a Level 2 Apprenticeship, you are required to complete Functional Skills English and maths at Level 1.  If however you complete Functional Skills early, it is a government requirement for PMA to upskill you to Level 2 Functional Skills.  If you are undertaking an Apprenticeship at Level 3 or higher, then you will automatically be enrolled to Level 2 Functional Skills.

End Point Assessment (EPA)

EPA is the name given to a series of tests that an apprentice must complete at the end of their Apprenticeship in order to receive their certificate. The EPA confirms apprentices are capable of undertaking the job that they have been training to do.  These tests are undertaken with an external organisation (known as an end point assessment organisation) to remove any bias from the examination process.  The employer will choose the end point assessment organisation and PMA will support them to obtain information pertinent to this if needed.

When apprentices enrol on to an apprenticeship, they study various units covering a wide range of relevant topics for their job enhancing their knowledge, skills and behaviours. This is often referred to as being ‘on programme’ and apprentices must complete all of the mandatory components of this including Functional Skills where appropriate.

Once this is completed, it is at this point the employer, after discussion with their apprentice and PMA, ‘signs off’ their apprentice as ready for EPA. This decision process is known as the ‘gateway’ to End Point Assessment.

The apprentice must be assessed by a minimum of 2 different assessment methods and the methods used will be the ones most relevant to the job.

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