National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care: Information Hub

****Funding Applications Now Open****

Rural Advanced Practice (RAP) MSc Programme for Advanced SAS Practitioners working in Remote & Rural Scotland

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) The National Centre for Remote & Rural Health & Care (the Centre) and Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) have worked in partnership to secure a development opportunity for 10 Advanced Paramedic Practitioners to receive funding for the full RAP MSc programme. This opportunity will help shape SAS’s Remote & Rural Strategy development, and contribute to SAS’s 2030 Strategy, which has a strong focus on improving population health and reducing health inequalities within Remote, Rural and Island communities. Improving the knowledge and capabilities of SAS’s workforce will not only enhance professional development, but it will also open wider opportunities to a more adaptable, capable workforce that will increase resilience and strength to Scotland’s changing health care delivery model.  It will strengthen SAS’s position within multi-professionals’ teams in both primary and community care and continue to support our vision of delivering value-based care through the values and principles of Realistic Medicine.  

NES are providing funding for SAS Advanced Practitioners to undertake the RAP MSc programme, currently delivered by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).  The prerequisite to apply for the NES funded places, is that practitioners will have already completed Clinical Assessment and Non-Medical Prescribing Modules at SCQF level 11, which will enable entry into year 2 of the programme (level 9 modules in clinical assessment and non-medical prescribing will also be accepted but will require some additional work to map to level 11 learning outcomes).  Practitioners may exit the programme with a Post Graduate Diploma in RAP or may choose to continue and complete the full MSc RAP Programme. 

Prior to application candidates must have discussed and have the support of their line manager and identified a suitable Practice Supervisor.

Receipt of NES funding is conditional on successful application for the UHI Rural Advanced Practice MSc. Early completion of the UHI application process to confirm your suitability to undertake the UHI Rural Advanced Practice MSc is advised.  

Please contact the programme lead: Roland Preston at: Roland.Preston@uhi.ac.uk  for further information. Please note UHI applications are now open and will close on 20 June 2025. 

All SAS enquiries should be addressed to: Jill Fletcher, National Remote & Rural workstream Lead, Clinical Governance Manager – jillmarie.fletcher@nhs.scot

To apply for funding from NES, please click  HERE  to complete the application form.  Please note funding applications from NES will close on 31st March 2025. For any funding questions, please contact: nes.ruralteam@nhs.scot

As part of our work to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of this course we have conducted interviews with some of the first students to undertake the course and produced case study videos showcasing their experiences of participating in the RAP MSc. You can watch the first of these case study videos below.