In the new curriculum there is increased emphasis on mental health and cognitive issues impacting on health as well as shared learning across all four fields of practice. The module content reflect the changing and challenging nature of providing healthcare in the 21st century and the evolving and diverse role of the registered nurse. Leadership is embedded in all three years of the course, recognising the crucial role nurses play in moving practice forward. All modules adopt a blended approach to learning and teaching . We pride ourselves on the quality of our partnership working involving placement providers and service users. One of the modules in the first year has been co-produced with service users.
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Bio-psychosocial Approaches to Nursing Care and Decision Making
This module involves shared learning and teaching across all fields of nursing, to develop an understanding of the holistic issues that may influence and impact on the care and experience of people within different health care settings. You develop a broad understanding of the theoretical frameworks underpinning the discipline of nursing and identify and explore patterns and determinants of health, wellbeing and illness at a local, national and global level.
You identify and explore the knowledge base required to meet the fundamental mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural needs of people within their care. Research-informed teaching and learning will introduce you to the concept and process of evidence-based practice, which will enable you to take a critical approach towards nursing care.
Bio-psychosocial Development Across the Lifespan
You develop an understanding of human systems and the patterns and determinants of health, wellbeing and illness. This will include consideration of the altered and normal human biopsychosocial development. You develop an awareness of genomics, sociological, psychological development and their impact upon physical health, mental health, and intellectual impairments across the lifespan.
You will have an awareness of routine investigations which will then contribute to the development of your knowledge of commonly encountered physical and behavioural health conditions. You will understand the principles of pathogenesis, immunology, and evidence base for immunisation, vaccination and herd immunity, and establish an understanding of the principles of infection prevention and control.
Experts by Experience the Person's Voice
You develop an understanding of the centrality of the person receiving care and valuing and promoting reciprocity in every interaction. You will explore the philosophical basis and key concepts underpinning approaches to working with different people and service user groups. The biopsychosocial experience and impact of altered health and wellbeing, physical illness, cognition and/or treatment upon the person and family will be examined from the service user perspective.
You explore the balance of power within health and social care provision and relationships, and empowerment and the concepts of therapeutic alliances will be examined. The concepts of meaning, empathy, compassion, trust, connectedness and hope will be analysed and applied to practice.
Foundations of Nursing Proficiency: the Professional Basis of Care and Caring
This module will facilitate the development of fundamental knowledge and skills that pre-registration nurses must demonstrate when caring for people of all ages across care settings. The module content is linked to the Nursing and Midwifery Council platforms and proficiency statements combining theory and practice elements.
The module combines theory, practical skills and placement experience and incorporates the four fields of nursing across three semesters with students in mixed theory groups.Technology-enhanced learning is a key feature. Understanding the foundations of nursing proficiency and professional nursing practice will be developed through pre-reading, seminars and supporting of direct care through simulated workshops including role play, clinical skills development, simulation and the use of scenarios.
Introduction to Personal and Professional Effectiveness in Nursing Practice
This module will provide the foundations from which students from all fields of nursing will examine the role of the nurse as a leader and champion of high-quality, person-centred nursing care, professional practice and innovation. It enables you to explore the knowledge, values and skills required to develop your personal effectiveness and reflective practice. This exploration will be used as a professional platform to inform their leadership development.
You will be introduced to the theoretical concepts underpinning leadership and personal effectiveness including self-awareness, resilience and self-management, as well as the core professional values of nursing.
Year 2 core modules
Collaborative and Interdependent Working to Promote Health and Well-being
You build upon and apply the leadership and personal effectiveness knowledge and skills they developed in Stage 1 of the course. It focuses upon the nurse's role in collaborative and interdependent working with others, to influence and motivate. You explore how they can use their personal qualities and skills to contribute to, and promote a culture of high-quality person-centred care and a positive working environment. You develop your ability to articulate a shared vision and purpose to inspire others, engage the team and lead with care.
Developing Personal and Professional Effectiveness in Nursing Practice
You further develop your understanding from the first year module across all fields of nursing of the role of the nurse as a leader and champion of high-quality, person-centred nursing care, professional practice and innovation. It enables you to explore and critique the knowledge, values and skills required to develop your personal effectiveness and reflective practice. This exploration will be used to advance knowledge to inform your leadership development.
You develop skills to explore theoretical concepts underpinning leadership and personal effectiveness including self-awareness, resilience and self-management, as well as the core professional values of nursing.
Nurse as Investigator and Leader of Change
You build on the knowledge and skills developed in Year 1 in relation to the role, nature and use of evidence to support health and social care practice and service improvement. You develop your ability to critically appraise a range of evidence. You will explore how evidence is used to underpin national guidelines, decision-making and high-quality nursing practice within a clinical governance framework. To facilitate evidence-based practice and influence the improvement agenda you will apply leadership and change management concepts covered in other modules.
Promoting Children's Nursing Proficiency: Developing Evidence-based Professional Care and Caring
This module builds upon Stage 1 and promotes your ability to assess and meet the fundamental and complex physical and mental health needs of children and their families in a diverse range of community and acute care settings. Knowledge of maternity care and care of the newborn will be enhanced within this module.
Therapeutic Nursing Practice in Children's Nursing
This module builds on your understanding of altered pathophysiology, cognition, health and wellbeing, illness prevention, promoting health and wellbeing, managing the care of children and young people during illness and related pharmacology and biopsychosocial therapeutics. You will develop the ability to formulate evidence-based, person-centred decisions within a biopsychosocial context. Case studies will be used to assess, plan, meet and evaluate the therapeutic nursing care needs of patients accessing primary, secondary and tertiary care. There will be a focus on care of children with medical, surgical and high dependency needs as well as an exploration of the complexity of contemporary health care practices.
Final-year core modules
Enhanced Person-centred Assessment and Decision Making Skills in Children's Nursing
You gain the knowledge, understanding and skills required to undertake enhanced holistic, comprehensive, evidence-based assessments of children / young people across the lifespan in primary, secondary and tertiary care environments. Parity of esteem within the decision-making process, supporting people to live healthy lives and access physical health care equal to the general population will be explored. You will develop skills in using and interpreting assessment data to formulate a plan of care using evidence-based practice
Enhanced Therapeutic Practice in Children's Nursing
You explore complex therapeutic person-centred, decision-making within children’s nursing practice ensuring that the individual's experience and promotion of best outcomes are central. The complexity of contemporary health and social care practice will be explored using a case study approach. Knowledge of altered pathophysiology, cognition, health and wellbeing, therapeutic nursing practice and interventions including applied pharmacology and biopsychosocial approaches to care will be considered.
Enhancing Children's Nursing Proficiency: Leading Evidence-based Professional and Caring Practice
You develop the ability to lead and manage care in diverse practice settings. Theories of leadership and management will be explored using a virtual ward. There will be a focus on skills such as delegation, time management and prioritisation. The teaching and supervision of others using approaches such as coaching will be considered.
Nursing Improvement and Entrepreneurship
You focuses on enhancing skills and attributes to enable you to explore systematic approaches to develop the quality improvement agenda and improve the safety, effectiveness and people’s experience of care. The role of the nurse in this context will be explored. You will develop and propose a service improvement initiative in the workplace utilising enhanced knowledge and understanding of the tools, techniques and models linked to successful improvement initiatives in health care practice.
