In the new curriculum there is increased emphasis on mental health and cognitive issues impacting on health and shared learning across all four fields of practice throughout the three years is a key feature of the course. The module content reflects 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 Mental Health Nursing Proficiency: Developing Evidence-based Professional Care and Caring
You build upon your foundations of care and skills proficiency to meet fundamental and complex physical and mental health needs of service users and their families in community and acute care settings.
You develop your understanding of professional nursing practice through seminars, simulated workshops, role play, clinical skill development and mock scenarios, to aid prevention and early identification of risk as well as facilitating actual care needs of the service user.
Throughout the year you are supported in your placement by a practice assessor, practice supervisors and an academic assessor.
Therapeutic Nursing Practice in Mental Health Nursing
You explore the nature and focus of therapeutic practice in mental health nursing across service user journeys. You build upon your knowledge and understanding of altered pathophysiology, cognition and health/wellbeing, enabling you to further develop your ability to formulate evidence-based, person-centred decisions within a biopsychosocial context.
A case study approach is used to assess, plan, meet and evaluate the therapeutic nursing care needs of people accessing primary, secondary and tertiary care. You examine your role in recovery management, promoting positive health and wellbeing and managing the care of people during relapse/acute episode.
Related pharmacology is applied and explored.
Final-year core modules
Enhanced Person-centred Assessment and Decision Making Skills in Mental Health Nursing
You gain the knowledge, understanding and skills to undertake enhanced holistic assessments of people accessing mental health nursing services. You develop your ability to work in partnership with people experiencing mental health problems, their carers and families across a range of primary, secondary and tertiary care environments. You use a recovery-based and person-centred approach in assessing the needs of people with mental illness, their families and carers.
Skills laboratory sessions allow you to practice assessment skills within a protected learning environment. You further develop your skills and application of learning through supervised practice placements. You critically examine your assessment and decision-making knowledge and skills development, including identification of the evidence supporting your assessment and decision-making practice and conclude with a SMART action plan focusing on your future development.
Enhanced Therapeutic Practice in Mental Health Nursing
You explore complex therapeutic, person-centred decision-making within mental health nursing practice, enabling you to further develop the knowledge and decision-making skills required to proactively manage the health care needs of people accessing mental health nursing services within primary, secondary and tertiary care settings.
You gain the knowledge and skills required to promote evidence-based decision-making, multidisciplinary and multi-agency integrated team working when managing people’s complex care needs. You explore the complexity of contemporary health and social care practice, including how services are delivered, resource management and meeting the individual health and nursing care needs of people and their families and carers. The impact of co-morbidities on health and wellbeing is examined throughout the module. Central to the module is the patient experience and promoting best outcomes.
Enhancing Mental Health Nursing Proficiency: Leading Evidence-based Professional and Caring Practice
You develop your ability to lead and manage care in diverse practice settings. You develop your skills and knowledge of caseload management and leading teams in care delivery for people receiving mental health care, their families and carers. This includes in a practice setting under supervision developing your delegation, prioritisation, decision-making, time management, and teaching and supervising of others using approaches such as coaching.
Key lectures, seminars, independent learning, simulated and practical sessions enable development of skills in leadership and caseload management. This involves demonstrating the ability to make complex decisions in partnership with other relevant health professionals and agencies. You are expected to recognise your role and responsibilities in particular reference to safeguarding and identifying and addressing poor practice. Practical workshops focus on developing your technical and therapeutic skills such as relevant physical health care skills, talking therapies, medication management and preparation for prescribing.
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.
