About
MSc Nursing (general pathway): This will allow students to build upon their existing knowledge, skills and values. This course will challenge students about their practice and offer different opportunities to enhance their knowledge, understanding and critical thinking through classroom and personal study. Nurses undertaking this option often self fund.
International applications from individuals who are qualified as nurses in their own country are particularly welcome for this course. As this course is for qualified nurses and it does not include registration as a nurse.
All staff contributing to the programme hold or are working towards a teaching qualification.
The School has achieved “earned autonomy” from monitoring exercises carried out by Mott MacDonald on behalf of the NMC
The School has an active Educational and Professional Issues Research Group which links with the Centre for Higher Education Research and Practice (CHERP)
Several members of staff have received funding from CHERP to undertake projects designed to develop and enhance teaching, learning, assessment and feedback strategies within the School and Faculty
The School encourages all staff to seek accreditation with the Higher Education Academy either at Fellow or Senior Fellow level
In the 2014 Research Exercise Framework (REF2014) submission, the School excelled in all three areas: Output 94.6% internationally excellent or world leading; Impact 100% internationally excellent or world leading; Environment 100% internationally excellent or world leading
Many of the teaching staff are full or associate members of the Institute of Nursing and Health Research
Teaching is informed by the research activities of staff
Students can study the following modules;
MSc Project
This 60-credit module is compulsory for the student to achieve their MSc award. Students are allocated an MSc supervisor. The student completes either a traditional research project or a service evaluation or a project development initiative. Students must write a project proposal, apply for ethics, collect data, analysis the data and the write the final report. This module is assessed by 100% coursework.
Transforming Practice Through Person-Centred Collective Leadership
This module encourages students to lead small step change contributing to quality improvement initiatives leading to transformation of services through person centred practice. It focuses on the development of strategic leadership skills in nurses in order to meet the global challenges facing todays healthcare systems.
Ethics and Professional Decision Making
This module is optional
This module develops students' understanding of the major components and complexities of professional decision making and accountability and the central role this plays in the design, delivery and evaluation of ethically safe and effective compassionate care for people within services in hospital and community settings. Within the module. students will critically analyse the relationships between professional decision-making, accountability, governance and patient safety within an interdisciplinary context. Assessment is by coursework.
Advanced Knowledge in Symptom Management in Palliative Care
This module is optional
This module will develop the capacity to critically engage with complex symptom management and to apply this knowledge and skills to the development of advanced symptom control from a pharmacological and non-pharmacological perspective. lt emphasises the palliation of pain and other symptoms and the application of an evidence based holistic person centred approach. The module Incorporates a variety of teaching approaches.
Quality Improvement in Nursing Practice
This module is optional
This module provides students with the policy background to quality improvement and encourages critical analysis of quality within healthcare. It provides students with an opportunity to explore issues relating to their workplace and to utilise skills of problem solving considering aspects like the patient experience and stakeholder involvement. The module also encourages practitioners to critically reflect on quality improvement to improve nursing practice and person centred care. Assessment is by coursework.
This module is a compulsory module for students on the MSc Nursing - Leading Practice pathway.
Principles of Nursing Assessment
This module is optional
This level 7 module will encourage students to develop their knowledge of the evidence that underpins nursing assessment. Students will further develop their ability to care for people experiencing a range of conditions, and will enhance their understanding of complexity within care. Assessment is by assignment and OSCE.
Enhancing Learning and Teaching in the Practice Setting
This module is optional
This module provides the opportunity for practitioners who undertake an educational role, facilitating others' learning in the practice setting, to develop their understanding of effective learning and teaching. It enables participants to develop and enhance their skills in practice-based learning, teaching and assessment. It provides the opportunity for participants to reflect critically on their own experience as a learner, a practitioner and an educator, and to identify aspects of their own practice that could be developed and/or improved.
Advanced Methods in Research and Development in Health and Social Care
This 30-credit module is compulsory for the student to achieve their MSc award. This module builds upon previous study of research methods and enables students to develop and apply theoretical and scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills, extending their understanding of the philosophical and practical aspects of research, service evaluation and project development initiative. Students are required to write an identified research question relevant to research, service evaluation or a project development initiative. This module is assessed by 100% coursework.
Principles of Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Healthcare Practice
This module is optional
The purpose of this module is to enable you to develop your understanding and skills around learning and teaching in practice. The module will provide you with opportunity to construct professional knowledge about the fundamental principles of learning, teaching and assessing and directly impact upon how you use these skills to develop learning activities in your practice.
Advanced Communication for Transforming Nursing Practice
This module is optional
Recent reports and evaluations in healthcare suggest that standards of communication are slipping and there is growing disquiet in relation to the patient and family experience. This module provides an opportunity to enhance practice in relation to communication and interprofessional and interagency working. A flipped classroom approach combined with authentic simulation and role play facilitates students gain a fresh perspective on self-awareness and self-agency to innovate and advance nursing. Assessment is by coursework.
Informed Practice in Dementia Care
This module is optional
This module provides students with a thorough understanding of the theoretical and clinical aspects of dementia which underpin informed practice. Collaborative working with people and families, inter-professional and inter-agency practice informed by differing perspectives, together with research, clinical guidelines, policy and strategies are explored in the delivering of person-centred care across the dementia trajectory. Assessment is by coursework.
Principles of Palliative & End of Life Care
This module is optional
This module aims to develop students' knowledge in palliative and end of life care, enabling them to gain a wider strategic understanding in order for them to provide quality person-centred care. It emphasises the principles and philosophy of palliative and end of life care and the need for an inter-disciplinary approach to service delivery. The module incorporates a variety of teaching approaches. Method of assessment is 100% coursework.
Essential of Pathophysiology
This module is optional
This postgraduate module provides nurses with an opportunity to synthesise knowledge of physiological disorders both at a systems and cellular level. A problem-solving approach using clinical cases is used to illuminate how knowledge of pathophysiology is applied. Assessment is by coursework consisting of a class test and a case study.
Attendance
Attendance will be at the Belfast campus.
MSc Nursing (general pathway): This is a full time course. Attendance will vary depending on modules being studied.
The final component of all MSc Nursing pathways is a research project (dissertation). This module is by supervision and and as such there are no face to face taught classes. Occasionally additional workshops may be offered. Regular supervisory meetings will take place where students will be supported by an experienced member of academic staff. These meetings will be arranged between supervisor and supervisee over the duration of the research project (normally one semester in full time study mode).
