Community Health Nursing Specialist Practitioner - District Nursing - BSc (Hons) / PgDip *
Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry.
Are you are community nurse? Do you want to progress into work as a Specialist Practitioner in District Nursing? If so, why not take the next step with the post-registration educator of the year 2017 (Student Nursing Times Awards)? Our specialist course will provide you with the learning and resources you need to become a clinical leader in your community.
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City South
- Award BSc (Hons) / PgDip
- Start date September 2024
- School School of Health Sciences
- Faculty Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences
This course is:
Overview
This course is going through reapproval for September 2024 entry, following introduction of new standards for Specialist Community Practitioner Qualifications by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. As a result, the content of modules and details for the course are subject to change. The new course information will be published by 30 July 2024. Find out more about the new standards.
Are you are community nurse? Do you want to progress into work as a Specialist Practitioner in District Nursing? If so, why not take the next step with the post-registration educator of the year 2017 (Student Nursing Times Awards)? Our specialist course will provide you with the learning and resources you need to become a clinical leader in your community.
What's covered in this course?
We’ll expand your knowledge, as well as the way you think, helping you to reflect, solve problems and think independently, all of which are essential attributes in this challenging but highly rewarding career.
We take a half theory/half practice approach on this course to ensure you gain important knowledge as well as first-hand experience. There will also be an extended period of practice to allow you to develop your skills by participating in vital management of real-life situations and challenges.
You’ll learn to apply the skills and qualities of a specialist practitioner to meet the needs of clients, communities and purchasers, as well as work in a team, creating strong working partnerships.
You’ll discover how to assess the professional, ethical and legal context of the specialist practitioner role, as well as evaluate sources of information to support the assessment and management of long term conditions, the provision of inter-professional palliative care, and effective and efficient case management.
Accredited By
Accredited by:
Why Choose Us?
- We are one of the largest and most diverse providers of health and social care education in the country.
- By joining us, you’ll be enrolling with the post-registration educator of the year 2017 (Student Nursing Times Awards) and the region’s largest provider of qualified health and social care professionals to the NHS.
- You’ll benefit from our partnerships across health and social care providers both within the UK and internationally.
- You’ll learn in specialist environments, with access to our cutting-edge virtual technologies and one of the UK’s largest specialist health education libraries.
- Our last Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) audit cited the support provided for the students on our courses as demonstrating good levels of practice (2015).
- You’ll be based at our City South Campus, which has recently undergone a £41 million expansion, including newly built laboratories and equipment that’ll continue to give you a leading edge in employment.
OPEN DAY
Join us on campus where you'll be able to find out more about your course, learn about postgraduate finance and get an insight into studying at BCU. Booking for the next event isn’t open yet. Register your interest below and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.
Next Event: 29 June 2024
Entry Requirements
You must have at least one of the following:
UK students
| Essential |
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For BSc (Hons) you will need the equivalent of 240 credits of which a 120 must be at level 5 (diploma level). |
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For PgDip you will need to provide evidence of successful completion of accredited Level 6 study within the last 5 years. |
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Have a minimum of 1-2 years professional experience where appropriate. |
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Securing secondment/sponsorship from a Primary care Trust |
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You will require DBS and Occupational Health Clearance prior to course entry |
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2024
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
-
TBC
Award: PgDip
Starting: Sep 2024
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 Year
-
TBC
International students
Sorry, this course is not available to International students.
This course is not available to International Students
Please note: All communication from the University is sent via email. Please ensure that you supply an email address on your application form that you check regularly.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Level 6
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules:
The module offers students the opportunity to develop an understanding in the utility of evidence to better inform decision-making in a professional context. The content of the module will focus on developing skills, knowledge and insight in the following areas: recognising and constructing searchable clinical questions; developing search skills utilising recognised frameworks; interpreting and identifying the evidence base relevant to information need; demonstrating competent skills in the appraisal of evidence; describe and evaluate the measurement of quantitative and qualitative outcomes and identify issues related to practice change.
The core module is mandatory for District Nurse students and aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills to prescribe medicinal products from the Nurse Prescribing Formulary safely and effectively in order to protect the public.
Developing leadership is an integral part of the Government’s agenda for improving community care provision. Service provision must be dictated by the needs of the population not the system when delivering services. This module will enable students to drive forward the public health agenda, which requires first class leaders with personal qualities that support and develop staff and empower populations.
The module aims to develop their roles in managing first contact care in the community. The students will study the use of consultations skills to aid the development of a patient centred consultation. The theory that supports a comprehensive assessment for complex care delivery will be linked to relative guidelines and government policies.
This is a compulsory module for District Nursing This module aims to highlight wider preventative issues and particularly the importance of integrated, community based health care for patients with Long Term Conditions in the Community
Health policy and community nursing are continually evolving. Policy documents have reinforced the message that community nurses have a crucial role in carrying out the government plans for the NHS. Yet within this framework are micro, miso and macro sociological influences on the development and delivery of health and welfare services. This module will enable students to have an understanding of the complexity of health policy and its relationships with specific sociological concepts to provide health care in the community setting.
The Professional Practice of District Nursing is anon-credit bearing module which is required for students studying the District Nursing pathway award to demonstrate proficiency in achieving the NMC competencies. This module enables you to study with other specialist practitioners on the course and will consist of designated study days analysing contemporary issues within community nursing. The module also enhances and develops your ability to undertake reflection through the action learning sets in practice.
Level 7
This module addresses specific aspects of theory and practice in research. The aim of this module is to provide a flexible programme of research design and evidence based practice that enables students to satisfy their individual learning needs to extend skills in the analysis and evaluation of specific research designs and their contribution to evidence in practice. It should contribute to personal and professional development and foster independent study regarding the development of practice. It is envisaged that this module will also help prepare the participant to undertake a research dissertation, systematic review, or to provide a conceptual frame of reference in the development of a leadership project. To facilitate this, each student will negotiate the summative assessment with the module leader.
Developing leadership is an integral part of the Government’s Modernisation Agenda and a central element of the NHS Plan (DH 2000), and Our Health, Our Care, Our Say (DH 2006); in that service provision must be dictated by the needs of the population not the system in setting direction and delivering services. Driving forward the Public Community Health agenda requires first class leaders with personal qualities that support and develop staff and empower populations.
This module will create a forward thinking public health practitioner who will have the qualities to promote innovative practice and change to improve health and well-being, enabling a responsive service that continually adapts to the demands of population’s need, ethically managing self, people and resources. The module is designed to equip the specialist community Public Health nurse with the skills, knowledge and understanding of policy and strategic leadership to influence polices affecting health.
The core module is mandatory for District Nurse students and aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills to prescribe medicinal products from the Nurse Prescribing Formulary safely and effectively in order to protect the public.
This is a compulsory module for District Nursing. This double module aims to develop District Nursing roles in first assessment care management and the subsequence planning and implementation of effective care delivery. This reflects the Department of Health ideology of preparing champions of community nurses to develop their role to improve access to services for patients and highlights wider preventative issues and particularly the importance of integrated, community based health care for patients with long term conditions in the community.
Health policy and community nursing are continually evolving. Policy documents have reinforced the message that community nurses have a crucial role in carrying out the government plans for the NHS. Yet within this framework are micro, miso and macro sociological influences on the development and delivery of health and welfare services. This module will enable students to have an understanding of the complexity of health policy and its relationships with specific sociological concepts to provide health care in the community setting.
The Professional Practice of District Nursing is anon-credit bearing module which is required for students studying the District Nursing pathway award to demonstrate proficiency in achieving the NMC competencies. This module enables you to study with other specialist practitioners on the course and will consist of designated study days analysing contemporary issues within community nursing. The module also enhances and develops your ability to undertake reflection through the action learning sets in practice.
Course structure
The course aims to:
- Enable nurses and midwives to work as specialist practitioners in the community
- Strengthen the academic and clinical base of community health nursing
- Help you make the most of your learning, whether you're keen to develop your knowledge and skills to become a specialist practitioner in the community or access modules to learn more about a certain area of practice.
What are my options?
One of the real strengths of this programme is its flexibility.
You can choose to study:
- The whole programme with a Specialist Practitioner award.
- Simply pick and choose modules that suit your aspirations and your organisation's needs.
If you decide you want to go on to study for the whole programme later on, you can use the modules you have already taken to give you a head start with our accredited learning system.
How will I be taught?
This flexible course can be studied as a whole programme, with a Specialist Practitioner award, or you can choose up to two modules that suit your aspirations and your organisation’s needs. If you then decide you want to go on to study for the whole programme, you can use the modules you’ve already taken to give you a head start.
You will be assessed through a variety of methods, which include invigilated examinations, assignments, seminars, use of a journal of reflection and professional practice competencies that will allow you the opportunity to creatively demonstrate your role and development as a specialist practitioner.
Assessment methods
You will be assessed through a variety of methods, which include invigilated examinations, assignments, seminars, use of a journal of reflection and professional practice competencies that will allow you the opportunity to creatively demonstrate your role and development as a specialist practitioner
The Nursing and Midwifery Council
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) works with partner organisations to set and maintain high standards of nursing and midwifery education across the UK.
This course has been approved and monitored by the NMC to make sure that the education and training on offer meets their standards.
To work as a nurse or midwife, you must pass an NMC approved course at a higher education institution (HEI) in pre-registration nursing and midwifery, leading to registration with the NMC.
Employability
Enhancing employability skills
This course is intended to enhance your career prospects and enable you to progress onto more senior public health jobs at either operational, policy or commissioning levels.
On successful completion of the programme, your Specialist Practitioner qualification will be recorded by the NMC and entered on NMC register.
Facilities & Staff
We have invested over £400 million in our facilities, including an upgrade to our Skills and Simulation facilities at City South Campus. We boast up-to-date, innovative facilities that simulate the real situations that you may come across in the workplace. These resources are essential in offering you a hands-on introduction to health and social care practice.
Mock Wards
These are set up to look like typical hospital wards, with four-six bays. Depending on the topic in hand, different manikins can be used as patients and relevant equipment is provided to practise clinical skills. Some of the manikins are interactive and can simulate different scenarios e.g. some allow you to cannulate, check pulses, intubate etc, and some can talk to you. One ward is often used as an adult ward, and the other as a child ward.
These rooms also allow for scenarios to be set up for other professions such as dietetics, paramedic science and social work.
The Operating Theatre and Recovery Suites
The operating theatre and recovery suite gives you the sense of what it would be like in a real surgical environment.
These spaces emulate the full surgical journey from anaesthetics, through surgery and into recovery. ODP students can practice a range of skills including gowning, hand washing, preparing instrument trays, and working with a patient. Nurses and midwives may experience a surgical placement and need to go to theatre or be part of the midwifery team involved with caesarean sections. Many other Allied Health Professionals may also see patients in recovery if necessary.
Home Environment Room
This space is used to simulate non-clinical settings, as not everything health professionals deal with is hospital based. This is used for simulations of home visits and home births. It also houses soft matting and a bubble machine that are used by the Learning Disability Nursing team.
Assisted Living Space
This space replicates a flat and is used for scenarios such as home visits. The sitting room area provides a different space to practise skills and simulations and work with service users and other students.
Assisted Kitchen
This specially designed kitchen has different areas where you can practice cooking, cleaning, boiling the kettle etc., with someone who has actual or simulated visual impairments. There are adapted devices to help, and simulation glasses for you to wear to experience visual impairments.
Physiotherapy Room
This is a space for physiotherapy students to use, with various equipment to practise client meetings.
Radiotherapy Planning Computer Suite
Our computers allow you to plan hypothetical treatments, in terms of angles and directions, ensuring that radiotherapy reaches where it is needed on a patient’s body.
Radiography Image Interpretation and Reporting Stations Computer Suite
These facilities allow you to view and analyse x-rays.
VERT - Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training
This room contains 3D technology to view virtual patients and look at trajectories for treatment.
Radiotherapy
This room contains the same bed/couch used when patients are given radiotherapy treatment. While students of course do not administer radiotherapy in this room, it does allow them to practise adjusting the equipment to make sure both it and a patient would be in the correct position to receive treatment.
Telehealth Room
This room allows for small group teaching in a central area (large boardroom type table) with five small telehealth booths down either side. These are to allow all our health professions students to practise delivering healthcare and advice remotely, either over the phone or on a video call. This addition to our teaching reflects moves in the sector to offer more flexible access to healthcare services, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Imaging Academy
This new facility is a larger version of our existing image interpretation computer facilities and forms part of the Midlands Imaging Academy Hub, funded by Health Education England. These expanded facilities will mean we can further develop our courses and expertise in radiography and imaging.
Speech and Language Therapy Resource Room
Our Speech and Language Therapy Team have developed a collection of tools, books and resources to help you learn and understand the implications of a speech or swallowing limitation. You can practise one to one client meetings and clinics and use the video recording equipment to review role play scenarios.
Ultrasound simulation suite
You have access to a wide range of Ultrasound simulation equipment to develop your clinical skills and aid in training. The equipment includes two ultrasound machines with a range of phantoms, scan training stations and eve body works.
Our staff
Rachel Hogan
Senior Lecturer
Rachel qualified as an Adult Nurse from BCU in 2003, post qualifying she spent some time in the acute setting within Trauma and Orthopaedics and Critical Care. As a student, Rachel fell in love with community nursing and moved into that setting in 2006. She spent the next 10 years working within community nursing undertaking further qualifications...
More about Rachel