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General Practice Nursing - Module / MSc / PgCert / PgDip

Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry.

Aimed at Senior and established General Practice Nurses, this MSc course offers General Practice Nurses opportunity to advance their careers through choosing from a variety of general practice focused modules to complete a PG Certificate/ PG Diploma or full MSc qualification....

  • Award Module / MSc / PgCert / PgDip
  • Start date September 2024
  • Fees View course fees
  • School School of Nursing and Midwifery
  • Faculty Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences

This course is:

Overview

Aimed at Senior and established General Practice Nurses, this MSc course offers General Practice Nurses opportunity to advance their careers through choosing from a variety of general practice focused modules to complete a PG Certificate/ PG Diploma or full MSc qualification.

This course is unique in providing General Practice Nurses with options for a variety of career pathways in the primary care setting. Our General Practice Nursing pathway will enable you to be responsive to developments in primary care and to take on leadership roles in this arena.

This course is not open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The course enables students to choose from a variety of modules to pursue areas of interest or specific career pathways.

Core modules in year 1 include:

  • Challenges to Health and the Impact of Inequalities: A General Practice Population Assessment
  • Quality, Strategy and Policy: Issues in General Practice

Core modules in year 2 include:

  • Research: Methods of Enquiry
  • Leadership Skills and Project Management for Health and Healthcare

A wide range of optional modules are available including Caring for People with Long Term Conditions in the General Practice Setting; Non-Medical Prescribing and a range of other subjects including mental health, wound care, safeguarding.

Why Choose Us?

  • Flexible course delivery – our virtual and blended learning offering allows you to fit your studies around your family and work commitments
  • Supported by Health Education England – we are one of just seven institutions chosen to deliver this innovative new course
  • Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities outside of London, which will provide you with a wide variety of experience that will be valuable to take forward into your future career.

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

Register interest

Entry Requirements

UK students

Registered Nurse (Adult, Child, Mental Health or Learning Disability and 

Employed in General Practice (all students must be working in an appropriate environment in order to fully engage with the chosen modules).

For entry into the Post Graduate Certificate students must have a relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent or a 60 credit Level 6 award in an appropriate subject area. Applicants with evidence of successfully completed Level 6 study within the preceding 2 years and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in the pathway speciality will also be considered.

Additionally

In addition, students undertaking clinical subject pathway modules will normally have a minimum of six months post-registration experience for that speciality. 

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

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: Module

Starting: Sep 2024

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 12 weeks
  • £820 per 20 credit module

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2024

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 3 years
  • £820 per 20 credit module

Award: PgCert

Starting: Sep 2024

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 1 year
  • £820 per 20 credit module

Award: PgDip

Starting: Sep 2024

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Part Time
  • 2 years
  • £820 per 20 credit module

International students

Sorry, this course is not available to International students.

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key Software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Books (optional)

All module key texts will be in the University library, but in limited numbers. You may choose to purchase a copy.

Subscriptions (optional)

You may wish to purchase subscriptions to additional journals and websites.

Memberships (optional)

You may wish to join a union or professional body related to this course.

Accommodation and living costs

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

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

Year 1 - PG Cert

Year 2 - PG Dip

Year 3 - MSc

Download course specification

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Course Structure

You can choose to study this programme as a complete pathway award (full or part-time) or as a standalone module, dependent on your individual need and the needs of your organisation. All programmes offer a convenient part-time format to fit around home and work commitments

Pathway awards in General Practice Nursing can lead to:

  • Module only Professional Practice (General Practice Nursing) Level 7
  • PG Cert Professional Practice  (General Practice Nursing)
  • PG Dip Professional Practice  (General Practice Nursing)
  • MSc Professional Practice  (General Practice Nursing)

How you will be taught

The pathway will be taught half a day a week across the academic year. A range of online synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning activities will be facilitated by academic and clinical colleagues with extensive experience in primary care.

Online seminars, group activities, formative presentations, moodle and self-directed work will be adopted to facilitate your learning. Personal tutor support will be provided by a member of the module teams.

Additionally, academic support can be accessed from our Academic Development Department and Centre for Academic Success on a self-referral basis, and from our experienced library colleagues.

Employability

diabetes employabilityGraduates of the course will be able to contribute to the growing responsibilities of primary care services and will develop skills in:

  • Technology-enhanced learning
  • Generalist skills and the ability to respond to local population needs
  • Leadership to open opportunities to take up leadership roles within primary care multi-disciplinary teams
  • Research capabilities to open up opportunities to develop clinical academic careers

Facilities & Staff

Our staff

Sue Shortland

Associate Professor – Primary Care

Sue qualified as a registered nurse in 1984 and a registered midwife in 1986. Sue worked for over 20 years in general practice as a general practice nurse and then as an advanced nurse practitioner and non-medical prescriber. Sue joined Birmingham City University in 2008 as a Senior Lecturer on the MSc Advanced Practice Course whilst also...

More about Sue

Dr Chris Inman

Senior Lecturer

Chris is a registered nurse with about 15 years' post-qualifying experience prior to employment in education at the University of Hull and then as Head of Nursing Development at the Open University in Milton Keynes. At Birmingham City University she has many years of experience directing the MSc Advanced Practice/MSc Health Care programmes...

More about Chris