Nursing - Child - BSc (Hons)
Are you a compassionate individual with an interest in caring for children? Our Children’s Nursing BSc (Hons) course expertly supports you in gaining the knowledge and skills to deliver professional and compassionate Family Centred Care....
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
- Level Undergraduate
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City South
- Award BSc (Hons)
- Start date September 2021, January 2022
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Nursing and Midwifery
- Faculty Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences
Course is Full for 2021/22 Entry
This course is now full for 2021/22. You can apply for 2022/23 via UCAS from September 2021.
If you'd still like to apply for September 2021, take a look at some of our other available courses.
Course overview
Are you a compassionate individual with an interest in caring for children? Our Children’s Nursing BSc (Hons) course expertly supports you in gaining the knowledge and skills to deliver professional and compassionate Family Centred Care.
The University is commissioned to deliver one of the UK’s largest cohorts of nurses every year, so you’ll benefit from studying at one of the country’s biggest nursing schools and be part of a community of student nurses in a diverse and vibrant city.
Successful completion of the course will make you eligible to apply for professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
What's covered in this course?
Our aim is to develop you into a graduate nurse who is able to work flexibly across a range of settings and meet the health needs of the whole person throughout their lifespan. We will work with you on your development to help you become a skilled, knowledgeable, emotionally intelligent nurse, able to lead and co-ordinate compassionate, evidence-based, person- and family-centred care while working as an integral member of interdisciplinary teams.
The university-based elements of the first two years of your course are integrated, with all fields of nursing working together. In your final year, the theory you learn will be specific to child nursing. You will study five modules each year. In year one, you will complete a year-long practice module which will prepare and support you to develop your confidence and competence in practice as you work towards independently leading and co-ordinating care.
In your first year, you will gain theoretical and practice knowledge to develop a range of key skills. This will include: exploring the evidence that underpins person- and family-centred care; professional values; self-leadership; and the role of the registered nurse. Second year modules will further enhance your first-year learning and explore evidence-based complex care incorporating a wide range of research, skills, team leadership and principles of co-ordinating care. During your third year you will continue build on your previous learning and develop proficiency in child nursing. The modules you study will develop you as a leader who uses research-informed critical thinking to co-ordinate care, supervise other health professionals and gain confidence in the safe management of medication. You will also have access to personal tuition throughout the course which will enrich your learning experiences and will enable to reflect meaningfully on your practice and the development of your individual field identity.
Your practice placements will be specific to your field, child nursing, throughout the three years. To help you become a more rounded nurse, you will also have opportunities to learn across the four fields of nursing. Your placement learning experiences may be within community, hospital or home environment settings and at a location anywhere within the West Midlands and potentially into neighbouring counties. While on placement you will be supported, supervised and assessed by practice and academic staff to develop your knowledge and skills.
We are committed to providing excellent, innovative, learning, teaching and assessment experiences through the use of technology, which we use to enhance your learning, through lectures, seminars, skills simulation and virtual learning. Engaging with practice partners and service users is also integral to our approach.
Our BSc (Hons) Nursing course has been designed to comply with the new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards (2018) meaning that successful completion of this course makes you eligible to apply and be entered onto the NMC register in one of the four fields of nursing: Adult, Child, Learning Disabilities or Mental Health.
“I knew I would enjoy working with children, but when I started placement I was surprised how satisfying it was, even after a 13 hour shift. Honestly placement for me is the best part of my course, because you get to put into practice what you have learnt.”
Sarah Gyamfi
Why Choose Us?
- Funding - Nursing students will receive at least £5,000 a year in additional funding for maintenance and associated study costs. Download the funding FAQs
- Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities outside of London, which provides you with a wide variety of experience that will be valuable to take forward into your future career
- Opportunities to go abroad, if this is something you would like to explore during your time studying with us
- Our strong partnerships with local employers result in fantastic employability. Over 99% of our Nursing graduates are in work or further study within six months of graduation (DLHE 2016/17)
- You will study at our recently extended £71 million City South Campus, complete with real-life hospital environments and simulation equipment so you can practice your practical skills at all times – not just on placement.
- We offer two intakes a year in January and September so that you can start at the right time for you. Contact our Admissions team to find out more
- Strong links with some of the largest NHS Trusts in the country, including University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Women’s Children`s Hospital and many others, enabling you to build a network of invaluable contacts and gain valuable experience
- Real-world placements are supplemented by our Virtual Case Creator specialist software whilst on campus, enabling you to learn valuable observation, analytic, diagnostic, problem-solving and decision-making skills in an online simulated environment
- Student finance - have you already had a student loan to study an undergraduate degree but would like to do a second degree in nursing, midwifery or the allied health professions? You may still be eligible for funding.
Similar Courses
Entry Requirements
We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.
Essential Requirements
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120 UCAS tariff points from A/AS Level |
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| UK Qualification | Requirements 2021/22 | |
| GCSE |
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| BTEC Level 2 Diploma |
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| BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate |
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| Functional Skills/ Essential Skills level 2 |
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| Key Skills level 2 |
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| Irish Leaving Certificate (Ordinary Level) |
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| Scottish Intermediate 2 |
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| Scottish Credit Standard Grade |
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| Scottish National 5 |
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| IELTS |
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| Plus one of the following Level 3 (and above) Qualifications | ||
| UK Qualification | Requirements 2021/22 | |
| A level and Advanced VCE |
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| Access to HE Diploma |
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British bachelor's degree |
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| NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Wales and Northern Ireland) |
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| NCFE CACHE Level 3 Extended Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce |
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| City and Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (1080) |
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International Baccalaureate Diploma |
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Irish Leaving Certificate (Highers) |
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OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma |
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OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma |
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| Open University courses |
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Scottish Advanced Higher |
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T-Levels |
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Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate - Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015) |
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Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma – Core (awarded until 2016) ESW/KS Combined component |
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| Other qualifications | ||
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If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Qualifications that are not listed will be considered on an individual basis. Recent relevant study to GCE A-level standard or above must have been completed within five years of the course intake date the applicant is applying for. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. International candidates: Those who meet residency/academic requirements of UK students but whose language is not English will need to hold IELTS with an overall score of at least 7.0. In addition:
I really want to become a nurse but do not meet your entry requirements. What advice can you give me?
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Fees & How to Apply
- UK students
- International students
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 years
- £9,250 per year
- Applications Closed
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Jan 2022
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 years
- £9,250 per year
- Applications Closed
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 years
- £13,200 per year
- Applications Closed
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Jan 2022
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 3 years
- £13,200 per year
- Applications Closed
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead.
This course offers both September and January start dates. If our places for your chosen start date are full, successful applicants will be offered a place for the next available start date instead.
Please note that applications are processed in the order in which they are submitted, so please apply early to ensure you have the best chance of securing your preferred start date if your application is successful.
You do not need to apply for both intakes as we will consider your application for the first available place if there are no places for your preferred intake.
This course is now full for 2021/22. You can apply for 2022/23 via UCAS from September 2021 .
If you'd still like to apply for September 2020, take a look at some of our other available courses in Clearing.
Frequently asked questions
How will I know what has happened with my UCAS application when I have submitted it?
You'll be notified via UCAS if your application is unsuccessful. If your application is successful you'll be invited to attend an interview from our Health Admissions department.
What will the interview consist of?
You'll have a face-to-face interview with academic and clinical staff.
How will I know the outcome of my interview?
You'll be notified via UCAS track.
If I'm not offered a place, can I have some feedback?
Yes, you can request feedback from NMSW.Admissions@bcu.ac.uk
Learning Support Fund
From 1 November 2017 you may be able to apply for elements of the learning support fund if:
- you are studying a pre-registration healthcare course
- are studying in England and
- your course started on or after 1 August 2017
Course in Depth
Year One
In order to fully complete this course and be eligible for application for entry onto the NMC register, a student must successfully achieve all 360 credits.
20 credits
The NMC standards aim to ensure that nurses are able to work in ways that are not only fit for today, but also for the future. Nurses are being asked to undertake more complex roles than ever before in an evolving health and care landscape requiring a depth and breadth of a range of topics (Smith, 2017). This module aims to provide an introduction to fundamental nursing knowledge and skills, as well as develop a pride in the profession and the role of the nurse.
20 credits
Good nursing care is based on the identification of the needs of the person and should be appropriate to the nursing context in which the assessment takes place (DH, 2014). This module will focus specifically on the first two steps of the cyclical nursing process, a model that helps to deliver appropriate and effective care and resolve peoples’ needs by setting goals. Undertaking a comprehensive assessment is the first stage of the nursing process and one in which the nurse is required to ensure the person and, if appropriate, their family and carers are fully involved. A thorough assessment enables the second stage of the nursing process; that of planning care. It is at this stage that person-centred, holistic care can then be identified prior to the third and fourth stages of the process, which are known as providing and evaluating care.
20 credits
This module will focus specifically on the final stages of the nursing process which includes a systematic and collaborative approach to providing and evaluating care for people and families across the lifespan. You will learn how to support individuals and if appropriate their families and carers, to make informed choices through effective communication, relationship management skills and shared decision making. You will develop an evidence based approach to working in partnership with people, families and carers to continuously monitor, evaluate and reassess the effectiveness of all agreed nursing care plans and readjust agreed goals as necessary.
20 credits
The aim of this module is to help you start to enhance your skills in leadership, management and team-working, in addition to the development of your ability to promote health and assist people to modify their lifestyles to enhance healthier lives. Nurses are leaders who are participative, facilitative and emotionally intelligent. Effective leadership styles contribute to team cohesion, lower stress, and higher empowerment and self-efficacy. Leadership is a predictor of quality outcomes in health care settings. Authentic leaders offer good role modelling consistent with ethical values and vision for health care. They offer individualised consideration of staff, provide motivation and stimulate creativity and innovation (RCN 2017).
40 credits
The module provides you with an introduction to and ongoing support for practice elements of your programme. The module is designed to enable you to achieve practice proficiencies within your chosen field of practice through ongoing guided participation in care within the practice setting. The module offers preparation, development and consolidation to grow your confidence and acquire competence within the practice learning environment.
You will be able to practice and develop your nursing skills within a safe, supportive environment, participate in teaching and learning sessions that support begin to allow you to identify and reflect on your own learning needs and experiences in practice.
Year Two
20 credits
This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and strategies to develop problem solving and decision making skills. These skills will enable you to undertake the assessment and planning of complex situations and health conditions across the life span in a variety of nursing settings.
20 credits
This module builds on previous learning to further advance your knowledge and skills to provide holistic care across a variety of care settings. You will explore theory in order to lead, deliver and evaluate complex care for a range of service users across the lifespan. Expanding on the modules in level four and complex care 1, you will continue to develop nursing care which is person centred, encompasses empowerment, uses effective communication and employs evidence based interventions.
20 credits
In this module, you will get the opportunity to focus on issues of quality and safety in health care, incorporating a public health perspective in both a national and global context. Building on level four modules you will further your understanding of health policy, exploring what influences public health and causes health inequalities. Well-being as a concept will be further explored particularly in relation to sexual health, as will the service users/patient’s capacity to manage their own health and the role of the nurse in assisting patients/service users to make behaviour changes. This will also build on the work done in previous modules on empowerment and person and family centred care.
20 credits
The NMC (2018) and HEE stress nursing leadership is a core nursing role in the delivery of modern health services. You will build on the skills developed at level four to further consider nursing leadership, legal aspects of nursing and management strategies required in contemporary health and social care settings.
40 credits
The module provides you with the opportunity for further development and ongoing support for practice elements of your programme. The module is designed to enable you to achieve within your chosen field of practice through ongoing guided participation in care within the practice setting. The module offers year 2 preparation, development and consolidation to support confidence and competence within the practice learning environment.
Year Three
20 credits
This module will build on the knowledge and skills developed at levels 4 and 5. The role of the nurse is to play a key role in improving and maintaining the mental, physical, cognitive, behavioural, social and spiritual health whilst working in partnership with the infant, child, young person and their family. We will help you further develop the skills learnt throughout the course in order to prioritise the needs of the child and family when assessing and reviewing all aspects of health and well-being. We will support you in learning how to interpret increasingly advanced assessments, how to respond, identify, plan and coordinate care that fulfils the needs of each child and family whilst ensuring evidence-based practice underpins your decisions.
20 credits
This module aims to build on previous modules to prepare you to recognise and demonstrate accountability and professionalism in relation to pharmacology and medicines management. Understanding the importance of safe medication use in children and young people is paramount due to the complexities of prescribing and administration. Throughout the module you will be expected to debate strategies relating to medication concordance, family centred care, shared decision making and evaluation.
20 credits
This module aims to help you examine your identity as a leader in children and young peoples’ health services. Caring for children young people and their families has recently been met with an unprecedented pace of change and increasing levels of complexity and demand for services. Therefore provision of effective leadership is more important than ever before. As a result of these changes and to meet service demand, a number of new roles have been developed and introduced to the nursing workforce.
20 credits
This module aims to consolidate your risk assessment, decision making and appraisal skills to ensure safety and quality of nursing practice across a variety of settings. You will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to work in partnership with a range of professionals, interdisciplinary teams and most importantly the child, young person and their family. Through examination of your knowledge and experience, you will be expected to strengthen your emotional intelligence and resilience. Additionally, you will be supported to provide evidence-based rationales for the judgements that you make in complex, rapidly changing environments. This will enable you to think critically, apply knowledge and skills to deliver evidence based, high quality, safe family-centred care working in partnership with the child or young person.
40 credits
The module provides you with further development and ongoing support for practice elements of your programme. The module is designed to enable you to achieve within your chosen field of practice. This will be through ongoing supervision and by practising independently with minimal supervision within the practice setting. The module offers year 3 preparation, development and consolidation to support confidence and competence within the practice learning environment.
Course structure
The course is delivered using a modular approach and divides the course into manageable elements of study and practice learning opportunities.
The first year prepares you for further study and facilitates the understanding of the principles which underpin nursing. This is supported by numerous placement learning experiences.
In year two there is an increasing field-specific focus. Core modules help to contextualise nursing whilst Field Specific modules prepare you for placement experiences.
In year three all the modules are Field Specific but there are opportunities for shared learning with the other fields of nursing and you will complete placement experiences.
You'll experience a mixture of teaching, self-directed study and practice-based clinical placements, spending half of your time each year on placement.
Upon successful completion you will graduate with a BSc (Hons) Nursing degree worth 360 credits and be eligible to apply for Registered Nurse status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
This course is accredited by the following organisation:
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.
Athena Swan Bronze Award
The School of Nursing and Midwifery has successfully secured the Athena SWAN Departmental Bronze Award recognising a commitment to gender equality.
Employability
Employment opportunities
Once qualified and registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council you can practice in the UK and many countries overseas. As a qualified nurse you could find yourself working within the NHS, the private sector, in the community, at GP surgeries, at schools, plus many more - the options are endless.
Placements
Placements take place across a range of settings. You may experience care in acute, critical care, long-term care and community settings which are related to your Field. During your second year there will also be the opportunity to undertake a placement learning experience elsewhere in the UK or abroad* (*subject to selection criteria).
A placement is your chance to be a part of the working world of health and social care as it really is: your first taste of your career. For most of our courses, it's a compulsory part of your training; it's that important.
Placements help you with your confidence, by putting theory from the classroom into practice. We make sure you get a quality experience and that you are fully supported by a workplace mentor on hand throughout your placement.
OpportUNIty
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
International Students
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
The UK remains one of the world's leading study destinations
The UK remains one of the world's leading study destinations for international students.
The first-class experience offered by universities are reflected in the world’s largest survey of international students. International students are more likely to recommend the UK than any other leading English-language study destination.
Facilities and Staff
Our facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £260 million on new learning facilities.
We boast up-to-date, innovative facilities that simulate the real situations that medical staff may come across.
These resources are essential in offering students a hands-on introduction to health and social care practice. Much of our teaching is carried out within our state-of-the-art, £30m Seacole Building, which houses cutting-edge learning facilities.
Take a virtual tour of our skills suites at Seacole
In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that students learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. These include a mock operating theatre and a cutting-edge radiography virtual clinical training facility, virtual ward and virtual case creator.
Hospital Ward
Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. They contain ‘Sim Men’, which are demonstration dummies that develop ailments, allowing you to treat them as you would a real patient and build your confidence in reacting to the changing needs of patients.
The Hospital Ward can be adapted from a low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.
Part of the package is our SIM baby, SIM man and Mega code kid. There are also nursing manikins for fundamental skills teaching and various equipment to support essential skills teaching, such as blood pressure monitoring venepuncture and cannulation equipment.
Biomedical Laboratories
We have recently installed new laboratory facilities to help you explore understand the scientific principles underpinning many of our courses. The physiology laboratory is equipped to help you learn about the way the human body works by performing investigative experiments. The biomedical science laboratory is undergoing an upgrade over the summer and will allow you to learn about anatomy, cellular processes, immunology and enzymology in a hands-on way that links directly to day-to-day health care.
Simulation Mannequins
We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and Simulation babies (SIM babies) which are leading edge, anatomically correct mannequins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills.
The SIM men and SIM baby mannequins are complete with software, which is used to replicate real symptoms, and are enhanced by the manipulation of for example blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM Man can also “talk” to the students which adds another dimension to their use in teaching clinical skills and in simulation exercises.
Skills Practice And Care Enhancement Facility
The SPACE (Skills Practice And Care Enhancement) learning facility lets you further practice the skills taught in class, at your own pace and convenience.
It is fully stocked with the specialist items and equipment needed for procedures such as taking blood pressure, giving an injection, abdominal examination of a pregnant woman and caring for ill babies in an incubator.
Mary Seacole Library
The Seacole library, based at City South Campus, is one of the UK's largest specialist health education libraries. The state-of-the art facility offers an extensive range of range of information and reference materials set out in a relaxing environment, conducive to studying. There are comfortable seating areas, group study areas, a silent study area and private study rooms.
Computer Facilities
The Seacole building houses a large open access IT Suite which comprises 96 PCs, full colour printers, photocopiers and scanners. Our PCs use the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:
- Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
- Ability to save files to USB, DVD and CD
- Microsoft Office software
- Research and statistical software
- Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home
Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.
The IT Suite offers extended opening hours and is supported by a specialist Open Access Assistant during term time. In addition to the open access PCs within the IT Suite, there are 12 networked student PCs available within Seacole library.
Our staff
Lisa Abbott
Associate Head of School
As Associate Head of School, Lisa is a proud advocate of Nursing and Midwifery at BCU. Throughout her 15 years working here, Lisa has enjoyed a variety of roles including Head of Department for Children’s and Young People’s Health, Deputy Programme Leader for Children’s Nursing, Senior Lecturer and Lecturer Practitioner. Lisa works collaboratively to both create and achieve a clear vision for the School, at strategic and operational level, striving for excellence. Lisa is known for an optimistic and fair approach to leadership, aiming to inspire trust within good working relationships. During 2020/1 Lisa has been awarded a Florence Nightingale Foundation ‘Emerging Leader’ Scholarship
More about LisaSusan Ward-Smith
Senior Lecturer in Neonatal Nursing
Sue Ward-Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Neonatal Nursing.
Her career in neonatal care began in the 1980s, shortly after Sue qualified as an adult nurse. Accepting a placement on a neonatal unit, Sue began to specialise in the subject and completed a City & Guilds teaching course at the turn of the 1990s. She was then offered the opportunity to run the neonatal award at Birmingham City University, which led to a permanent offer of employment. Sue has also gained experience as a child field admissions tutor, expanding her experiences and broadening her skills.
The Dimensions in Health Care Neonatal Award has recruited staff from neonatal units across a wide geographical area, and continues to receive positive feedback from managers and students alike.
More about Susan