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Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor) - PgDip

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Do you have a desire to become a Health Visitor? The Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) course is aimed at registered nurses or midwives who wish to develop their knowledge and skills within the context of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting).  

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Full Time
  • Award PgDip
  • Start date February 2025

This course is:

Overview

Do you have a desire to become a Health VisitorThe Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) course is aimed at registered nurses or midwives who wish to develop their knowledge and skills within the context of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting).  

This course is not open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

As Specialist Community Public Health Nurses, Health Visitors have a unique role in connecting with families and communities, allowing them to reach every child in their own homes. They provide a collaborative, personalised, evidence-based, and proportionate service that is focused on the needs of children, families, and communities.

As a Health Visitor, you will understand the wider determinants of health and the impact these can have on individuals across their lifetime, allowing you to address health inequalities through early intervention and prevention to promote and improve health and well-being.

Our Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Health Visitor course is underpinned by research and evidence and provides you with a balance of academic and practical learning opportunities. The course has been co-produced with people with experience of health visiting services and practice partners who will support your learning in practice.

The course will help you develop as an autonomous practitioner in public health and adopt a life-course approach to your evolving practice. You will also acquire skills to effect change that reduces health inequalities.

Your learning and development will be supported by academic assessors, practice assessors and practice supervisors in line with NMC guidelines (2023).

Upon completion of the course, our aim is for you to be able to demonstrate the development of your knowledge, skills and behaviours by achieving the NMC Standards of Proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (NMC, 2022) reflecting the six spheres of influence:

  1. Autonomous specialist community public health nursing practice
  2. Transforming specialist community public health nursing practice: evidence, research, evaluation and translation 
  3. Promoting human rights and addressing inequalities: assessment, surveillance and intervention
  4. Population health: enabling, supporting and improving health outcomes of people across the life course.
  5. Advancing public health services and promoting healthy places, environments and
    cultures.
  6. Leading and collaborating: from investment to action and dissemination.

Successful completion of the course will make you eligible to register your qualification
with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and lead to professional recognition in Specialist
Community Public Health Nursing in Health Visiting

Accredited By

This course is accredited by:

  • Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

Why Choose Us?

  • This course offers comprehensive support from a team of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge, ensuring you are well-prepared to enter a specialist practice profession. The course runs over 52 weeks is approximately 50 per cent theory and 50 per cent practice.
  • We accept direct applications to the University and to seconding Trusts (visit NHS Careers for adverts) or employing organisations.
  • Theory and practice are integrated throughout the programme, culminating in approximately 10 weeks of practice learning at the end of your course
  • We’ve recently upgraded our simulation facilities, which now include mock wards, a home environment space, a 'simbulance', an operating theatre, and digital anatomy tables.
  • Throughout the course, you will have protected practice learning time, providing you with the opportunity to develop and embed your skills and knowledge.

OPEN DAY

Join us for a virtual Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail. Booking isn't open yet for this event, register your interest and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.

Next Event: 5 February 2025

Register your interest

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

UK students

  • First level registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Nurse and/or Midwife is required.
  • If awaiting confirmation of registration, there must be evidence of successful completion of a pre-registration nursing or midwifery programme and evidence of application for NMC registration.
  • It is essential that students secure a secondment opportunity or fixed term contract with an employing organisation before applying.
  • Enhanced DBS and Occupational Health Clearance is required with the employing organisation prior to course entry.

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: PgDip

Starting: Feb 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 year
  • TBC

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. 

DBS check 

If you are required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for this course, the cost for your first DBS check is included in your fees. 

Occupational health assessment 

You will need to complete an occupational health assessment. The cost for this is included in your course fee. 

Memberships 

Membership of the relevant professional body is included in the course fees. 

Clothing and safety equipment (mandatory) 

Students work in the community during placements and if not provided by a work uniform by their employer they will need to where smart comfortable work wear - guidance is provided by the employing Trust through their Uniform policy policy. 

Placement expenses (mandatory) 

Placements are a compulsory element of this course. You'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home. 

Travel (mandatory) 

For some modules you will be required to travel within the local area for work in schools and community settings and you will need to budget approximately £200 p/a for this. Some students choose to get a bus pass to cover all local travel. 

Excess printing (optional) 

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

Personal stationery and study materials (optional) 

Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. 

Placement expenses (optional) 

If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home. 

Memberships (optional) 

You may wish to join a union or professional body related to this course. The Institute of Health Visiting is £3.50 per month for student membership, and SAPHNA is £3.50 per month for student membership.  

Accommodation and living costs (optional)

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.

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.

If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.

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 7

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits): 

Download course specification

Download now

Course structure

Specialist Community Public Health Nurses lead and deliver public health services for children, young people, and families. The aim of the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) course is to prepare you with the skills and knowledge needed to provide leadership and innovation in community public health.

The wider aims are to improve population health, particularly the health of children, young people, and families, and to prevent illness. These aims are based upon the NMC standards of proficiency for SCPHN (NMC, 2022).

How will I be assessed?

A variety of assessment methods are used to enable students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding. The assessment methods are designed to enable you to apply theory to your developing SCPHN practice; develop critical thinking and analytical skills in your field of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN).

Assessment methods include formative assessments such as group work presentations, professional skills profiles, self-assessments, regular placement learning reviews, and quizzes. A range of summative assessments are also used, including essays, presentations, and a practice assessment document.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
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 will give you the opportunity to expand your knowledge and move into more senior roles.

Diane Edkins was working as a school nurse and was hesitant to take on a degree, despite it being the logical step in improving her employability. Once she started studying the course, however, she completely changed her mind.

I thought the teaching was excellent, as were the facilities. I had lots of support, whether it be in assignment writing, using electronic resources or solving a personal issue.

The course helped my career, as I have been promoted to a higher band within school nursing. I am not sure what my plans for the future are, but I feel I now have more choices due to undertaking this course.


Diane Edkins

Placements

We’re committed to ensuring the quality of your experience on placement so that you consolidate your learning in practice and develop you confidence.

In partnership with our practice learning partners, you will be supported on placement by a practice assessor and practice supervisor in line with the NMC standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (NMC, 2023). We aim to support individual learning needs and make reasonable adjustments if needed to ensure you have the best opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills while on placement.

More about our placement opportunities

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 Training Academy, 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

Laura Maguire

Senior Lecturer – Post Qualifying Practice Department

Laura’s professional background is in midwifery and health visiting.  She has worked in both hospital and community settings, here in the UK and in Australia.  She joined Birmingham City University in 2014 as a PhD student and Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant (GRTA).  Her interests include offering excellence in teaching and...

More about Laura