Practice Nursing BSc

About the course

The Practice Nursing programme of 60 credits at level 6 (undergraduate) or level 7 (postgraduate) was developed to address the issues of recruitment and competency across the East Midlands region.

It aims to prepare registered nurses who have not worked in general practice before to have a baseline competence in the General Practice Nursing (GPN) role through both theoretical and practice learning. This will allow employers in the future to expect a safe, competence practice nurse and a certain level of consistency in terms of knowledge, skills and competence.

Key facts

Duration: One year over 2 semesters

Attendance: 17 days of theoretical content, usually on Thursdays

Start date: Two intakes per year: October 2013-14; February 2014

Locations: Locations will very from each intake.

Entry and admission criteria

• All students must have an effective registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
• They should also possess 120 credits at levels 4 and 5
• And have the ability to study successfully at degree level (level 6)
• Employed as a general practice nurse by the start of the programme

OR

• All students must have an effective registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Students should have a minimum of three years post-registration experience, within a health practice setting
• v
• They must also possess 120 credits at level 4 and a minimum of 30 credits at level 5
• And have the ability to study successfully at degree level (level 6)
• Employed as a general practice nurse by the start of the programme

Applicants who fall short of the above entry requirements may use the APA mechanism to contribute towards the above criteria.

Teaching and assessment

The course adopts a range of teaching and learning strategies designed to facilitate the learning of a professional group; aiming to be efficient and motivating in the transfer of theoretical and practical knowledge, and to engage positively in actively negotiating, constructing and evaluating learning. Strategies include;

• Teacher-led sessions
• Student-led seminars and presentations
• Discussions and tutorials
• Independent study
• Focused reflection
• as well as a range of experiential teaching methods

Course modules

PGC General Practice Nursing:
Introduction to Practice Nursing (60 credits, level 7)

BSc General Practice Nursing:
Introduction to Practice Nursing (60 credits, level 6)

The Introduction to Practice Nursing is a 60 credit module that runs over two semesters. The end of the module assesses achievement of the standards set by Working in Partnership Programme (RCN 2012) i.e. The GPN Career Framework for Level 5 Practitioners

Academic expertise

A key strength of our team is that they are experienced and specialist Practice and Community nurses; familiar with a wide range of accompanying issues and contemporary debates.

Visiting lecturers will also contribute to the modules to broaden your perspective of practice nursing regionally and nationally.

Graduate careers

There will be an increasing clinical service load in primary care with the trend to devolve clinical responsibility from secondary care. Practice nurses now are diverse in their management of health including Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) with many having acquired specialist skills and knowledge e.g. in long term conditions such as asthma and diabetes.

Further, Practice Nurses are often first point of contact in terms of public health promotion and intervention, signposting and identifying onset of conditions. This, in turn, with appropriate treatment, can lead to reduced admissions to specialist services. A graduate, or postgraduate, academic qualification in General Practice Nursing will enable you to fulfill your role as Practice Nurse

Fees and funding

Those working in the NHS may be eligible for funding from the Education Commission Unit of the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority.

Applicants outside of the East Mindlands please contact:

Shona Green

E: s.green@dmu.ac.uk
|T: +44 (0)116 257 7289

Scholarships

Learn more about our Undergraduate scholarships| and awards information.