Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work – BSc (Honours)

At a glance

If you want a career making a difference in the lives of individuals with learning disabilities this joint award course is the right choice for you. Gain the professional experience that you need by spending 50% of your time in practice placements in a wide variety of settings. This is complemented by your studies in our specialist £13 million Robert Winston Building.

Key points
• Gain specialist learning disability nursing and generic social work qualifications at graduate level on this unique course.• Develop real skills and experience with 52 weeks spent in a range of health and social care settings.
• Study in the £13 million Robert Winston building.
• Learn from lecturers who have a wealth of experience working in learning disability nursing and social work.

What is applied nursing (learning disability) and generic social work?
This is a joint award qualification which means that at the end of three years study you will have successfully completed an honours degree. You are also qualified to register as a learning disability nurse as well as being fully qualified as a social worker.

This course

People with learning disabilities often have a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. Learning disability nurses and social workers work in partnership with them and family carers, to provide specialist health and social care. The aim is to support the well-being and social inclusion of people with a learning disability. Having a joint award qualification gives you the skills and knowledge to facilitate this.

You develop the skills and expertise to support people with learning difficulties from a joint health and social care perspective. This combination fits well with the government’s modernising agenda to integrate health and social care and make sure professionals and agencies work together and can provide a boost for graduate when gaining employment in this sector.

Your studies centre around our £13 million purpose-built Robert Winston Building on our Collegiate Crescent Campus which has clinical suites and other specialist equipment to allow you to develop the skills that you use whilst out on practice.

Your enthusiasm and passion for working with those with learning difficulties is essential as contact with service users will begin right from the interview stage and continue throughout the course.

You go on practice placements over three years in a range of environments such as advocacy organisations, local authorities, nursing homes, community teams, secure environments and assessment and treatment centres. These culminate with a 20 week placement in your third year where you take on your own case load of patients or service users. During your placement you have a professional mentor or practice assessor to help guide you and support you. You build up practice learning portfolios containing evidence of your personal and professional development.

You attend seminars and workshops where you take part in group work and independent study. You are assessed though practical and written exams, essays, presentations, seminars and dissertations.

As well as gaining this qualification you also complete a level 2 award in health awareness, which provides you with a certificate from the Royal Society of Public Health.

Key areas of study
The course is a mix of health and social care modules based around the central learning disabilities theme. Topics include • preparing for learning disabilities practice • understanding health and social care • policy and law • meeting complex care needs • anti-oppressive practice • working with vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Student conferences
Students attend Positive Choices which is the only national conference designed to enable student nurses to celebrate the contribution they make to the lives of people with a learning disabilities.

We hold an annual student and service user conference which allows students and service users to share some of the developments that they have been involved in whilst out on practice.