Nursing (Adult) – BSc (Honours)

At a glance

Study to become a nurse specialising in care for over 16 year olds, in facilities praised by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council. Gain the professional experience you need to gain employment by spending 50% of your time on placement within a healthcare setting.

Key points
• Train for the workplace in £13 million facilities, including mock wards.• Spend 50% of your time on placement within a local healthcare setting.
• Learn from lecturers with academic and practical expertise.
• Study modules with other professional groups for example physiotherapists, social workers and occupational therapists
• Gain an additional level 2 award from the Royal Society of Public Health.

What is adult nursing?
In a continually evolving health care system adult nurses make up a large group of the staff within the health care sector and are often the main point of contact for patients and their families. They are an essential professional group. Most of the work that adult nurses do is with older people and increasingly with the frail elderly, sometimes with cognitive impairment. However, adult nursing covers a wide spectrum of nursing practice. Although the challenges faced can be great, it is extremely rewarding work in that it involves responding to the needs of all people over the age of 16 and sometimes, where appropriate, to the needs of children and young adults.

This course

Study to become an adult nurse in facilities described by the Nursing and Midwifery Council as 'a beacon for the future development of health education in this country'. Students who leave the course as qualified nurses go on to work in a wide area of healthcare settings.

We provide modern facilities to help you develop clinical skills and specialist knowledge for your career. You study in our £13 million purpose-built Robert Winston Building on Collegiate Crescent Campus. Its clinical suites, that include mock wards and an operating theatre, replicate the hospital and community settings in which you learn and work. This makes it easier to take what you’ve learnt in the University out into the real world with confidence.

Practice-based learning is central to your development and you spend 50% of each year on clinical placements in a hospital or community setting with Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Bassetlaw or Barnsley trusts. By learning this way, you find that your academic study supports your learning in clinical practice and you are provided with a mentor to help develop your skills.

In your final year you also write a dissertation, where you develop your specialist understanding and analytical skills by investigating a topic relating to adult nursing. The dissertations tackle complex and sometimes contentious issues. For instance, these might include how best to promote compassion and dignity in nursing, or how to better tackle 'super bugs' in healthcare settings.

As part of the course you complete a level two award in understanding health improvement, which provides you with a certificate from the Royal Society of Public Health. We are currently the only university in the UK that offers this as part of our healthcare courses. You also have the opportunity to attend a Student Management of Acute Illness: Recognition and Treatment (SMART) day with medical students.

Key areas of study
Key areas of study include • biological sciences • social sciences • psychology • practical nursing skills • communication skills • ethics • public health • professional requirements.

Professional mix
Some of your teaching takes place alongside students of other healthcare professions such as physiotherapy and paramedics. This allows you to learn together and understand more about other professions. We offer a Student Management of Acute illness: Recognition and Treatment day (SMART) where you study with medical students.