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BSc (Hons) - Nursing/Registered Nurse: Adult Nursing

On completion of the BSc Adult Nursing programme you will meet the requirements for entry onto the Nursing and Midwifery Council register and be awarded with a higher education degree from the University of Cumbria.

The programme is designed to prepare you to develop into a competent, safe and knowledgeable practitioner who is confident in delivering high quality, evidence-based and compassionate care and with the expertise you need to develop future nursing practice.

If you have already completed a FdSc Nursing Associate programme, you will have the opportunity to enter directly into the second year of this degree, enabling you to qualify as an adult nurse in just two years.

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Accredited by:

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Nursing & Midwifery Council

NHS trust partners:

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Course Overview

The programme is studied full time over three years and you will be expected to attend study and placements during the weeks specified on the programme planner. This will be made available to you on commencement of the course. For students who might wish to undertake placements closer to home, if you study at the Lancaster campus you may have the opportunity to undertake placements with the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust, and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay.

Equal value is placed on theory and practice for the duration of the BSc Nursing programme and you will develop confidence and competence in the achievement of the NMC proficiencies through your engagement with practice-related experiences.

Throughout the length of the course you will be introduced to essential knowledge that a nurse is required to understand to enable the delivery of effective person-centred care. This will include an introduction to, and development of, knowledge of biological sciences, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medicine management, communication, professional, ethical and legal requirements, health promotion, knowledge of evidence-led practice, along with an advancing range of clinical skills that will be developed whilst on placement and in the university setting.

Emphasis is placed on your ability to research and study independently and work with your student colleagues. The programme aims to develop your skills of self-reflection and ability to reason and develop your critical thinking skills.

The University of Cumbria has excellent clinical skills and simulation facilities including simulated ward areas, high dependency care areas, home spaces and a brand new dedicated ‘immersive simulation room’. These spaces are used throughout the duration of the course and enable you to experience ‘real-life’ scenarios in a simulated environment.

On this course you will...

  • Develop and accomplish the knowledge and skills you need to practise and provide evidenced-based and compassionate care as a registered nurse.
  • Develop skills of assessment, clinical decision making and managing complex care in a variety of settings.
  • Learn and work alongside all fields of nursing and the multi-disciplinary team whilst on placement, and recognise the contribution of different health professionals' roles and expertise.
  • Develop skills through a range of nursing placements that will be a mixture of hospital and community settings, and through skills teaching and simulated practice.
  • Prepare you for a future leadership role in nursing practice.
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Course Structure

What you will learn

You will spend 50% of the programme on clinical placement being supervised and assessed by practice staff. The theoretical input is delivered by expert teaching staff and is based on the latest evidence and research, using a variety of teaching and learning approaches.

The programme will equip you to deliver safe and effective care to the highest standards and ensure you practice with compassion and confidence. You will be taught to make complex decisions regarding patient care in diverse settings and with different patient groups.

Year one

The first year of the BSc Adult Nursing Course is designed to introduce you to the concepts that underpin nursing practice. There are 6 academic modules this year in total, of equal academic weighting of 20 credits. The modules for year one of the nursing course are studied alongside students from all nursing fields except for one Field specific module. The aim is to introduce you to the concept of holistic healthcare and the importance of effective communication skills, professional and ethical practice, introduction to evidence led care and health and social care policy. The biological sciences module will be supported with practical clinical skills sessions in the simulated ward environment. You will also study principles of nursing practice applied to Adult Nursing. There are two Placement allocations in year one and these are assessed against the NMC proficiencies and it is mandatory that both these placements are achieved.

  • Applied Biological Sciences for Health
    Learn essential knowledge of the fundamental concepts of anatomy and physiology relating to human body systems and applied to clinical practice and decision making.
  • Professional Practice & Accountability
    Explore the legal, ethical and professional concepts which inform the complexities of decision making in health & social care practice.
  • Developing Evidence-Based Practice
    Develop skills in critical evaluation of the evidence base that informs practice.
  • Introduction to Communication & Interpersonal Skills
    Learn a variety of communication, interpersonal and self awareness skills required to provide culturally appropriate and compassionate nursing care.
  • Concepts of Health & Social Policy
    Explore perspectives of biological, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual and behavioural determinants of health and promote person centred wellbeing across the lifespan.
  • Introduction to Adult Nursing
    Gain knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles that inform Adult Nursing Practice.
Year two

The second year of the programme has 6 academic modules of 20 credits each with 2 practice placements. Year two is designed to support your development of knowledge and skills that were delivered in year one. Within this year of study, you will examine principles of pharmacology and medicine management, care of people with long term conditions and chronic health care needs, primary and community care and gain experience of caring for people in their own homes along with assessing and managing the acutely ill person and emergency care. Development of communication skills are threaded throughout the curriculum and the year 2 module introduces the utilisation of therapeutic communication. Empathy towards patients and families is essential and the ‘lived experience module’ provides an insight into how individuals and families experience illness and healthcare.

  • Pharmacology & Medicines Therapeutics
    Learn to understand and apply the principles of pharmacology and medicine therapeutics in the management of care.
  • Living with Long Term Conditions across the Lifespan
    Develop an underpinning knowledge relating to the causes, presentation and management of long term conditions across the lifespan.
  • Learning From the “Lived Experience”
    An opportunity for the analysis and formulation of contextual knowledge through problem based learning and reflection using narratives of individuals accessing health and social care.
  • Communication and Relationship Management in a Therapeutic Context
    Learn to recognise, select and utilise appropriate communication strategies and therapeutic skills.
  • Primary Care & Community Practice
    Develop knowledge, skills and understanding of the holistic assessment and management of the adult in the context of primary and community care.
  • Secondary & Tertiary Care
    Develop knowledge, skills and understanding of the holistic assessment and management of the adult within secondary & tertiary care.
Year three

The final year of the BSc Adult Nursing Programme will prepare you for the transition to NMC registration. This year is made up of five academic modules (four at 20 credits and one at 40 credits) and two practice placements. The modules will focus on your leadership and management development, clinical decision making ability as well as utilising research and use of evidence. You will study a field specific module, relevant to adult nursing, that integrates and consolidates your prior learning from year one and two. This will develop your ability to undertake in-depth assessment and related clinical decision making in your field of practice, for patients requiring complex nursing care.

  • Clinical Decision Making & Complex Care
    Consolidate professional competence in clinical decision making related to the management of complex care within contemporary health and social care.
  • Contemporary Issues and Change Management in Professional Practice
    Demonstrate your knowledge when promoting a synthesis of the evidence base to improve service quality within professional practice.
  • Public Health
    Learn to understand and evaluate the public health and social care agendas and their impact on individuals, groups and communities.
  • Leading and Managing Health & Social Care
    Prepare for working as a professional within an organisation.
  • Consolidation of Adult Nursing Practice
    Develop knowledge, skills, and confidence in the management of adult nursing practice in a variety of settings.

Attend an Open Day at Cumbria

An Open Day is your opportunity to explore one of 5 campuses, meet your lecturers, and find out how the University of Cumbria could become your new home.

Take the next step towards achieving your dreams.
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