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BSc (Honours) Nursing - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

If you are already working as a healthcare support worker/healthcare assistant and would like to become a Registered Nurse, this unique practice-based qualification is for you. The aim of this course is for you to develop all the skills and proficiencies you need to be a Registered Nurse. The course enables you to stay in work while you study, provided you have the support of your employer. During the course, you will experience a range of alternative practice settings. On successful completion of the course you will be able to register as a Registered Nurse (Adult, Children and Young People, Learning Disabilities or Mental Health) with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). 

Key features of the course

  • Balanced theory and practice delivered through practice-based and supportive distance learning
  • Develops the professional skills and knowledge to deliver high quality, safe and effective person/family-centred care for individuals across the life span with varied health needs in a range of care settings

Meets all the Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements for entry to the professional register as a Registered Nurse (Adult, Children and Young People, Learning Disabilities or Mental Health).

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this degree qualification, you will have knowledge and understanding of:

  • a systematic and extensive knowledge and understanding of the contemporary context for health and social care, the range of settings and the principles of integrated, person-centred care.
  • an extensive knowledge and critical understanding of the biological, pharmacological, physical, socio-cultural, political, legal, ethical, organisational and psychological concepts and theories relevant to contemporary nursing practice.
  • an understanding of the principles of research, the evidence base for healthcare and nursing practice, and the ability to recognise the potential uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge.

Cognitive skills

On completion of this degree qualification, you will be able to:

  • critique concepts and information from a wide range of sources, including current research, scholarly, and professional literature, and evaluate applicability for nursing and healthcare.
  • critically analyse risks in health and social care and evaluate strategies for improving safety and quality.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this degree qualification, you will be able to:
  • demonstrate achievement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council proficiencies for registered nurses in the chosen field of practice (either Adult, Children and Young People, Learning Disabilities or Mental Health).
  • demonstrate resilience and acknowledge the impact and demands of professional nursing practice on your personal health and wellbeing, engaging in self-care and accessing support when required.
  • demonstrate independent learning skills and the ability to learn from feedback, reflecting on your own personal and professional development, and demonstrating a commitment to lifelong learning.

Key skills

On completion of this degree qualification, you will be able to demonstrate the following skills:

  • Problem-solving, decision-making and critical thinking skills applied to nursing practice.
  • Ability to communicate effectively and manage relationships with service users, families, carers and health and social care colleagues, using a range of appropriate methods and applying emotional intelligence.
  • Literacy, digital literacy, technological literacy and numeracy skills required to ensure safe and effective nursing practice.
  • Effective skills in leadership, management, coordination, team-working and collaboration.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

Our pre-registration nursing programme includes a range of teaching methods recognising that students have different preferred learning styles. During the programme you will learn directly from your experiences in practice and through knowledge and understanding acquired from specially prepared learning materials. You will be able to focus your learning on your field of practice although you will have the opportunity to reflect on practices across all four fields (Adult, Children and Young People, Learning Disabilities, and Mental Health).

Each module guides your learning by providing underlying theory on key concepts and evidence-based knowledge to enable you to learn the necessary skills to practise nursing.

While on programme, you will use an enquiry-based approach to your learning, and you will be encouraged to reflect on what you learn, carry out activities and participate in group learning. Peer learning will help avoid feelings of isolation that students can experience when studying via distance learning. For the level 2 and level 3 modules, enquiry-based learning uses scenarios/vignettes that reflect real life situations and the complexity of healthcare, people’s health needs across the lifespan and the range of care settings. Learning will be in small facilitated groups and you will develop skills to become an independent learner, who can identify your learning needs, seek out and appraise information, and apply your learning in practice.

Information literacy and evidence-based practice are integral to your learning.

To progress through the qualification, you will be required to integrate your theoretical learning (learning for practice) and your practice-based learning (learning in practice) in order to provide safe, effective, compassionate, person and family-centred care.

As you progress, you will be expected to learn and practise increasing independence and will be encouraged to form ‘communities of learning’ with other students on the qualification. This will be promoted through face-to-face meetings where relevant and feasible, online discussion forum activities, online tutorials using Adobe Connect, telephone and email contact. A practice tutor/academic assessor, a practice-based supervisor and practice-based assessors will facilitate and support your practice learning in each setting where you gain experience.

Support in practice will help you gain confidence and competence in order to deliver personalised, person/family-centred nursing care. Innovative educational technologies will be employed to maximise and capitalise on the excellent learning and teaching opportunities available. Vibrant and diverse learning materials and activities are brought together to bring an exciting and innovative approach to learning. The curriculum is flexible and student-centred, responsive to changing service requirements, and aims to produce nurses who can improve care experiences in a professional, caring and cost-effective manner.

To recognise the value of nursing, students and staff will work collaboratively and creatively in the teaching and learning experience, to positively influence the nursing student’s personal and professional development. Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) is used to facilitate this development and to facilitate students acquiring requisite knowledge and skills. EBL is a student-centred teaching approach that motivates and engages students with direct decision making, applied analytical thinking and results in competent, reflective, autonomous practitioners, able to think critically, problem solve and respond in the ever-changing landscape of health and social care. This research-orientated approach will inspire students to learn for themselves in readiness for lifelong learning and leadership.