Taught in a Medical School at the heart of one of the UK’s largest healthcare regions, the BNurs Adult Nursing course provides you with many opportunities to gain experience treating patients from a wide range of different backgrounds and cultures.

Delivered in partnership between the university and renowned Newcastle healthcare organisations, this course prepares you for safe and contemporary practice and employment as a registered nurse in adult nursing practice.

You will learn biological, pharmacological and social sciences, nursing theories, systems, processes and an advancing range of nursing skills that enable you to lead, manage and deliver effective person centred nursing  practice. You’ll also study medicines management including the completion of safe drug calculation.

Empathy with how patients, caregivers and the public experience healthcare and knowledge of how this is evaluated and continuously improved is a key component of the course. Emphasis is placed on developing your ability to research and study independently and with colleagues and to reflect and reason systematically in a critical and evidence based way. 

   

First year (Foundation year)

The first year is designed to develop your understanding of holistic healthcare and nursing practice with people across the lifespan in each of the fields of practice.

You will share learning with students from all fields of practice and undertake placements and simulated practice experience with children, adults and the elderly. As well as examining these areas through study and simulated practical skills, you will gain invaluable practical experience by completing a number of placements which expose you to different populations and fields of nursing practice.

You’ll study the principles of nursing practice and nursing skills underpinned by relevant biological, pharmacological, psychological and social sciences and will gain an appreciation of the health and social needs of people and their families. You will also study core clinical skills and develop your academic and digital skills in order to gain an understanding of professional practice. The design of the course means that you may apply to change your field of practice at the end of the first year if you feel you have made a wrong choice, subject to availability.

   

Second year

You will develop your clinical nursing, communication, health promotion and managerial knowledge and skills further including studying modules specific to your field of practice. These will build on the biological, pharmacological, and psychological and social sciences knowledge gained in the first year in relation to therapeutic nursing and practice. There are further core modules shared between all students that will develop your health communication and promotion and clinical decision making including the study of research, management and evidence-based practice. Field specific clinical placements may be spent in hospital and community settings in your second year.

At the end of the second year you have the opportunity to undertake a 4 week elective experience, either overseas or in the United Kingdom (UK). In the UK electives can be arranged in hospices, prisons and other specialist units. These may include citizenship experience such as voluntary contribution to an organisation as part of your professional development. International electives can be in health care settings in any continent of the world. Examples of countries where students have visited recently include Australia, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Thailand, Tanzania, Greece, Canada and the USA. The elective, whether in the UK or Internationally, enables you to experience differences in culture and environment, develops your leadership and independence, and may also enable you to gain exposure to a nursing career or alternative clinical practice environment, healthcare system and language. The experience will benefit you as a Registered Nurse and future nursing leader and allows you to inform a personal area of interest related to your future career and nursing practice. It also gives you the opportunity to further develop your self-confidence and organisational skills, through arranging your own elective experience with the support and guidance of academic staff.

   

Third year

During your final year you will be prepared for your transition to a registered nurse. The year is made up of three modules and practice placements, two modules are shared with other nursing field students and will focus on your leadership and management development as well as your research and use of evidence. A field specific module integrates and builds on year one and two prior learning to develop your ability to undertake in-depth assessment, diagnosis and related clinical decision making in your field for people requiring complex nursing care. Medicines management and future readiness to undertake a postgraduate prescribing programme will form part of this module and will facilitate final completion of the complete range of communication skills and nursing procedures required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018).

Field specific clinical placements may be in hospital and/or community settings and it may be possible to select a placement for your final management experience in line with your first employment as a registered nurse.

   

Placements

Your nursing practice is continuously developed and assessed throughout the programme by specially prepared supervisors and registered nursing assessors using the region wide Midlands, Yorkshire and East Practice Assessment Document (MYEPAD). At the University of Newcastle , you will have the opportunity to practice nursing in some of the country’s leading healthcare foundation trusts gaining experience of a range of nursing environments and care settings including home, community and hospital settings in the Newcastle and Solihull area.

Throughout the programme your skill development will be supported through the simulated practice setting in the University. You will therefore undertake a range of diverse and exciting clinical placements, gaining a variety of experiences with a wide range of client groups, under the guidance of skilled clinicians.

In order to maximise your learning experience on clinical placements, practice placement teams organise teaching sessions, student forums and provide on-going clinical support for mentors and nursing students. Clinical link tutors from the University of Newcastle also provide support and guidance for students and mentors, facilitating student forums on clinical link tutor visit days and visiting placement areas regularly. Each year you will have a named academic assessor with responsibility for oversight of your practice progress.

Adult field of practice placements

You will have placements in hospital settings, with the opportunity to work in medicine, surgery, accident and emergency, critical care, rehabilitation and older adults. In the community you will work in hospices, intermediate care and with district nurses and other specialist healthcare professionals.

    

Why Study this Course?

  • The common first year maximises your learning and experience of holistic nursing and different healthcare environments.
  • You will benefit from our enquiry based and research intensive learning and teaching strategy to develop reflection and confidence in your future professional development.
  • Clinical skills and simulation teaching culminates in clinical assessment and simple diagnostic skill development and knowledge to support your postgraduate prescribing preparation.
  • Our strong partnership agreements lead to effective placements in Newcastle NHS Trusts.
  • Teaching on the course is delivered in the Medical School meaning you benefit from inter-professional learning opportunities studing alongside students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy. This prepares you for working in today’s interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
  • You will be supported to develop leadership and citizenship beyond the planned programme including opportunities for a elective/ civic engagement experience.

Institutional Accreditation 

University of Newcastle is accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission (DETC), www.detc.org.uk Since , University of Newcastle has been continually accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

Nursing BNurs – Adult

Course Level:

Undergraduate, Single Honours

Credits 

120

Course

CODE U521

How long it takes:

Undergraduate (3 Years)

Study Mode:

Distance learning/ Campus

Course cost

Price: US$20,220

Entry requirements

Find out more about

Department:

Newcastle Law School

Modules in the first year

The first year of the programme is unique in that it provides you with an introduction to the theory and the practice of Adult, Mental Health, Child and Public Health Nursing. As well as examining these areas through academic study, you will gain invaluable practical experience by completing 3 placements in each of these fields of nursing practice.

  • 40 credits – Essential Nursing Care
  • 40 credits – Principles of Nursing
  • 40 credits – Health and Wellbeing

   


Modules in the second year

You will develop your clinical nursing and managerial skills further whilst studying clinical modules specific to your field of practice and core modules which support your development as a nurse, these include the study of evidence-based practice and healthcare in a social economic and political environment. There are 3 field specific clinical placements in hospital and community settings in your second year.

Core modules

  • 20 credits – Promoting Health and Self-Management
  • 30 credits – Clinical Decision Making 
  • 40 credits – Therapeutic Nursing in Adult Care
  • 30 credits – Evaluating Nursing Care in Adults

    


Modules in the third year

In the final year you will extend your academic, managerial and clinical skills in order to be able to work as a safe, compassionate, effective and autonomous practitioner upon qualifying as a Registered Nurse. You study 2 field specific clinical modules and learn about leadership in nursing, along with completing a research dissertation.

Core modules

  • 40 credits – Leading and Managing Nursing in Practice
  • 40 credits – Research Methods
  • 40 credits – Assessment, Diagnostics and Decision Making in Complex Nursing Care

Entry requirements

 

Applicants should normally have one of the following:

  • A non-law bachelor’s degree (from a UK university or recognised by the BSB if you wish to study the BPTC), or
  • A ‘stale’ law degree, where five or more years have elapsed since graduation, or
  • An academic or professional qualification at degree equivalent level

If English is not your first language, you will also need to demonstrate your English Language proficiency. For example, you should have IELTS 7.5 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all components.

If you intend to become a Solicitor

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has reduced its requirements for pre-authorisation this year. For details of the current arrangements, see the SRA website. You should pay special attention to the Character and Suitability section. If you think you may have a character or suitability issue, you may wish to clarify with the SRA before proceeding with the GDL.

See further details of our English Language requirement

USA,UK & EU students, 2019/20 (per year)

£8,500

International students starting 2019/20 (per year)

£13,100

 

Assessment

You’ll show your progress through a combination of written essays, problem-solving assignments and presentations.

All students take our core modules, but please note that the availability of optional modules is subject to demand.

On graduation and qualification you will have a highly regarded degree and eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice as a Registered Nurse.

  

Our graduates are highly valued and the majority seeking nursing positions have secured employment or pursued further career-related training on completing the programme. Many of our graduates stay in the Birmingham area and work in the NHS, others move on to take up appointments in the UK and overseas. There are many varied career opportunities for nursing in clinical practice, management, research and education. Extensive restructuring in nursing as a profession and within the NHS means that a good career structure is now in place.

Take a look at our alumni profile pages to see what some of our students have gone on to do after completing their Bachelor of Nursing programme.

Our unique careers guidance service, Careers Network, offers a specialised team who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

We also offer voluntary work which complements your studies by helping you gain practical experiences in occupational settings while contributing back to society. This can bring new skills that will be useful throughout your future and can make a positive impact on your learning whilst at university. Volunteering enables you to develop skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-confidence and self-discipline all of which can be transferred into your studies.

   

Professional Accreditation

Satisfactory completion of the Bachelor of Nursing programme provides you with the eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Registered Nurse. (Adult, Mental Health or Child).