Postgraduate Diploma

Community Health Care Nursing

(Children's)

Duration:: One year
Start Dates:: September
Attendance:: Two days at the University, two days per week in practice
Venue:: High Wycombe
Cost:: Available on request

Key Contact:: Sharon Aldridge-Bent
Tel:: 01494 522 141
Email:: sharon.aldridge-bent@bucks.ac.uk

Is this course suitable for me?

If you are an experienced, highly motivated nurse seeking to develop your career in one of the three specialist pathways listed below, undertaking this postgraduate qualification will prove to be extremely fulfilling.

Overview

This modular based postgraduate course has been specifically designed to meet the NMC requirements for the preparation of Specialist Practitioners in Community Health Care Nursing.

The three pathways include:

Community Children’s Nursing
Community Mental Health Nursing
District Nursing

Structure

Semester one

two days per week at the University
two days per week in the practice placement
one study day per week

Inter-semester block of practice- two weeks

Semester two

two days per week in the practice placement
two days per week at the University
one study day per week

Final Block of Practice: 10 weeks (June, July & August)

Teaching and learning

The teaching, learning and assessment methods are wide-ranging to fit the variety of student learning styles. In all cases these methods will focus on application to practice, and a critical approach to nursing care in the community. Academic tutor support is offered to all students to facilitate their academic development at a postgraduate level.

Learning is facilitated in the community practice environment as well as the classroom and the methods used here are those of discussion as well as critical observation and demonstration, enabling you to analyse your decisions and the decision making process. The understanding of research based knowledge underpinning the decisions is of key importance. You are also encouraged to consider the development of innovative research into your specialist area of practice.

Within the classroom, lectures, discussion and seminars are used to enable you to both build your knowledge and share experiences with your peer group. This sharing of experience is seen as a major element in the development of community nurses who are able to practice at a high level, taking responsibility for complex decisions within a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency environment.

Assessment will be by course work, portfolio development, presentations and examination (Nurse Prescribing). The assessment of practice is undertaken using a community practice portfolio. The Practice Teacher is responsible for the teaching and assessment in practice and they work closely with the Link Tutor, who will visit the practice learning environment on at least three occasions during the year.

Entry requirements

You will need to be registered on the appropriate part of the NMC register, possess a first degree in a subject relating to nursing. You will also need to make arrangements for a suitable practice placement to run concurrently with the theoretical element of the course. Most practitioners who undertake the specialist practitioner qualification receive sponsorship from a Primary Care Trust. The practice placement is then arranged by the sponsoring Trust.

Further opportunities

This course gives you an understanding of the complexities of working within a community setting, giving an increased awareness of strategic influences on policy. With the changing demographics of patients being cared for in their own homes, this programme provides you with an underpinning knowledge to equip you with skills to care effectively for patients/clients in their own homes or community settings.

How to make an application

Please contact the Enquiries Team on 01494 603 171 or email ask@bucks.ac.uk

We hope to have a fully on-line application system shortly, but in the meantime, to apply for a course, please download and print these forms, completing them fully and posting back to the address below.

Mike Thomson

Student Recruitment Officer

Bucks New University

106 Oxford Road

Uxbridge

UB8 1NA

If you are unable to view the forms, please click here to download a free version of adobe reader.

Alternatively, if you call us on 01494 603 171 or email ask@bucks.ac.uk we can post you a hard copy application pack.

Students funded by the NHS or other employer

If the cost of your course is being funded by your employer, please contact your education lead or manager for guidance as to how they would prefer you to make an application.