BSc (Hons) Nursing
BSc (Hons) Nursing
Key facts
Fields – Adult, Children’s or Mental Health
Duration – 3 Years
Start date – September and February
Course Aim
The BSc (Hons) Nursing course aims to produce competent and dynamic graduate Adult, Mental Health or Child nurses who are capable of undertaking nursing practice in a variety of clinical settings. The graduate will be able to design strategies for the collection and analysis of scholarly material relating to nursing care, and be able to identify nursing issues from a wide perspective which require changes in practice, and will ultimately lead this process.
Upon successful completion of the course, students are awarded the degree and are eligible to register as an Adult, Child or Mental Health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Nursing can lead to a range of challenging opportunities, whether this is within the NHS, private sector, armed forces or undertaking a research role. Nursing is about lifelong learning, and students will continue their education as they progress in their career, whether it’s continuing to postgraduate study or taking short clinical courses in specialist areas.
Structure
The course is run over three years and will consist of a mix of generic and field content in all years of study. This ensures that you interact with students from other fields right from the start of the course, to aid inter-professional learning. Each year will also include a combination of theory and self-directed study totalling 37.5 hours per week (including assessments/examinations) and 37.5 hours per week practice placements. Although the organisation of our clinical placements and academic study is split into distinct half year blocks, the time spent in practice will increases over the three years. Please note that during practice placement you should have the ability to follow a shift pattern covering 24 hours a day and seven days a week, this will include early shifts, 12 hour days, late shifts and nights. You will also need to ensure that you can meet necessary travel requirements.
Assessment
This is a modular based course that has a mix of semester and year long modules. Throughout the course a variety of assessment methods are utilised including essays, final year extended project, observed structural clinical examinations (OSCE’s), personal portfolio, seminar presentations, unseen/seen examinations. In addition students are assessed in each area of clinical practice undertaken.
Holidays
The duration of the course is 45 weeks allowing for a Christmas, Summer and Easter holiday.
Entry requirements
Entry criteria
UCAS Tariff score between 240 – 280 points. In addition, you will require GCSE Maths, English and Science at Grade C or above (or equivalent). Alternatively, appropriate functional skills at level two (Maths and English) will be required.
Although not a requirement, preferred A-Level subjects are Health and Social Care, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Chemistry, Physics and Physical Education.
An IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent for non native English speaking applicants is normally required.
Mature students without formal qualifications are welcome to apply. We advise you to contact us to discuss your application.
All applicants should be able to demonstrate evidence of study within the last five years
AND
• meet residency criteria.
Do I need nursing experience?
Prior experience in health care is not essential but can be advantageous. Applicants will be encourages to gain experience in a care setting prior to undertaking the programme.
Preparatory courses
If you find, after reading the booklet and checking the course entry requirements, that you do not possess the academic qualifications required, then you may consider undertaking an Access to Higher Education course in either Health and Social Care or Nursing, or an NVQ in Health and Social Care. We can advise you as to which Further Education Colleges in your area provide these courses. They are normally one year full-time or two years part-time, and give you excellent preparation for Higher Education at Bucks New University.
Criminal Conviction Declarations
As part of your application you will be required to declare any criminal convictions that are not regarded as spent under the Rehabilitation of the Offenders Act (1974). However as this course leads to a professional nursing registration you must also declare spent convictions.
Offers are conditional upon satisfactory health and fitness to practice screening, references, and a successful Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance.
For more information on how to make an application, please click here.