Course overview
You achieve an academic award, and two professional awards (SPQ Specialist Practice in District Nursing and Non-medical Prescribing (V300)), enabling you to be an independent prescriber within your scope of practice.
This course is approved against the NMC (2022) Standards of Proficiency for Community Nursing Specialist Practice Qualifications and mapped to The Queen's Nursing Institute (2022) District Nursing Standards for Specialist Practitioner Qualification. This provides a strong framework rooted in community nursing, to focus your learning and provide relevant context to the professional standards.
Designed in consultation with local employers, professional standards bodies, students, service users, carers, and district nurse educators from across the country.
This course prepares you for the dynamic and motivating world of community nursing so you are in a strong position to apply for a position as a district nurse and team leader.
Supporting information for applicants
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Course details
You study four modules full-time across 51 weeks. You achieve practice proficiencies while on placement. The balance of the course is 50% theory and 50% practice.
There is an option to continue to the MSc route after completing the PgDip, which involves completing a further module giving you 60 credits as a part-time student. This module has a flexible format and could involve you carrying out live research, a systematic review, preparing an article with an evidence file which underpins this or a service evaluation. You can speak to your academic or further information.
Course structure
You learn key aspects of district nursing, including building a community profile, safeguarding, risk, teaching and learning, promoting independence, the experience of service users and carers, and understanding associated research.
You incorporate the professional district nursing proficiencies, management and leadership skills, developing service improvements, patient safety and understanding research methodology for project design.
Advancing Non-medical Prescribing
Independent and supplementary prescribing is an integrated feature of health service delivery. Some health-specific professionals are qualified to prescribe across a range of healthcare settings. Advancing roles within both nursing and allied health professions have provided a greater access to medicines. This award provides nurses and allied health professionals (physiotherapists, radiographers, podiatrists, dietitians, and paramedics who are working in advanced practice roles) with the knowledge and skills to prescribe safely and effectively. You must work within your own scope of practice and area of competence and be able to complete the care cycle in a holistic manner for clients within your care.
Physical Assessment Skills with a Focus on Long Term Conditions
You explore clinical assessment and management skills for key long-term conditions, drawing on current guidelines and practice.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You commit to a comprehensive and individual approach to learning. Teaching includes group discussions, presentations, project work and clinical skills development in practical labs. You gain confidence in accessing digital resources There is some online learning, but most teaching and learning is in-person.
You share some learning with students on the district nursing apprenticeship course, and students on other courses during the Non-Medical Prescribing module.
We highly value the experience and knowledge of service users and carers involved in the programme, for example through teaching activities and assessment. Your practice assessor plays a significant role in ensuring that you have access to great learning opportunities during placement. Their skills and experiences also provide you with an excellent role model.
How you are assessed
You are assessed through exams, essays, reflections, reports, simulations, projects and assessing proficiencies in practice through a practice assessment document. Your practice assessor and practice supervisors are key to these practice assessments.
Entry requirements
You must:
> have an NMC-valid registration as a registered first-level nurse and at least one year’s experience post-registration
> be successful at interview
> have a degree or RPL equivalent
> be professionally practising in a role where there is an identified need to prescribe
> be approved by the employing trust or organisation’s non-medical prescribing lead and service manager who must provide verification of your suitability to prescribe
> have an NMP practice assessor or designated prescribing practitioner to provide supervision, support and opportunities to develop competence in practice
> pass a 20-question drug calculations entry test with a mark of 80% or above
> successfully complete a clinical skills module or written evidence of assessment within practice (successful completion of the clinical skills module within the course enables the applicant to meet this criteria).
You also need an employing organisation who is responsible for the following essential elements:
> appropriate learning opportunities
> supervision and assessment from the practice learning team, specifically a practice assessor
> a completed work-based risk assessment
> a satisfactory DBS.
Self-funding applicants
If you are interested in applying for this course and can self-fund but do not have an existing employer who is supporting your application, the course team can explore the potential for securing an honorary contract with a local employer to enable you to have a placement and be supported by a practice learning team. If this is the case, then the University will provide your occupational health assessment as well as seeking enhanced DBS disclosure. In these circumstances, please apply online and the course team will contact you to progress your application.
Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credits for previous study or related work experience which can be credited towards the course you want to study. Find out more about RPL.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
Employability
Career opportunities
On completion of the course, you are well prepared for the dynamic and inspiring world of community nursing. You are well placed to apply for a position as a district nurse and team leader.
