Course overview
This course is approved against the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of Proficiency for Community Nursing Specialist Practice Qualifications (2022) and mapped to The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) (2022) Health and Justice Nursing for Specialist Practitioner Qualification. This provides a strong framework rooted in health and justice nursing to focus your learning and provide relevant context to the professional standards.
Designed in consultation with local employers, professional standard bodies, students, service users, carers, and from experts from across the UK, this course prepares you for the dynamic and motivating world of health and justice nursing, so you are in a strong position to apply for a position as a team leader in this setting.
The course allows you to have an NMC annotation against your name on the register, recognising your advanced specialist knowledge and skills in health and justice nursing.
Supporting information for applicants
* Subject to University approval
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
Advancing Health and Justice Nursing 1
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.
Advancing Health and Justice Nursing 2
You incorporate the professional standards of proficiency for community nursing specialist practice qualifications 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 in a position to complete the care cycle in a holistic manner for clients within your care. You must meet the individual entry criteria for this course. Taught on Tuesdays.
Advancing Physical Assessment Skills for the Specialist Practitioner
You explore clinical assessment and management focusing on the assessment of the individual. You draw on current guidelines and policies to inform your clinical assessment and management plans.
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. There is a split of approximately 50% online learning and 50% face-to-face, building your confidence in accessing digital resources.
You share some learning with students on the district nursing SPQ route and students on other courses during the Advancing 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 and practice learning team play a significant role in ensuring you have access to great learning opportunities during placement. Their skills and experiences also provide you with a 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 in the field in which you intend to practice (to meet the NMP entry criteria, you must have 3 years’ experience post-qualifying at the point of commencing the NMP module which starts in January of Year 1 if studying full-time or January of year 2 if studying part-time)
- 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).
- 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.
You may take part in an occupational health work-based risk assessment check. If you have a disability, specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism spectrum condition, sensory impairment or medical condition that may require reasonable adjustments during an external placement or in the university or a clinical practice area, this must be declared as part of the enrolment process. Contact the relevant admissions or course tutor for guidance.
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. If you do not have a degree but have a diploma, you may be able to use RPL to meet the entry criteria for the course. Please contact the course team for more information.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
Employability
Career opportunities
On completion of the course, you are prepared for the dynamic and inspiring world of health and justice nursing. You are well-placed to apply for a position as a team leader in this sector.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.