Nursing (Mental Health)
BSc(Hons)

• Course summary and entry requirements

  Course duration

  Full-time: 3 yrs - max 5 yrs
  

  UCAS code B760

  Professional accreditation

  On successful completion of this course you will be eligible to apply for registration as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

  About the course

  This new nursing degree meets updated Nursing and Midwifery Council standards and will enable you to become a competent, resilient nursing practitioner who is responsive to changing client needs in a variety of care settings.

  Your competence will be developed through a combination of theory and practical skills gained in classroom and clinical practice settings. You will gain experience and the core competencies required for mental health nursing at an early stage in the course. Your communication and interpersonal skills will be developed throughout.

  You can choose from a range of optional modules that allow you to focus on an area of personal interest.
  

  Typical entry requirements

  The entry requirements listed here are for students starting their course in 2014. Entry requirements for students thinking about starting a course in 2013 can be found in the online prospectus. Individual offers may vary

  A-levels:
  ABB. Must include a science or social science. General Studies not included.
  

  BTEC
  DDM; health-related subject.

  Access to HE Diploma
  pass (at least 45 credits at level 3) in health studies, nursing or science, with 30 credits at distinction.

  GCSE (minimum grade C) or Access Equivalent
  at least five subjects. Must include English and maths, and science or social science.

  For non-native speakers of English:
  IELTS overall score of 7.0.

  Other:
  A wide range of other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis, eg Open University K101.

  For all nursing courses leading to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a nurse, the following apply:
  - applicants must have completed 10 years general education
  - literacy and numeracy will be assessed during interview process
  - applicants must pass CRB check and undergo occupational health screening
  - applicants must meet NHS funding requirements
  - evidence of study in the last five years is desirable.

• Course content

  Course structure

  Learning takes place at the university and in a variety of community and hospital practice settings. Our well-equipped skills facilities allow students to simulate practice in the class room. There is a 50:50 split between theoretical and practical learning.

  Each year is divided into three terms. The first two terms of each year include both theoretical and practice learning to help you relate theory to practice and to help us provide you with ongoing support. The third term is mainly practice learning.
  

  Areas of study

  In the first year you will explore the nature of nursing, and develop your clinical and communication skills, which will be assessed in both the university and practice settings. You will also study the biological and behavioural sciences that inform nursing practice.

  In year two you will continue to share some modules with students from all fields, eg public health and research and have a choice of a range of optional modules, eg arts and health, global health and international exchange modules. You will also study modules specific to mental health nursing, for example, mental health nursing in context. You will continue to develop your clinical skills in practice settings.

  In your final year you will continue to specialise in the field of mental health nursing, and will focus on more complex patient and client needs. You will also undertake a dissertation where you can explore in depth, a topic of personal interest related to mental health nursing, and begin to develop the management and leadership knowledge and skills required for professional practice.
  

  You can view the programme specification for this course as a PDF file by clicking on the link below:

  Programme Specification

• Fees and costs

  Tuition fees for this course are paid by the NHS. Students meeting residency requirements are also eligible to apply for a means-tested bursary and non-means-tested loan.

  Further information can be found on the NHS student bursaries website http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students. Students will be eligible for an additional 1,000 GBP grant in each academic year of their course.

   

• Location

  Location Falmer campus with practice learning across East and West Sussex

• Staff profiles

  

  Pippa Hillen, course leader

  Pippa has great enthusiasm for nursing and for her subject area of public health. She is renowned for the many innovative and fun methods that she uses to teach and assess her students.

  Pippa started training as a nurse at the Middlesex Hospital, London in 1979. The innovative course that she took meant that she took her state finals within two years. This was followed by a Diploma in Nursing and a staff nurse’s post on an acute medical ward specialising in respiratory disease.

  Next, Pippa embarked upon midwifery training at Pembury Hospital, followed by a staff midwife’s post in the Special Care Baby Unit. She then trained as a health visitor, qualifying in 1986 and practicing until 2002 with occasional time out to have her two daughters.

  Pippa trained as a practice educator just before having her first daughter and subsequently studied for a masters degree at the University of Brighton. This gave her the opportunity to join the School of Nursing and Midwifery in 2002, where she has been a valued member of the lecturing team ever since.

• Career opportunities

  This course provides an excellent foundation for working in a range of health contexts and for further professional development in clinical practice, education, management and research.

  Our mental health nursing graduates have developed successful careers in both hospital and community settings. There is a wealth of opportunities to progress up the career ladder. After a period of consolidation and further study you can work as a specialist practitioner in the community in areas such as community psychiatric nursing. Acute care also offers a range of roles, for example caring for patients needing crisis intervention.

  Successful completion of the course will enable you to access further academic study at masters and doctoral level.

  Visit the careers service website.

• More...

  Excellent Facilities

  The School of Nursery and midwifery has an excellent reputation for teaching clinical skills with a dedicated clinical skills facility on each of the three teaching sites where students can practice skills in a safe and supervised environment.  Courses are taught on the Flamer, Eastbourne and Hastings university campuses, and on two hospital sites – Eastbourne District Hospital and Conquest Hospital, Hastings.

  Other student support services include the university’s careers centre, welfare service, a counselling service, chaplaincy and childcare provision.  Students can also join the Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedic Society (NAMPS): our student society.  

  Practice Learning

  Clinical placements are integral to your course and make up 50 per cent of your time.  You will experience a wide range of healthcare practice in both the community and hospital settings.

  For practice experience our pre-registration nursing students are placed in locations at Worthing, Brighton, Haywards Heath, East Grinstead, Eastbourne and Hastings for acute clinical experience. These become the principal placement allocation bases. For your primary care experiences you will be allocated to placements in a variety of locations across East and West Sussex in health centres and community settings and may include experiences in the independent and voluntary sectors. This rich variety of settings gives you a comprehensive experience of contemporary health care.

  Students who opt for the international experience can do so with one of our 27 partner colleges throughout Europe and the USA for a two to four week stay. For three month Erasmus exchanges, placements are in Denmark, Sweden and Spain with free access to some language preparation.

  Centre for Health Research

  The centre for Health Research (CHR) responds to a broad health agenda through research that spans the continuum from the study of factors maintaining and promoting health and wellbeing, to helping health professionals deal effectively with illness, disease and recovery trajectories.

  The CHR prides itself on its European and international research links and these, together with its close association with NHS researchers through the co-located  NIHR Research Design Service South East provide a vibrant environment for researchers and students who want to carry out research that results in positive changes to policy and practice.

  As part of its commitment to research-led practice and a research-informed curriculum, staff from the centre regularly act as external speakers, advisors and experts to national and international bodies, as well as providing lectures and seminars internally. In addition, the centre's monthly seminar series provides opportunity for staff and students to debate and critique progressive research and methodological positions.

01273 644042
Email namadmissions@brighton.ac.uk

 

Meets Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards

Graduates are eligible to apply for registration as a nurse with the NMC

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Our nursing degree combines classroom learning with clinical practice, enabling you to become a competent nursing practitioner who is responsive to the changing needs of the mental health client in a variety of care settings.  Mental Health nursing offers a rewarding career and great job satisfaction. 

Visit our mental health nursing page for more information.

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How to apply

Visit our pre-registration admissions page for detailed information on how to apply.

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Visit the school that delivers this course

Open Days

Our open days provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about our courses.  

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