Intro

This course is for registered nurses wanting to qualify as a general practice nurse or as a nurse in a home setting.

Successful completion of the course will allow you to register your further qualification on your nursing record with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Optional modules in specialist pathways means you can create your own study programme to suit your professional or personal aspirations. You will have a clear focus on your intended direction by mapping out a development plan before the start of your course.

As a student on the course, you will share your learning with other community nursing specialities, allowing you to benefit from inter-professional collaboration. Our programmes are designed to allow students from other disciplines, and in some cases other professions, the opportunity to exchange knowledge and expertise.

We are known for our flexible approaches to practice-based learning, with course durations and intensities that can be adapted to your individual needs and outside commitments.

Our high quality teaching and research are renowned, and have an applied focus. We have established strong links with community specialist practice educators to ensure the provision of support and guidance both within the university and in community practice.

The recognition that patients come first in everything the NHS does, and the values of the NHS constitution – respect, dignity, compassion and working together for patients – are embedded in our curriculum.

We have a dedicated team of academic staff who are actively engaged in internationalising the nursing and midwifery curriculum, and we offer all our students the chance to experience practice in another country.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code Not applicable. Apply direct to the university.

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2.5 years

This course meets NMC standards and course graduates are eligible for registration.

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Course content

Course structure

The course delivery is a blend of practice placements and classroom-based learning. A variety of learning and teaching strategies are used including problem-based and work-based learning.

You will be allocated practice placements by your employing trust and assigned a practice teacher to support your learning in practice. You undertake a period of alternative practice where you can spend a week in another context that is of demonstrable value to your role.

To prioritise your learning needs and protect your student status you will only undertake patient care in relation to the Community Specialist Practitioner role under the supervision of the qualified practice teacher/mentor.

Modules are delivered in intensive or extensive mode over a semester. The course is delivered in a variety of ways, and is flexible enough to meet the needs of part-time students. Delivery is typically via e-learning, lectures, seminars, workbooks for work-based learning and simulation in our Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite and Flexible Learning Environment.

You will complete personal development plans and learning contracts that are agreed between yourself, the university and your employer.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Syllabus

During the course you will develop your ability to: assess risk in complex situations, cultivate effective relationships based on trust and openness, work flexibly with other services in a range of settings, deal with conflicting priorities and ambiguous situations, and know when to use different and sometimes contradictory theories and perspectives.

Core modules

Community Public Health
Project Management and Leadership through Work-based Learning
Prescribing from the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary for Community Practitioners (NPF) for Registered Nurses with a Specialist Practice Qualification (V100) OR Non-medical Prescribing (V300)

Options*

Case Management for Long-term Conditions and Frailty
Physical Assessment of Adults
Respiratory Care: Adults
Health, Law and Ethics for Specialist Practice (CSP and SCPHN)
Child Protection
Introduction to General Practice Nursing
Health Promotion: The Challenge for Practitioners
Behaviour Change for Health Improvement

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Facilities

Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite

Clinical skills and simulation rooms on both our Brighton: Falmer and Eastbourne campuses provide an invaluable tool for assessment and monitoring students' progress throughout the course.

You will benefit from practising nursing skills in an environment that simulates nurses’ real-life professional experiences. Learning by simulation with state-of-the-art mannequins enables you to practice in a safe environment under supervision, so you can apply your knowledge and skills in professional practice with confidence.

We have skilled technicians on every campus to support you.

Flexible Learning Environment

The Flexible Learning Environment is an adapted home environment in a residential location where you'll be able to practise skills and learn from other students while taking part in realistic training scenarios.

Every room is fitted with cameras and microphones, so that students can be directed and monitored from the control room while the observation room provides the opportunity to review, playback and debrief.

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Study abroad

Post-registration students

As a qualified nurse or midwife you may be interested in developing a European or an international dimension to your learning and development.

We can offer the opportunity to do this through our international work-based learning module. If you have a particular clinical interest, for example public health nursing, and are interested in how this is delivered and practised in Scandinavia we can arrange for you to access a placement area with one of our partners in Finland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark. We can also help structure your experience through establishing focused learning outcomes and detailed preparation.

Our courses are vibrant and internationally aware. Many of our academic staff have international health and education experience and some are members of groups such as Sigma Theta Tau and the Florence Nightingale Scholars.

We also have a vast range of modular opportunities for the following students:

UK nurses seeking additional hours/knowledge to enable registration in the USA and links with recruitment agencies
EU nurses wanting to register in the UK with the NMC and requiring additional hours/knowledge
International nurses wanting to register in the UK with the NMC and requiring additional hours/knowledge

Please do contact the admissions team for further information about these modules, by emailing namcpeadmissions@brighton.ac.uk.

How this course is delivered

Our approach

We want you to spend as much time on campus as possible. From semester 1 of the academic year which starts in September, every student will have some face-to-face, on-campus learning in their timetable. Your timetable is being designed to make sure that you can make the most out of your time on campus, and all of the usual campus facilities – libraries, learning spaces, restaurants, gyms and more – will be open. Your timetable will be available in My Studies from late September.

Teaching on your course
In semester 1 practical skills learning activities such as learning in simulated environments and with mannequin patients will take place on campus. You’ll also be on campus for seminars, tutorials and some of your lectures. Your on-campus learning will be supplemented with additional recorded lectures, online content and taught sessions that you'll access on MS Teams.

Placements are a required element of your learning experience and take place in a range of settings. Placement arrangements will be informed by the requirements of the accrediting professional body and the government guidance in operation at that time. We are not currently planning to run activity outside the UK in semester 1 of the 2021–2022 academic year.

COVID-19

Like all universities we will be following government guidance and will be monitoring the pandemic very closely with our local Director of Public Health. Should a worsening of the pandemic occur and Public Health advice require us to make changes, we have robust plans in place for students to continue their studies remotely and for additional safety measures to be introduced on campus.

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Careers

The skills and knowledge that you acquire can be applied to a wide range of community nursing or public health roles in various settings.

Once qualified, you will have the opportunity to enhance your practice, progress to a higher-graded band and take part in research and practice development. The context of practice both within and outside the NHS is constantly changing and the opportunities for innovative approaches to service provision exist.

Most graduates go on to work, or continue working, within the NHS in a variety of community nursing and primary care settings.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2021. They should be used as a general guide.

How to apply
This course starts in September. Applications are accepted in February of each year, which is also when the relevant application form is made available by the School of Health Sciences. For more information, contact the programme administrator on communitynursing@brighton.ac.uk.

The Trust and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will shortlist the applications and, if successfully shortlisted, your details will be forwarded to the university where you will be asked to complete an online application form and invited to interview.

Please note that it will not be possible to make an application to the university unless you have applied and been shortlisted. Any applications that do not meet this criteria cannot be considered.

In addition, references to support good health and character are required at admission stage, along with a satisfactory DBS check which is undertaken by the applicant's current employer. Students are required to make an annual declaration regarding health and good character, and this would also be required before application to the Register.

Interview process
References from previous or current employers and an academic reference are required. Interviews are carried out with a representative from the university and representatives from health and social care employers, practice teachers and a service user.

At interview the following will be considered:

knowledge of the role
communication skills
appropriate attitude
potential for development of Specialist Primary Care Nursing
potential for development to study at degree level

Offers are subject to the identification and approval of a practice teacher. Offers may be held for a period of one year.

Module choice will be planned taking account of the requirements of your sponsoring trust and previous study.

A maximum of 40 credits of the final award may be brought into the course provided they meet the learning outcomes and have been undertaken in the previous five years. When considering RPL for modules taken at an institution within the 4 HEI agreement, both the credit and the mark will be brought into the award.

The course cannot be accessed by international students as it is regulated by the NMC and students must be NMC-registered in order to gain access to the course.

Degree and experience
Candidates will have their name on the parts of the NMC register as identified below.

General Practice Nursing RN1, RNA

Nursing in the Home (District Nursing) RN1, RNA

Applicants to the course are expected to:

demonstrate achievement of 120 credits at level 5 or have a health-related Diploma of Higher Education (minimum of 120 level 5 credits) or degree
have successfully completed recent study within the last five years to at least diploma level
normally have a minimum of three years’ post-registration experience
have appropriate clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, organised by the sponsoring organisation
demonstrate some knowledge of primary care and practice
candidates applying for the General Practice Nursing pathway will normally have successfully completed a post-registration accredited foundation course in general practice nursing at level 6 or 7.

Fees

Course fees

Please contact us for exact tuition fees and for information on the funding available for this course.

Most students obtain funding through their trust, some choose to self-fund, and others secure funding through scholarships or bursaries.

How to apply

Applications are accepted in the February of each year, which is also when the relevant application form is made available by the school.

For more information, contact the programme administrator on CommunityNursing@brighton.ac.uk.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Health Sciences are listed here.

Where your course includes a placement, travel costs which are over and above your daily journey to university and dual accommodation costs may be reimbursed by the NHS learning support fund. Paramedic Science students and overseas students are not covered by the NHS scheme and travel costs for this course will be your responsibility. Find out more about the NHS learning support fund.
Specialist clothing and uniforms, where required, are included in the course fees.
DBS checks, where required, are included in the fees.
Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget up to £100 if buying your own copies.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2021–22.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. 7,000 students are based here taking subjects including criminology, English, education, nursing and medicine, paramedic science, psychology and sociology. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources and clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students. Psychology students learn in our applied cognition and flexible creative method labs.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes, and a students' union shop and bar.

The campus sports centre has a fitness suite, activity studios and a sports hall. There is also a floodlit astroturf football pitch, netball and tennis courts.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre and there is a BTN BikeShare hub on site. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine minute journey to central Brighton.

Newly refurbished atrium in the Checkland Building

Accommodation

Brighton: Falmer

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
Falmer campus is linked to the halls on Falmer campus and at Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
- Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls are on Falmer campus and offer a range of rooms
- Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent.

Private renting
There's plenty of support if you opt for private renting. This is an option which offers choice and flexibility – enabling you to choose where you live and who with. We manage our own studenthomes database of properties. This lists accommodation offered by landlords who have signed up to our code of standards. Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Maps

Falmer campus

Stay in touch

Book onto an online open day

See all of our online events

School of Health Sciences
01273 644095
CommunityNursing@brighton.ac.uk

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

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Community Specialist Practice BSc(Hons)