Community Specialist Practice MSc PGDip

Course in brief

Successful completion of this course will give you access to second-level registration on the NMC register as either a qualified general practice nurse, district nurse, or as a nurse in a home setting.

The course provides registered nurses with the opportunity to gain both a professional qualification and an academic award at degree level.

On graduation, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to become a capable and confident general practice nurse, district nurse, or home nurse.

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.

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

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.

We have a dedicated team of academic staff who are actively engaged in internationalising the nursing and midwifery curriculum.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 to 5 years

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

We are a top 10 university for world-leading research impact in allied health professions, nursing and pharmacy (REF 2014)

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2017. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

Degree and/or experience

Registration as nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council under:

General Practice Nursing RN1, RNA
Nursing in the Home (District Nursing) RN1, RNA.

And

normally hold a health-related degree at 2:1 or above
have successfully completed study within the last five years
normally have a minimum of six months' post-registration experience, preferably in the community
demonstrate the potential to benefit from masters-level study.

To apply for this course, please contact the course administrator, c.l.cossu@brighton.ac.uk.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

How to apply

The next available course starts in September 2016 and the application process for trust sponsorship will be open through NHS jobs between 1 February and 28 February 2016.

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.

Course in detail

Course structure

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 state-of-the-art Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite and Flexible Learning Environment.

You will be allocated practice placements by your employing trust, and assigned a dedicated tutor to support your learning in practice. You will also undertake a period of alternative practice during which you can spend a week in another practice environment, to diversify your skills and experience base.

A variety of learning and teaching strategies are used including problem-based and work-based learning. You need to be highly motivated and be prepared to actively engage with all aspects of your learning.

Public health roles are diverse, and flexibility in the course gives you the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills to suit your personal and professional ambitions.

With the guidance of a tutor, you will set out a professional development plan (PDP) from the initial interview, which will be reviewed throughout the course. The PDP helps to integrate your personal areas of advancement with the existing requirements of the knowledge and skills framework. It also serves as evidence of your expanded skill set in order to boost your future employability.

The PDP also ensures that your needs are assessed on an ongoing basis and adjustments made accordingly, particularly useful if an extended part-time route is taken.

You will be supported throughout your course and placements by a practice teacher and mentors. An exciting variety of learning approaches are utilised in the course, which can be tailored to your preferred learning styles.

School of Health Sciences postgraduate education
This course is part of our School of Health Sciences postgraduate education programme. The programme allows you to sign up for one module at a time and build your qualification as you go. It also gives you access to a range of interdisciplinary modules across a broad selection of health and social science subjects. Find out more

Areas of study

A central mandatory module within the course relates to practice development – an essential skill for specialist practitioners.

The optional modules allow you to focus your practice assignment work on areas which benefit your career.

You will benefit from sharing skills and knowledge with a range of speciality nurses, and be able to nurture an intra-professional collaboration. Programmes have been designed to include modules in which learning is shared with students from other disciplines and, where possible, other professions.

On completion of the course, you will have studied and practised:

assessing risk in complex situations
developing effective relationships based on trust and openness
working flexibly with other services in a range of settings
dealing with conflicting priorities and ambiguous situations
knowing when to use, different and sometimes contradictory theories and perspectives.

Syllabus

Research Methods
This module, shared with other students in the graduate programme, facilitates the development of knowledge and skills required to inform evidence-based practice, and prepares students for completion of a dissertation.

Research Evidence in Practice
This is a practice-based module focusing on the evidence underpinning clinical practice and theory – practice relationships.

Transforming Practice: the challenges of change
The aim of this module is to develop practitioners who will take a lead role in the management and development of effective strategies for health and social care interventions. This module is shared across the community nursing programmes with level 6 students.

Nurse Prescribing from the Community Nurse Prescribers Formulary
This module is mandatory for those undertaking the Nursing in the Home / District Nursing pathway.

In addition to the core modules mentioned above, you can choose from a wide choice of optional modules which allow you to study topics of personal and professional interest, including:

Leadership and Management
Practising Public Health
Assessing Individuals and Families
Practice Development through Work-based Learning
Investigating Health and Social Care.

Facilities

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 a realistic training experience.

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.

Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite

Our Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite is among the best equipped in the country, and is an invaluable tool for assessment and monitoring students' progress throughout the course.

You will benefit from practising nursing skills in an environment that simulates real-life professional experiences. Provided by the NHS’ South East Coast Ambulance Service, you may have access to our Simbulance, enabling you to work alongside paramedic students in an interprofessional learning environment. On board is a high fidelity mannikin with multiple uses, and a child-size mannikin for paediatric scenarios.

Learning by simulation means you will be confident in your ability to apply your knowledge and skills in your professional life.

Careers and employability

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

The skills and knowledge that you will have achieved by graduation can also be applied to a wide range of community nursing or public health roles in various settings.

The context of public health practice both within and outside of the NHS is constantly changing and the opportunities for career development and innovative approaches to service provision exist.

Fees and funding

Your fees

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

NHS funding is available and may vary depending on individual circumstances.

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 of Health Sciences.

For more information, contact the programme administrator Claire Cossu on C.L.Cossu@brighton.ac.uk.

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the 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- 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.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. 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. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field