Nursing (Adult) BSc(Hons)

Course structure

You can start this course in:

• February based our Eastbourne campus, or
• September, based at our Brighton (Falmer) campus.

The course content is the same for both programmes.

You’ll share learning with other health specialisms, allowing you to benefit from interprofessional collaboration, sharing knowledge and expertise. 

In each year of the course you engage with both theory and practice learning. The course alternates between academic terms and blocks of practice. Theory sessions in academic terms take place at the university. You will attend Monday to Friday with independent study days. Practice placement blocks are up to 32 hours per week. Your communication and interpersonal skills will be developed throughout.

Term dates
Starting this course in September follows the standard university term dates. If you are starting in February check our programme planner for details.

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 our applicant portal.

Year 1

You are introduced to the profession of nursing and begin your development of the required knowledge and skills. You will develop an understanding of the structure and function of the human body. 

Modules

• The Nurse as a Professional: An Introduction

  This module will introduce you to the development of your own study skills and facilitate your independent learning. A range of study strategies applicable to writing an academic essay will be offered.

  In conjunction with the above, the module enables you to explore nursing as a profession by reviewing nursing theory and its principal influences. These include historical, political, professional philosophical and ethical influences.

• Human Qualities in Nursing

  This module will introduce you to the key concepts of human qualities in nursing including relationships, resilience and skilled interpersonal communication. The module will enable you to reflect on the use of self in nursing and will offer academic support in relation to the development of intra-nurse skills, building resilience and to enhance existing interpersonal communication skills.

• Introduction to Human Structure and Function Applied to Nursing

  In this module you will develop a fundamental knowledge of human structure and function. This will enable you to apply this knowledge in order to gain an understanding of the clinical experiences encountered in Year 1.

• Psychosocial Studies in Nursing

  This module will introduce you to a range of ideas from the psychosocial traditions that will enable you to develop an understanding of nursing and its context.

• Professional Nursing Practice Year 1

  This module will introduce you to the knowledge and skills required for professional nursing practice. The module content includes the theory and practice of care, compassion and communication, organisational aspects of nursing care, infection prevention and control, nutrition and fluid management and medicines management. You will integrate learning from practice and university in the development of your professional nursing practice in order to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Pre-Registration Education (NMC 2010).

Year 2 

You continue to build your skills and knowledge in professional practice. You will start to develop the principles of adult nursing and gain an insight into the wide range of clinical settings in which nurses work such as public health, acute services, community and research.

Modules

• Public Health for Nursing Practice
• Appreciating the Research Process in Nursing
• Acute Care Across Care Settings
• Adults with Long-term Conditions
• Professional Adult Nursing Practice Year 2

Options*

• Extended International Nursing 
• Introduction to Global Health
• International Nursing
• Student Community Engagement
• Arts and Health
• Developing Clinical Research Nurse Careers
• Exploring Spiritual Health Needs in a Multicultural Society
• Emergency First Aid (Nursing)

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

Final year

You will complete an extended project and develop your professional practice further in the areas of leadership, physical assessment and complex care needs.

Modules

• Leadership
• Dissertation
• End of Life Care
• Enhanced Patient Assessment and Clinical Decision Making
• Professional Adult Nursing Practice Year 3

Facilities

Placements 

Our flexible approach to practice-based learning and excellent links with local healthcare trusts enable us to offer clinical practice in a range of hospital and community settings, working alongside a variety of multi-professional teams.

You will spend 50% of the course studying theory which requires attendance in lectures and the other 50% on placement. You must accumulate 4,600 hours in total over the three years before you can register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Practice placements are up to 32 hours per week and you will be supported by a mentor. Clinical placements take place across Sussex in locations including Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton, Haywards Heath and Worthing.
Community placements offer experience in schools, doctors surgeries, with health visitors and community staff.

It is currently possible to claim back excess travel costs, this is reviewed each year by the NHS.

A day on placement can be between 07.00 and 22.00, some weekends and some nights.

Supporting you 

You will receive lots of support throughout your nursing degree. During your course you'll have access to: 

• personal tutor
• practice liaison lecturers
• mentors in clinical practice
• PASS (Peer-assisted Study Sessions) nursing student leaders
• student support and guidance
• welfare.

Nursing Society
Our student-run Nursing Society provides support for all nursing students at every stage of their degree.

The society facilitates group learning and extracurricular lectures from speakers across the multidisciplinary team.

Study abroad

Staff profile

Jessica Mills, course leader

Jessica has great enthusiasm for nursing and for her subject area of acute clinical practice. She is renowned for the many innovative and fun methods that she uses to teach students.

Jessica started her nursing education at the University of Brighton, in 1998. The novel European nursing course that she undertook meant that she learnt Dutch and worked for six months as a student nurse in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Following her graduation she commenced a rotational post in Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre.

Next, Jessica embarked upon critical care training and subsequently became a Clinical Nurse Specialist. Within this time she completed her Practice Teacher qualification and then continued to gain her Teacher status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Jessica has successfully studied for a masters degree at the University of Brighton. This gave her the opportunity to join the School of Health Sciences in 2011.

Selection events

Our selection events for nursing include:

• presentation by nursing admissions tutor
• maths and English tests
• an interview
• opportunity to speak to our nursing student ambassadors.

For our February group we interview regularly until the end of the year, for our September group we interview throughout the year so the next selection event is never more than a few weeks away. Check the applicant portal, for forthcoming dates and details of how to book. 

If you are invited to interview, we will need to see your certificates that allow you to meet our academic entry requirements for the course you have applied for. If you need copies of exam certificates, contact the appropriate examination board.

Schools do not usually keep copies of exam certificates. However they should have a record of your results and we will accept a certified letter from your school, listing the grades that you achieved.

Interviews follow a multiple mini interview format, focusing on values based recruitment.

When will I hear the result of the interview?
Normally, you should hear within two to four weeks of the interview date. However, during busy admissions phases and when public holidays fall in this period it may take a little longer.

The outcome of your interview will be notified directly to UCAS.

What can I expect in the maths and English test?

Nurses need to be able to calculate medicines, nutrition, fluids and to apply number skills to other areas. This is now a requirement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council for all prospective nursing students.

On the day you come for interview, you will be set assessments that test your maths and written English skills. The tests last for 30 minutes. Calculators are not permitted in the maths test.

We recommend the following website to brush up your skills: www.open.edu/openlearnworks.

See a sample numeracy assessment paper (pdf 54Kb).

Personal statement 

Tips for writing a good personal statement

• Identify why you are interested in the course.
• Only apply for one field of nursing (adult, mental health or child).
• Provide insight into your personal experiences, work or voluntary work.
• Do not discuss Florence Nightingale or quote words of wisdom as an opening statement.
• Consider how your referee may describe you and reflect this in your statement.
• Our nursing degree is theory and practice so discuss your ability to cope with the demands of the whole course.

Our applying to Brighton section provides more information on writing a personal statement.

Application timeline 

Students starting in February

November

• Receive email regarding occupational health and DBS – start completing these forms
• Receive online enrolment email 

December

• Complete your occupational health and DBS forms 
• Complete online enrolment

January

• Early January – receive your 1 week induction timetable. 
• Mid January – deadline for completing your occupational health and DBS forms

Remember, you must be enrolled for your course before the start date.

Students starting in September

June

• Receive email regarding occupational health and DBS – start completing these forms 
• Receive email regarding accommodation 

July

• Complete your occupational health and DBS forms 

August 

• From mid-August – enrolment – you will receive an email with instructions.

September

• Early September – receive your one-week induction timetable. Eastbourne adult students will be sent coach information 
• Mid September – deadline for completing your occupational health and DBS forms

You must be enrolled for your course before the start date.

Occupational health check

Your offer is subject to occupational health and DBS clearance.

All applicants must complete a University of Brighton occupational health clearance check. If you are working within an NHS/healthcare organisation you will still require a University of Brighton health clearance check.

Once you receive your health questionnaire you must fill this in immediately and return your completed and signed form to the occupational health department by the deadline provided (usually a couple of weeks before your start date), failure to do this will affect your ability to attend your first placement.

Send your form by email or registered post, see the form for contact details. Please note that the questionnaire will need your GP's signature which your GP may charge for, this will need to be paid for by you. We suggest that you use your current GP to complete this form rather than a university-based GP who will not have immediate access to your medical records.

The University of Brighton will pay for your occupational health clearance throughout your course. However you will personally have to pay for any travel to occupational health appointments at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

We will send you your occupational health questionnaire by email in November if you are starting in February and in June if you are starting in September.

DBS check 

All applicants must complete a University of Brighton DBS clearance check. 

If you are currently working within an NHS/healthcare organisation you will still require a University of Brighton DBS check. Failure to complete a University of Brighton DBS will affect your ability to attend your first placement. 

• We will send you an email regarding filling in your DBS form in November if you are starting in February and in June if you are starting in September. 
• The deadline for completing your DBS form will be provided but it is usually required at the beginning of the month in which you start your course.

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2019–20.

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/EU 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.

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.

If you've already got a degree in another subject you are still eligible for the student finance package for this course.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Eastbourne campus map

Falmer campus