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Specialist Community Public Health Nursing BSc(Hons)

  • Intro
  • Course
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  • Careers
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    criteria
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    and costs
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Intro

This course is for registered nurses and midwives wanting to gain another professional qualification in specialist community health, including health visiting and school nursing. 

Successful completion of the course means that you will have met the ten key areas of public health practice required for second level registration as a specialist community public health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2004).

The Specialist Community Public Health Nursing BSc(Hons) equips you to be responsive to the needs of client groups across different settings for public health practice.

The course allows you to specialise in health visiting or school nursing. Under the guidance of a personal tutor, you will map out a development plan before the start of the course so that you have a clear focus on your intended direction.

You will be taught and supported by passionate and experienced staff who are informed by current research, meaning teaching is up to date and adheres to best practice.

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

See our upcoming events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code Not applicable. Apply via NHS Jobs before university application.

Full-time 1 year 
Part-time 2 years

This course meets NMC standards and course graduates are eligible for registration (part 3 NMC registration).

Course content

Course structure

The course is made up of a blend of practice placements and classroom-based learning.

Your placements will be arranged by your employing trust, and you will be assigned a practice assessor and practice supervisor to support your learning in practice. You will also be given the opportunity to go on an additional placement where you can spend a week experiencing practice in a different environment that is of demonstrable value to your role.

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

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.

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.

Post-registration students

Syllabus

As a student on this community public health nursing course, you will share your learning with other community nursing specialities, allowing you to benefit from intra-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.

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.

Modules

  • Work-based Learning 
  • Developing Practice: the Challenge of Change
  • Practising Public Health 
  • Capacity-building for Early Interventions

Options*

  • Prescribing from the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary for Community Practitioners
  • Mentor/Educator/Sign-Off Mentor in Practice Preparation 
  • Child Protection 
  • Health Promotion

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

Facilities

Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite

Clinical skills and simulation rooms 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.

nursing suite

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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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.

General practice nurse with a patient

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

You need to be a registered nurse or midwife and have current NMC validation. Applicants will normally be required to provide evidence of recent academic study (within the last 5 years) and/or demonstrate the ability to study at level 6.

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 Sport and Health Sciences. For more information, contact the programme administrator on Falmer.Admissions@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.

Interview procedures
Normally, interviews are carried out with a representative from the university and representatives from the trusts (including a practice teacher representative).

At interview the following will be considered:

  • knowledge of the role
  • communication skills
  • potential for development as a specialist community public health nurse
  • 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 level-6 credits RPL may be brought into the course if they meet the required learning outcomes and have been undertaken in the previous five years. For students who have obtained credit under the 4 HEI agreement, a maximum of 40 level 6 credits (not including dissertation module) may be brought into the course provided they meet the learning outcomes and have been undertaken in the previous five years.

Degree and experience
Candidates will have their name on the Parts 1 and/or 2 of the NMC register.

Applicants are expected to:

  1. Have a health or social care-related diploma of higher education, or degree (minimum of 120 level-5 credits) OR hold a current registered qualification in health or social care with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Health and Social Care Professions Council or equivalent PSR.
  2. Normally have successfully completed study within the last five years at level 5 or 6 OR successfully complete a level-6 module before registering on the award.
  3. Demonstrate some knowledge of community health and practice.
  4. Have appropriate clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, organised by the sponsoring organisation.
  5. Where a nurse or midwife has not yet received confirmation of registration from the NMC, the university will require evidence before commencement of the course that the student has successfully completed their pre-registration nursing or midwifery programme and that they have made an application for NMC registration.

Flexible admissions

When you apply to Brighton we want to hear about who you are. Grades are never the whole picture; we're interested in things like creativity, resourcefulness, persistence and the capacity to think big and find new ways of doing things. And we recognise that not everyone has the same background. That's why we treat everyone who applies as an individual. We recognise many qualifications and we care about all of your achievements and the experiences you've had that set you apart.

Find out more

Graphic with the text 'Potential + possibility'

Fees and costs

Course fees

Contact us direct for exact tuition fees and for information on the funding available for this course.

Most students obtain funding through a sponsoring trust.

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 Falmer.Admissions@brighton.ac.uk.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2023–24.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

  • Fees, bursaries, scholarships and govt funding info for UK and international undergraduate and postgraduate students
  • Student finance and budgeting while studying
  • About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf)

 

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects – from 2024 these will include education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the 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.

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. New facilities are being developed ready for September 2024 when all of our sport and health students will be based here. Learn more about the changes at Falmer.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. 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.

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

  • You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:
    • Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls offer a range of rooms on our Falmer campus, minutes from your classes, and on the edge of the South Downs.
    • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

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.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Falmer campus

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Students talking in a social area

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

See our upcoming events

School of Sport and Health Sciences
01273 644095
Falmer.Admissions@brighton.ac.uk

Keep up to date with our health sciences blog.

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‹ ›

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