Specialist Community Nursing (General Practice Nursing)

Entry requirements

You must already have a health related degree and have access to a practice placement in the community in your chosen pathway.

You must be registered on the appropriate part of the NMC Register and ideally have a minimum of 2 years post-registration experience. You must be sponsored by your employer or NHS Trust.

Applicants should apply direct to the University.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The course aims to develop you as safe, competent and Professional Specialist Community Nurse, fit for practice in the field of General Practice Nursing. On successful completion of the course you will be able to register as a Specialist Practitioner on the NMC register.

The course will also:

• equip you with the knowledge, skills and understanding to evaluate, enhance and develop your Practice.
• Develop and enhance your leadership and management skills within the context of Practice Nursing to support others within the General Practice team.
• enable you to adopt critical reflective practice and lifelong learning that fosters a spirit of scientific enquiry and research promoting personal and professional development.
• equip you with cognitive skills and knowledge to lead, innovate, advocate change and contribute to an evidence base of practice in order to benefit the health of General Practice Patients.
• support you to work with codes and standards of professional practice to protect human rights, promote equality and manage risk to deliver safe, effective health care.

What happens on the course?

You are normally sponsored by the NHS Trust to study on this pathway. You will focus on educational issues that are related to Practice Nursing and Primary Healthcare. The course is 50% theory and 50% practice and so learning experiences also take place in the practice . The programme steers strongly towards health promotion, triage and physical assessment and is designed to encourage the empowerment of patients. The theoretical modules are underpinned with evidence based practice and application to practice is highlighted throughout. Other key aspects of the course are inter-professional working, leadership and management and innovation.

The course will involve both assessments in theory and practical elements. Your theoretical assessments involve measuring academic knowledge at Masters level which will underpin your professional practice. Practical assessments are aimed at measuring knowledge, skills, expertise and attitudes to ensure that an appropriate theory/practice balance is achieved.