Specialist Community Nursing BSc (Hons)

About the course

With the BSc(Hons) Specialist Community Nursing course you will develop and demonstrate specialist skills and knowledge in community nursing in the areas of:

• health needs assessment
• clinical practice
• care and programme management
• clinical practice leadership

The course is suitable for all registered nurses  to achieve registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Specialist Community Nurse. Applicants are normally sponsored or seconded by a Primary Care organisation.

With the BSc(Hons) Specialist Community Nursing course you learn about the strategies of working in partnership with patients and carers and evaluate current organisational and professional agendas that influence care delivery in primary healthcare settings. The main focus will be on multi-professional and multi-agency approaches to care

In addition, you will be encouraged to develop participative leadership and management skills to ensure the delivery of quality care and professional standards in a commissioning environment. The course gives you the option to specialise in of the following areas: children's nursing, district nursing.

You will combine on campus learning at the University with hands on experience in a practice environment, with an equal allocation of practice and theory hours.Teaching takes place in specialist groups and, in some modules, learning is shared with other nursing students, i.e. students from the BSc(Hons) Specialist Community and Public Health Nursing course.

Below is a list of modules and credits that you could choose to study:

• Consolidating specialist practice (15 credits)*
• Developing community practice (15 credits)*
• Leadership and management in primary health care (15 credits)
• Managing long term conditions (15 credits)
• Managing vulnerability in primary health care (15 credits)
• Policy and Practice in Primary Health Care (15 credits)*
• Research and evaluation in primary health care (15 credits)
• Assessment and management of individual health needs (15 credits)

* For this module you need to have designated placement area working under the support and supervision of a qualified practice teacher.

Why choose this course?

• The BSc Specialist Community Nursing course will give you specialist skills and knowledge in community nursing in the areas of health needs assessment, clinical practice, care and programme management, clinical practice leadership
• It is suitable for all registered nurses who want to achieve registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Specialist Community Nurse
• It gives you the option to specialise in children's nursing and district nursing
• Focuses on the multi-professional and multi-agency approaches to care
• Combines on campus learning at the University with hands on experience in a practice environment, with an equal allocation of practice and theory hours

Study routes

• Part Time, 3 Years

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Careers

This programme gives you flexibility in your studies at university resulting in flexibility in your choice of career at the end of your course. You will acquire a much broader base of knowledge and experience that could really widen your employment opportunities. Graduates have found employment in diverse roles such as computer programmers, design engineers, management development specialists, accountants and project managers. Over 72% of our graduates had entered employment six months after graduation, and a further 17% had gone on to further study or training.

Teaching methods

You'll experience a wide variety of learning styles on the BSc Specialist Community Nursing course. During your studies you'll develop your capacity for self-directed study and your interpersonal skills.

We particularly emphasise the importance of structured research: well-prepared written and verbal presentations and computer literacy. Alongside elements of standard lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratories, you also learn through casestudies, individual and group projects and other student centred activities.

In your final year you will normally have the opportunity to practice your independent study skills by completing a Major project or dissertation.

You will develop your capacity for independent study and interpersonal skills on this programme. There is an emphasis on structured research, well-prepared written and verbal presentations and computer literacy.

Professional Accreditations

The BSc(Hons) Specialist Community Nursing course leads to an NMC recorded specialist qualification in community nursing in the home-district nursing.

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Assessment and Management of Health Needs

  This module will equip practitioners with the skills to carry out effective patient centred practice in the assessment and diagnosis of a range of conditions relevant to their area of practice. The module will include critical evaluation of methods of communication and sources of health information, basic counselling skills and their application to a range of health and social care contexts and will be closely linked to the experiences of students in their practice placements. Delivery of the module will provide students with the opportunity for shared exploration of patient management within their own practice context. The learning outcomes will be achieved through a combination of lectures, seminars, role-play and practice. This material will be constantly related to current practice experience and students will be actively encouraged to explore and integrate the knowledge obtained in their practice settings.

• Developing Community Practice

  This module equips practitioners who have little experience of work in primary health care settings with an informed and critical understanding of their role and resposibilities in that setting. Learning takes place in practice settings where the student is supported and assessed by a qualified practice teacher. The student's programme of learning will be individualised to their needs in recognition that students will enter the module with varying experience in other settings. Reflective supervision sessions take place at the University to support practice-based learning and to enable the integration of practice and relevant theoretical approaches.

• Policy and Practice Issues in Primary Health Care

  This module is designed to enable community practitioners to develop an informed, critical understanding of national and local policies influencing the nature, structure and delivery of services in primary health care and their professional role in that context. Approaches to the holistic assessment of need and strategies for health promotion will be critically examined together with evidence based approaches to the management of health issues within their professional area. The nature of the module means that it is particularly appropriate for practitioners who have recently moved to a role within primary health care and for the continuing development of practitioners seeking to explore the policy and evidence-based framework for their role.

• Research and Evaluation in Primary Health Care

  The module is designed for health and community care practitioners wishing to develop their skills of critical review and knowledge of systematic approaches in research relating to community health and evaluation of service delivery. The course enables students to evaluate differing theoretical approaches and frameworks and fosters the ability to use and interpret a range of data relevant to health, needs assessment and evaluation. Students will be supported in the development of a proposal for the evaluation of a service initiative.

Optional

Fees & funding

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply