Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship - Adult


Institution code	H36
Start date	September
Course length	Full Time, 3 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Entry requirements
The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions, and each application will be considered on an individual basis.
UCAS points A level BTEC
112-120 BBC-BBB DMM-DDM: in health and social care or other health related subject

Additional requirements

A Levels: at least 112 UCAS tariff points that include two A Levels. or BTEC Diploma: 112 (equivalent tariff, depending on the field) in a in a health and social care or health-related subject.
BTEC National Certificate: 112 (equivalent tariff, depending on the field) in a health and social care or a health-related subject.
Access to Nursing Course: 112 (equivalent tariff).
GCSE: grade C/4 or above (or equivalent), to include English and mathematics. Science is required for some fields.
Shortened APL routes
English and mathematics GCSE grade C/4 or equivalent.
The completion of a foundation degree in health care is achieved while working as a health care assistant/support worker or an equivalent academic qualification and/or relevant practice experience.
Successful accreditation of any prior learning and/or practice experience against the current programme outcomes.
All offers will be subject to the applicant's demonstration of the NHS constitution's 'values and behaviours', satisfactory interviews, numeracy and literacy tests, health screening and the Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) checks. You can view the full NHS Constitution for England on the Government website.

UCAS points	A level	BTEC
112-120	BBC-BBB	DMM-DDM: in health and social care or other health related subject

About the course

Apprenticeship Standard: Registered Nurse

Final Award: BSc (Hons) Nursing

Nursing is a highly skilled, rewarding and caring profession where you can make a real difference to people’s lives. In adult nursing, you’ll promote health and provide whole-person care in hospitals and the community. At the University of Hertfordshire, our Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship offers a flexible route into nursing, combining academic study with practical experience. This apprenticeship allows you to earn while you learn, gaining real-world clinical skills from the start.

You’ll split your time between campus and placements, with half the course spent in practice through our extensive network of NHS and independent partners. On campus, you’ll benefit from expert teaching staff with extensive frontline experience, and our state-of-the-art simulation facilities that mirror real clinical environments. Our location just 25 minutes from central London connects you to major healthcare providers and specialist placements, enhancing your professional development and employability.

With strong industry links, innovative teaching, and the flexibility offered through our nursing degree apprenticeship pathways, you’ll graduate as a compassionate, competent and confident adult nurse, ready to thrive in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.

Why choose this course?

Adult nursing is an exciting and rewarding career that can lead to work in a variety of settings. During your nursing degree apprenticeship course, you will undertake placements in diverse adult care environments, both in hospital and community settings, gaining hands-on experience that complements your theoretical learning. You will develop a sound knowledge of ‘normal’ adult development and behaviours and develop skills in recognising and managing deviations from the norm.

What will I study?

Adult nursing is an exciting and rewarding field that equips you with the knowledge and practical skills needed to care for adults across a wide range of healthcare settings. This Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship combines academic study with real-world clinical experience, providing a comprehensive route into the profession while allowing you to earn and learn. You will be supported throughout your training as you develop the essential competencies required for safe, person-centred care.

Level 4

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Promoting Health and Preventing Ill Health	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module is designed to provide the foundations that will enable students to actively participate in promoting health and preventing ill health, within the context of adult nursing and in a variety of care settings.
Communication and Relationship Management Skills for Nursing	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module will develop students' existing communication skills in line with the relevant nursing standards. It will enable students to develop their skills in searching and evaluating the literature, critical reading and writing skills aiding students to formulate and communicate scholarly arguments and ideas.
Enhancing Communication in Adult Care Settings	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module will equip students with knowledge of contemporary communication theories enabling them to communicate effectively with adults accessing healthcare services. Students will explore barriers to communication and investigate possible strategies to reduce these barriers and enhance holistic nurse-patient interaction.
Foundations of Health and Wellbeing	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module will examine bioscientific and professional concepts that underpin nursing practice. It will address how these inform nursing care and health and wellbeing. It will also consider wider social, political and economic issues and their impact on health and care delivery.
Adult Nursing: Professional Practice 1	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module has an emphasis on simulated practice learning (SPL), supporting the development of holistic nursing assessment and practical care-delivery skills, whilst developing empathy and resilience. The module supports student safety, encouraging them to challenge, question and reflect on evidence-based practice and their own experiences from placement.
Skills for Professional and Academic Development	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module is designed to develop the academic skills required for higher education and equip students with the ability to identify their learning and development needs. It will facilitate the acquisition of values, knowledge and skills that are essential for learning and effective independent study.

Level 5

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Developing Health and Wellbeing	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module builds on the knowledge acquired in Fundamentals of Health and Wellbeing. While the focus on the professional aspects of nursing practice continues, ideas of health and wellbeing alongside the social and political context of health and wellbeing are further examined. The focus on bioscience shifts to the pharmacological aspects of health and wellbeing.
Integrated Adult Nursing Care	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module will develop the students' ability to use evidence to underpin a holistic assessment to plan care for adults to meet health needs with focus on pathophysiology to discuss, interpret and plan care for patients experiencing, physical and psychological symptoms. Care will consider the spiritual, psychosocial, cultural, and emotional aspects with attitudes and beliefs.
The Evidence Base for Adult Nursing Practice	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module equips students with knowledge of the evidence-based model of nursing practice that underpins practice. Students will explore the available evidence and the need for different types of evidence for differing practice-based issues. Students will become familiar with practice-based question setting and how to create a focussed literature search.
Advancing Adult Nursing Practice	30 Credits	Compulsory
This interactive module has a strong emphasis on simulated learning. Authentic case scenarios are utilised to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of current best, evidence-based practice, whilst providing an opportunity to practice, challenge, question, refine and enhance their nursing skills in a safe environment.

Level 6

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Final Numeracy Exam	0 Credits	Compulsory
Using both lecture based teaching and online resources this module intends to enable the student to develop knowledge of the formulae used for calculating medication dosages for both enteral and parenteral medicine administration.
Adult Nursing: Professional Practice 3	30 Credits	Compulsory
This interactive and practical Level 6 30-credit module has a strong emphasis on simulated practice learning (SPL). Teaching and simulation activities allow learners the opportunity to prepare for their role as a newly qualified nurse – to practice, challenge, reflect, question, critically discuss, refine, and enhance their nursing skills for safe clinical practice.
Clinical Decision Making in Adult Nursing Care	30 Credits	Compulsory
This 30-credit level 6 module will build on prior learning and enhance independence in clinical decision making. Students will develop their research skills in sourcing and applying evidence to nursing decisions and apply their knowledge of anatomy and physiology to better understand the pathophysiological changes that occur in their patients.
Leading and Managing Effective Adult Nursing Care	30 Credits	Compulsory
The aim of this 30-credit, level 6 module, is to develop registered nurses capable of using leading and managing skills to make significant contributions to patient safety. It also encourages reflective practice and seeks to promote self-awareness, particularly in regard to the leading and managing of others.
Quality Improvement and Innovation in Nursing Practice	30 Credits	Compulsory
Students on this module will be supported to create a quality improvement initiative to effect positive change in service delivery, relevant to nursing practice. It represents an exciting opportunity for students to engage in a negotiated quality improvement proposal that will encourage them to focus on a practice issue of personal and professional interest.

Professional Accreditations

Entitlement to apply to enter the professional register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the field of your chosen specialism - Adult Nursing.

Careers

Following successful completion of the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship programme, you will be entitled to apply for registration as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the branch of nursing in which you have specialised. You will be able to take advantage of the varied opportunities available to you, to put into practice all you have learned and make a positive contribution to the lives of individuals, and their families.

What job can I get?

Typical career paths for graduates of a nursing degree apprenticeship include:

Community Nurse
Practice Nurse
Public Health Nurse
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Nurse Practitioner

Employability is at the heart of this course, equipping graduates with the leadership, analytical, and strategic skills employers need across a wide range of sectors.

Programme specifications
BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult) (Degree Apprenticeship)	Download
Nursing (Adult) (Degree Apprenticeship) (Full Time, Semester A Intake) BSc (Hons) 2025-26	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	n/a
Applications open to international and EU students	No

Find out more

Apprenticeship events Employ an apprentice

Apprenticeship events

Employ an apprentice

What type of applicant are you?

Sign up for Clearing VIP Access

Get info and updates

Sign up for updates