Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship - Child


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 science 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 health and social care or health-related subject.
BTEC National Certificate: 112 (equivalent tariff, depending on field) in a health and social care or 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 science related subject

About the course

Apprenticeship Standard: Registered Nurse

Final Award: BSc (Hons) Nursing

Children’s Nursing is a highly skilled, rewarding and caring profession where you can make a real difference to people’s lives. Through child nursing apprenticeships, you’ll promote health and deliver whole-person care to children and young people in hospitals, community settings and at home. This pre-registration programme provides the specialist knowledge and skills required to support children and their families, as well as to educate and empower them throughout their healthcare journey.

Half the Child Nursing Degree Apprenticeship course is delivered at the University, where you will gain a strong theoretical foundation in nursing practice. The other half takes place in a variety of clinical environments, where you will develop hands-on skills in real-world settings. This integrated approach ensures you graduate as a skilled, competent, compassionate and committed children’s nurse, fully prepared for the responsibilities of a nursing role within the field of paediatrics.

Registered nurses play a vital role in leading and co-ordinating care across a range of health and social care sectors, including the NHS, as well as the private, voluntary and independent sectors. A career in children’s nursing involves working with service users, families and carers-alongside a multidisciplinary team of health and care professionals-to provide safe, responsive and high-quality care to sick, injured or disabled children and young people.

This programme is designed to meet the needs of learners pursuing a career in child nursing, enabling them to build a robust set of core nursing skills with a defined specialism in children’s nursing. It is fully mapped to the Registered Nurse apprenticeship standard, ensuring that apprentices are trained to the highest professional and regulatory standards.

Why choose this course?

Children's nursing is a highly skilled, rewarding and caring profession where you can make a real difference to people’s lives. This Child Nursing Degree Apprenticeship programme offers a well-rounded understanding of the nursing profession, while allowing you to specialise in your chosen field. You will also develop critical, analytical, and reflective skills essential for safe and effective practice. Graduates of this programme will be entitled to apply to enter the professional register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the field of their chosen specialism - Child Nursing. Those who have successfully completed a Level 5 qualification in nursing (or a related subject), are eligible to undertake a two year top up version of this Level 6 qualification, through Accredited Prior Learning (APL).

What will I study?

Child nursing is an exciting and rewarding field that equips you with the knowledge and practical skills needed to care for children and young people across a variety of healthcare settings.

This Child Nursing Degree Apprenticeship combines academic study with real-world clinical experience, offering a comprehensive pathway into the profession while allowing you to earn as you learn. You will be fully supported throughout your training as you develop the essential competencies required to deliver safe, child- and family-centred care.

Level 4

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
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.
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.
Children and Young People's Nursing: Professional Practice 1	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module has a strong emphasis on simulated practice learning (SPL), supporting the development of holistic children's nursing assessment and practical care-delivery skills, whilst increasing 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.
Promoting Health and Preventing Ill Health In The Developing Child and Young Per	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module will focus on the student's responsibility to understand the factors that affect the health of children and young people. Students will explore their role in health promotion and preventing ill health, in line with current literature, relevant national guidance and policy drivers.
Anatomy and Physiology in the Care of Children and Young People 1	15 Credits	Compulsory
This 15-credit module aims to introduce students to children and young people's anatomy and physiology that underpins children's nursing practice and the application to a range of physical systems and childhood conditions.
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.
Children and Young People's Health Promotion	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module aims to equip learners with a knowledge and understanding of health promotion to inform children and young people's lifestyle practices. The module will focus on the student's responsibility to understand how social influences, behaviours and lifestyle choices can affect the health of children and young people.
Caring for Children and Young People with Cancer	15 Credits	Optional
The aim of the module is to focus on the child's and/or young person's journey with cancer from the presentation of clinical signs, through the point of diagnosis, potential care and management until recovery/remission or end of life care. The module will cover a range of topics to reflect this.
Caring for Children and Young People in 'Out of Hospital' Settings	15 Credits	Optional
This module aims to equip you with the knowledge to coordinate and manage the health needs of children and young people in 'out of hospital' settings. This will include understanding the principles and processes involved in planning and facilitating the safe discharge and transition home of children and young people.
Caring for the Neonate and Family	15 Credits	Optional
This module aims to equip the learner with knowledge to inform the care within the field of neonatal practice. The focus is on care across all dependency levels (intensive care, high dependency, special care, transitional / home care) for practice to be supported by sound underlying rationale and research-based evidence.
Supporting Healthcare Transitions for Children and Young People	15 Credits	Optional
This module aims to equip you with knowledge and understanding of the factors that would underpin a seamless transition between one area of health service provision to another for children and young people and to raise your awareness of evidence-based practice and its application to a range of transition settings.
Research for Children and Young People's Nursing Practice	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module focuses on research and evidence and their application to children and young people's nursing practice. Participation in this module will be via active engagement in research focussed activities designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills and understanding of nursing research to inform your practice.
Children and Young People's Nursing Practice 2	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module aims to equip students with a knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin the provision and evaluation of nursing care for children and young people with an importance on equality and diversity. There is an emphasis on simulation supporting nursing assessment and practical care-delivery skills.

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.
Children and Young People Nursing: Professional Practice 3	30 Credits	Compulsory
This 30−credit level 6 module aims to equip learners(students) with a knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin the provision and evaluation of nursing care for children and young people with an importance on equality and diversity. There is a strong emphasis on simulated practice learning (SPL), supporting the enhancement of leading and co-ordinating holistic nursing care in a range of care settings. Learners (students) will gain an understanding of how to lead and co-ordinate evidence based, compassionate and safe nursing interventions. University−based sessions will further develop required procedures that a newly qualified nurse must have, to be able to demonstrate the proficiency outcomes, in NMC standards for registered nurses (2018). This will be achieved through scenario-based SPL to integrate theory and practice using a scaffolding approach to build on learners' knowledge and skills and encourage reflection on practice.
Anatomy and Physiology In The Care Of Children And Young People 2	30 Credits	Compulsory
This 30-credit module aims to provide the opportunity for students to learn the altered anatomy and physiology that underpins children and young people's nursing practice. The module will focus on normal and altered childhood anatomical and physiological states as well as the impact of illness on the child, young person and family.
Leading and Managing In Children and Young People's Nursing and Working In Teams	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module focuses on the personal, professional development of leading and managing children and young people's nursing care within healthcare settings. The module will aim to equip students with underpinning knowledge and skills required for their role in leading, managing and working effectively as part of the inter-disciplinary team as they move to qualified practice.
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 - child nursing.

Careers

Following successful completion of the Child Nursing 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 Child Nursing Degree Apprenticeship graduates 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 (Child) (Degree Apprenticeship)	Download
Nursing (Child) (Degree Apprenticeship, 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

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