Course Summary

This course is an opportunity for you to 'top up' your Diploma in Nursing to a Degree in Nursing Studies. It is ideal for those who are still looking for a first job or just want to take the time out to study full time.

The course will build on the knowledge and skills that you have already gained on your diploma course, and you will also be able to mix with students who have qualified overseas. This gives you a unique opportunity to compare and contrast different health care and nursing systems.

The course is taught using blended learning approaches and you will have the opportunity to engage in the classroom setting and use a range of online learning resources.

You will study research, concepts of ethical practice, management of care in teams, health policy, health promotion and a dissertation study relevant to an area of nursing.

Why choose this course?

This course is designed to enable you to build on the knowledge and skills that you have gained during your initial nurses education. This course is theory based and although you are expected to apply your knowledge to nursing practice either current or recent past, there is not a requirement that you are in practice.

The course is supported by the e-learning environment BREO and you will be expected to use this resource as part of the teaching and learning strategies.

BSNRH-S

Assessment

The Nursing Benchmarks (QAA 2000) have informed the development of this programme and therefore the development of assessment. A mapping exercise has been completed to illustrate the achievement of the standard required in nursing programmes in The United Kingdom.

Summative assessment focuses on the achievement of the unit outcomes, which reflect your academic journey. In order to obtain as wide a perspective as possible of your cognitive abilities, the strategy for theoretical assessment includes; the ability to analyse issues, consideration of wider concepts of nursing and a demonstration of analysis, evaluation and synthesis.

Assessment strategies include: Essays, Reflective essays, Seminar paper presentations, Research review, Reports, Dissertation (literature review), Action plans and Case studies / scenarios vivas and classroom based tests. Core skills are evident in all units and the Literature review unit will enable you to achieve all of the core skills. You will keep a portfolio to record and develop your learning.

Formative assessment is considered an important part of your development and this process will include active participation in tutorials and seminar sessions. You are expected to use these opportunities to inform the development of your assignments and examinations. You will be able to submit extracts but not whole drafts for formative feedback. Lecturers will not indicate grades or scores. The purpose of the formative work is to enable you to develop confidence in your own academic skills.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Debate ethical and legal aspects of nursing practice.

2. Explore the codes of conduct and practice related to the management and delivery of nursing.

3. Consider the concepts that underpin health and health promotion.

4. Explore the partnership agenda in health care and the role of the nurse in practice.

5. Evaluate the professional relationships that operate within a multidisciplinary team.

6. Critically review current issues related to health care policy and its effect on care delivery.

7. Gain in-depth knowledge of the process of research and its relevance to the health care agendas.

8. Explore the concept of change management and relate to current patient safety agendas.

9. Critically review an aspect of nursing care relevant to your chosen areas of practice.

External Benchmarking

Nursing

Educational Aims

This course is designed to encourage newly qualified diploma level nurses, nurses from overseas with equivalent qualifications and nurses returning to study to develop a deeper understanding of nursing in the modern world. The experience of this course should enable you to see beyond the immediate health care issues of your work place and to put these into the context of the global health and nursing arena.

The aims of this degree course are therefore:

• To enable you to compare and contrast approaches to nursing and health care from a national and international perspective


• To explore your professional identity and accountability in professional relationships


• To develop personal and professional skills beyond that of your initial qualification


• To enhance professional knowledge


• To explore the issues involved in nursing within the context of different health care environments

Student support

You will be allocated a personal lecturer for the duration of the course who will see you at least once per semester. The Unit lecturers will be responsible for supporting you in your academic work. You will also have access to student services for non-academic support. Learning resources offer a range of resources to support you in developing your study skills. If English is not your first language, you are encouraged to seek support from learning resources early in the first semester.

Team working

Each unit focuses on the development of your own individual learning, however within health care settings you are expected to work in collaboration with other members of your team. This course provides opportunities for you to develop the concept of team working, for example in the portfolio module you are expected to work in small teams to present a nursing based seminar. During all classroom-based activities, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the session in both small and large groups. You are expected to be supportive of others who have not yet developed confidence and conversant with the fact that healthy team working involves valuing differences and working with these. The international perspective of this course means that students come form a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The emphasis in each of the units is to draw on these experiences and to value the diversity of them.

Career Management Skills

As a student on a degree programme in nursing you are expected to develop a focus towards your career goals. This is undertaken initially in the portfolio unit but continues through out all subsequent units. You are encouraged to identify an area of focus for all your assignments that leads directly to benefiting both you and your workplace (or future work place).

Career/Further study opportunities

Career:

Most students who undertake this programme do so in order to develop their knowledge and skills and to be more competitive when applying for jobs in the Nursing Field. Past students have used the course to develop their breath and understanding of particular nursing issues before applying for jobs locally, nationally and internationally. Increasingly a degree in nursing is becoming a requirement internationally

Further study:

MSc Advanced Nursing

MSc Advanced Practice

MSc Health Studies

MSc Public Health

Entry

Additional:

You must have undertaken a course of study leading to qualification as a registered Nurse. This course of study must not be less than three years.

UK students Undergraduate entry requirements

Standard entry requirements for Foundation degrees (FD/FdSc)

A foundation degree will be of particular interest if you have completed a Modern Apprenticeship, vocational A levels, BTEC National or equivalent.

Foundation degrees are also particularly suitable if you want to qualify while working.

• As a guideline, a typical offer would require you to obtain a UCAS tariff score of between 80-120 points, based on your level 3 studies.
• Students who require a Tier 4 Student Visa cannot apply for our foundation courses. For these courses the University of Bedfordshire is not able to sponsor Tier 4 Student Visa applications.

Many students studying for foundation degrees come to us through work-based routes so you can apply for a foundation degree even if you don’t have traditional academic qualifications.

We welcome applicants with relevant work experience.

Standard entry requirements for Undergraduate degrees (BA/BSc)

We will consider you as an individual and take into account all elements of your application, not just your qualifications. We are looking for both breadth and depth in your current studies as well as enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study.

The general requirement is one of the following:

• UCAS Tariff Score greater than 200, which should include either two A level passes or an AVCE Double Award
• An Access qualification
• Equivalent qualifications such as Irish Leaving Certificate, Scottish Highers, International Baccalaureate or BTEC National Diploma

Postgraduate taught courses

Postgraduate applications (MA/MSc) should be made direct to the University using the  standard University application form. There are some exceptions, please see individual course descriptions for details.

• UK/EU students application form
• International (non-EU) students application form
  

Students from the European Union

Entry requirements

As a general guide, to apply for a place on an undergraduate course (BA/BSc) at the University you need to have completed your high school education and have the required English qualification.

We have students from all the European Union member countries so we are quick to make decisions on most qualifications.

How to apply

International students

• Undergraduate applications (BA/BSc) can be made direct to the University or via our representatives in your home country. If you intend to apply to more than one university in the UK you should apply via UCAS. If you want to apply to the University of Bedfordshire only you should apply directly using our international application form (link below) or via our representatives in your home country
• Postgraduate applications should be made directly to the University using our international application form (link below) or via our representatives in your home country
• Healthcare, nursing and midwifery students Many of these courses are not available to overseas students due to UK immigration law in regard to bursary funding. Please contact international admissions to find out if you are eligible to apply
• BA Nursing Studies Level 3 (with or without Overseas Nursing Programme) is available to overseas students - please contact International Admissions by email at international-admissions@beds.ac.uk for further information

(Please note that applicants on a full student visa are not eligible for part-time study)

Course application form for international students

We recommend that you apply directly to the University where possible, as this allows us to offer the quickest turnaround time for your application.

• Course application form for direct applications [PDF]

How to complete your course application

Please read the Direct application instructions before completing the course application form.

Application forms for accommodation in the student halls at Bedford campus and Luton campus are available in the Student life section

Accreditation of prior certificated learning (APL)

APL is available for international students applying for undergraduate (Bachelor degree) study. Please do not use this APL form to apply for postgraduate courses.

Use the APL form to tell us about any non-standard qualifications and/or work experience you have that you think should be taken into consideration with your application. `

The APL form should be submitted at the same time as the course application form.

We regret we are unable to process APL forms from students who have not submitted a formal course application form.

• APL application form for International students [100Kb] updated 041007

What next?

Return your completed application to:

University of Bedfordshire
International Admissions
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU
United Kingdom

Contact International Admissions

T: +44 (0)1582 489326 (non-EU Students)
F: +44 (0)1582 743469
E: international-admissions@beds.ac.uk

Awarding institution

University of Bedfordshire

Teaching Strategy

The teaching and learning strategies are underpinned by an understanding that students attending the course will be adult learners, that you bring a wealth of learning experience with you and that this learning will be influenced by your previous educational experiences.

The focus within this course is the development of academic knowledge; an eclectic approach to curriculum development has been developed to maximise your previous experience and to allow for the development of new ideas and knowledge. Considerable emphasis is based on active methods of learning. You will be expected to attend all taught sessions (approximately 2 days a week) and develop a self directed approach to your learning. Self-direction is an important skill and is a feature of undergraduate courses. This approach helps you develop a skill for life and is one that employers particularly those in health care sectors value highly. To facilitate the development of these skills you will experience a range of approaches including enquiry based learning, reflective group work, lectures, tutorial groups, group discussions and seminars and the use of the e- learning environment.

The E-learning environment has become a significant feature in courses and the resources used by the University ensure that you have a one stop shop approach to both e learning resources and those provided by individual lecturers. Proficiency in using these resources is essential as all employers require a degree of transferability in relation to communication, numeracy and Information technology.

Students with disabilities

You will receive advice on any adjustments that need to be made to ensure that you can succeed on this programme.

Skills Development

Communication

To help with the development of this you will:

• Prepare and deliver seminars to present to the group (Literature review, Portfolio, Ethics)


• Prepare and present verbally to your supervisor (Literature review, Portfolio, health promotion)


• Plan and write your review in the agreed format (Literature review, portfolio, Research awareness, Research methodology, Concepts of ethical practice Health policy)


• Discuss ideas with clinical and academic staff ( literature review, health promotion, patient safety, concepts of ethical practice)

Information Literacy

To help with the development of this you will:

• Engage with the learning resources Health librarian for formal sessions (research awareness, research methodology, literature review, portfolio


• Conduct searches of literature related to an agreed nursing topic (literature review, research methodology, research awareness, health promotion, health policy, Patient safety)


• Use appropriate web based sites to support your learning ( research Literature review, portfolio, health policy health promotion, patient safety)

Research and Evaluation

To help with the development of this you will:

• Identify literature and appropriate sources for your assignments and differentiate between credible and non credible sources (Literature review, portfolio, Research awareness, Research methodology, Concepts of ethical practice Health policy)


• Undertake electronic searches (Literature review, portfolio, Research awareness, Research methodology, Concepts of ethical practice Health policy)


• Undertake hand searches(Literature review, portfolio, Research awareness, Research methodology, Concepts of ethical practice Health policy)


• Use appropriate models to evaluate the literature (literature review, research)


• Evaluate appropriate literature (Literature review, portfolio, Research awareness, Research methodology, Concepts of ethical practice Health policy)

Creativity and Critical Thinking

To help with the development of this you will:

• Participate in seminars (Literature review, portfolio, health policy, patient safety, ethics)


• Reflect on your learning sessions using an identified model of reflection (portfolio Literature review)


• Lead discussions and interact with other students and academics (Literature review, portfolio, Research awareness, Research methodology, Concepts of ethical practice Health policy)


• Present your research findings (research literature review and portfolio)

Improving learning and performance

As a student on this course, you will have a background in nursing, whether that experience has been overseas, the EU or the UK this course will enable you to develop your study skills to ensure that you will complete with a life long approach to learning and with the concept of continuing to improve your professional competence and Knowledge.

All units require you to engage in e learning activities and to access national and international resources relevant to nursing practice. The skills that you gain by engaging in new technologies will equip you to continue your professional learning throughout your working life.

Progress files

You are encouraged to use the portfolio guide to ensure that you are planning for your learning, recording your learning and using this to identify gaps in knowledge for future units.

You will have feed back from your unit lecturers following each opportunity of formative assessment for example in the portfolio unit; you will get direct feedback on your presentation skills following the seminar presentation. You will also receive written feedback of all your assignments and have an opportunity to discuss this feedback.

You will be expected to become more self reliant in your learning and you will be given tasks to ensure that you have developed good research skills (during the research units and the literature review unit). These skills are essential for professional practice.

Although you are expected to use IT throughout the course to develop your assignments you will be supported by both the learning resource staff and the lecturing team throughout this process.

Your personal lecturer will help you with specific matters of concern and will refer you to the appropriate department if you need specialist help.

You will have already undertaken at least three years of study in Nurse education, and will have developed study skills appropriate to that experience. However the experience of higher education is daunting to many students and the learning experience may have been quite different to what is offered in the University, therefore During the early part of the course you will be expected to submit work so that the lecturing staff can identify any particular problems you may have in relation to your study. Learning resources are particularly well equipped to help students who do not use English as a first language or student s who have any form of learning disability including dyslexia.

Professional standards

You have invested in enrolling for a programme of study that is related to your professional life. The course team wants you to make the most of this opportunity by ensuring that the environment for study is one that helps you achieve your personal goals and aspirations. As this course is principally a theoretical one your focus of learning will be in the classroom, through e-leering, self directed study and in the learning resources centre.

The course team have identified some issues that will help in your learning:

• There is an expectation that both students and staff arrive promptly for sessions and end the sessions on time


• There is an expectation that both students and staff engage actively with each other both in the classroom and tutorial sessions. Mobile phone must not be turned on in either session to avoid unnecessary detractions and as a courtesy to others


• You are expected to attend all timetable sessions; if you do not attend, you will be marked as absent. A register will be kept and used as a source of evidence for references and for extending international student visas


• You are encouraged to approach lecturing staff if you have any problems and the contact details of each member of the team are recorded in the handbook. Your contact details are on the University record system and we encourage you to let the team know if any details change


• If you arrange for tutorials with a member so staff you will be expected to keep them if you have to cancel you should let the member of staff know well in advance, as many have to travel some distance to the University. Staff will also keep students informed of any changes in timetabling through the BREO and University emailing systems


• We believe that both students and staff should function in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Lecturing staff will feedback assessment issues to you at the earliest opportunity. If you have any areas of concern we would expect that you fed these back as soon as you can, The course team will try to answer any concerns promptly


• We expect you to produce work that is entirely your own. Plagiarism is treated as a major offence and may result in serious sanctions. All students work will be submitted through the turnitin system on BREO

Strategy for developing and embedding the professional standards

The course is monitored throughout the academic year through a series of processes. Each unit is evaluated at the end of each semester, students responses are noted, and action is taken by the course team through the Course board. The Course board meets once a semester and has representatives from the present student group, past students, members of the lecturing tem and members from the local NHS trusts.

The Course leader is also responsible for evaluating the programme at the en do f each semester and in particular each academic year. The results of the evaluations are presented to the Faculty Quality teaching and assessment committee. This active process means that the course is under constant review and that the course team can make changes quickly and in response to both student and external feedback.