Course summary

Learn to support children and young people in acute and community settings, with our NMC-validated course. Study over four years and qualify in two fields of practice: children's and mental health nursing. Gain the clinical knowledge, skills, confidence and accreditation you need to succeed as a child and mental health nurse, with our integrated Masters course in Cambridge and Chelmsford. Our purpose-built nursing labs simulate many aspects of a working hospital ward. You’ll use sophisticated healthcare equipment in safe and supportive small group sessions led by highly experienced staff. You’ll also undertake placements in child and mental health settings. You could find yourself caring for patients in their home, in GP surgeries, on a general children’s ward, paediatric A&E, and more. Student nurses can take advantage of nursing training grants worth at least £5,000 per year. Here at ARU, we’re dedicated to the continual improvement of healthcare and stand by the values of the NHS Constitution. Our course will prepare you to become a highly skilled and sought-after health professional who’ll be welcomed in hospital and community settings. As a student at ARU, you’ll undertake both child and mental health placements and modules, learning to support patients both mentally and physically. We’ll help you grow into a competent nurse and concentrate on developing your leadership skills. We’re proud to have been shortlisted for Nurse Education Provider of the Year in 2023 by the Student Nursing Times. It speaks volumes about the quality of our teaching. You’ll soon discover that ARU is a stimulating place to study nursing, with excellent facilities and registered, practising tutors who’ll make sure you’re being taught the latest techniques and give you the support you need to succeed. We make use of technology to support your learning too, with virtual reality scenarios or real time assessment. Our Nursing and Midwifery Council validated course places equal value on clinical practice and theory. It’ll take you from university lectures and skills sessions to clinical placements. You may well find yourself at a GP surgery, attending home health visits or in hospital settings from a general children's ward to paediatric A&E. Placements last around seven to 12 weeks, with opportunities including health visiting, general children’s ward, neonatal unit, paediatric assessment unit, and child and adolescent community settings (including mental health). There’s also the option of a self-funded overseas placement at the end of Year 2. You’ll be linked to one of our NHS healthcare trust partners for your placements. If you study in Cambridge, you’ll do your placements in or around Cambridge, Huntingdon or Peterborough. If you study in Chelmsford, you’ll do your placements in or around Chelmsford, Southend, Basildon, Harlow or Colchester. We want to make sure you experience a variety of placements and that you graduate as an effective practitioner. Our placement maps will help you plan your travel before you start on the course. On placement, you’ll be working shifts. This can mean early, late and night shifts, as well as working weekends and bank holidays. You’ll be supported by practice supervisors and assessors as well as staff from ARU. Meanwhile, teaching usually takes place between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, and on campus time is supplemented by online learning and virtual lectures. Each year, you’ll get allocated annual leave at set points to support you in balancing your course and relaxation time. While studying Nursing (Children and Mental Health) at ARU, you’ll have the chance to share experiences with students from other courses, and to see how the professions work together to provide effective and seamless care.