Course summary

Please note that advanced entry is not available on any of our Pre-Registration Nursing Programmes at this time. Join our full-time four-year, NMC dual registration Adult and Mental Health Nursing degree course and take the first step towards a career as a nurse. Immerse yourself in placements that will help you build practice-based nursing skills and knowledge in both of these fields of nursing. Study in Cambridgeshire or Chelmsford, in our cutting-edge skill laboratories and become a part of our supportive nursing community. When you graduate, you’ll be ready to start your career as a registered nurse in both adult and mental health nursing. Here at ARU, we are dedicated to the continual improvement of healthcare and stand by the values of the NHS Constitution. We think it’s important to reflect on what makes a great nurse. A compassionate nurse understands that the wellbeing of individual patients must be placed at the centre of the care delivered. A courageous nurse uses good communication to advocate for what is right for patients and commits to act as a role model. We’ll work with you to help you grow into a competent nurse and concentrate on developing your leadership skills. We are proud to have been shortlisted for Nurse Education Provider of the Year in both 2019 and 2020 by the Student Nursing Times. This speaks volumes about the quality of our teaching. You’ll soon discover that our faculty is a stimulating place to learn, with excellent facilities and registered, practising tutors who will 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. Good examples are the use of virtual reality scenarios or monitoring your progress with 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 to clinical placement settings for young and mature adults. You may well find yourself at a GP surgery, attending health visits or in the middle of a variety of hospital settings, from accident & emergency through to acute care and oncology. Placements last around seven to twelve weeks and will include both acute and community settings. Placement opportunities include: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, District Nursing, Surgical Setting and many more. You’ll also undertake additional four-week placements at the end of year one and two, which allows you to explore other areas, or travel overseas in year two. You’ll be linked to one of our NHS healthcare trust partners for your placements in hospitals or community settings. If you study in Cambridge, you’ll do your placements in or around Cambridge 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. Teaching on campus usually takes place between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. On placement, you’ll be expected to work the same shifts as your nursing team. This can mean early, late and night shifts, as well as working weekends and bank holidays. Each year, you’ll get allocated annual leave at set points to support you in balancing your course and relaxation time. 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.