Course summary

Our Specialist Community Public Health Nursing course is designed to enable you to study at academic Level 7 (Masters) whilst also preparing you to become proficient practitioners within specialist community public health nursing/practice. Successful completion of this course will allow you to work at specialist practitioner level within complex primary health care arenas. This post registration award prepares you for a career in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing at both strategic and operational levels. The postgraduate diploma consists of six compulsory modules, two of these modules are practice focused and incorporate key theoretical concepts enabling theory to inform practice and vice versa. You will have completed a consolidating period of practice equivalent to at least ten weeks by the end of the course, in keeping with NMC SCPHN Standards (2004). All modules are linked to service delivery and developments within Primary Care/Public Health and are intended to develop your core skills in research, practice development, public health activity and education. You will complete half of the programme in a practice environment which is commensurate with the specific annotation you are following: for example Health Visiting or School Nursing. This element of the programme is supported by designated practice teachers who have undertaken a formal education programme to fulfill this role. In order to achieve the named award you must meet all requirements of the award map. This course provides you with a programme of preparation and learning if you are a registered nurse or midwife and wish to become registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on Part 3 of the register as a SCPHN Health Visitor (HV) or School Nurse (SN) (NMC 2004). You will have the opportunity to gain the additional qualification of Community Practitioner Nurse Prescriber with the Nursing and Midwifery Council upon successful completion of this course. There is a focus on work-based learning throughout this course which ensures clear integration of practice based learning, assessment and university based work. A shared learning approach is encouraged with inter-professional modules and integrated working incorporated within the overall programme structure. The course will be delivered by a range of teaching methods such as core lectures, group work, online activities, use of case studies and directed learning approaches. Shared learning with other professionals will be a focus of this course and you will be encouraged to develop a critical, evaluative approach to the knowledge which underpins current specialist community public health practice.