Course summary
District nurses perform essential work, caring for housebound patients in their own homes and keeping them out of hospital for longer. Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), this postgraduate diploma gives you the advanced grounding to specialise in this ever-changing and vitally-important area of nursing. Why study this subject? District nursing is rewarding and challenging work that requires different skills and knowledge to those needed in a hospital. Studying at specialist practitioner level will hone your critical thinking and leadership capabilities, so that you become highly skilled at caring for patients in their own homes, and leading large teams of nurses in this area of practice. Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? You will benefit from an excellent standard of teaching provided by staff from the University and practice, in partnership with our NHS Trust partners. As well as this you will be taught by lecturers who have a wide expertise in the field. Our lecturers also maintain close links with practice, ensuring that the programme is up-to-date with modern practice. We offer continuous support throughout the programme, and you will receive personal tutoring and benefit from a high level of research within the teaching team. Your personal tutor will help guide you through your studies, support you with your academic development and give advice when needed. Highly regarded by students and practice partners for our teaching in this area, BNU has a strong reputation for its health visitor and school nurse training. You will work with highly skilled academics, who have worked in the community – and spend some of your time in practice yourself, consolidating and deepening your understanding and skills. This specialist course will take you through key aspects of contemporary district nursing practice, from mental health across the lifespan and safeguarding to effective caseload management. Developing strong leadership, critical thinking and research skills, you will also learn to take a more strategic view of the way healthcare is delivered in the community, drawing on the latest research, ideas and policy. This course covers all the areas needed to meet the NMC professional requirements for district nurses. As well as spending half your time in practice, case study-type simulations will allow you to explore the kind of issues you will face as a district nurse. You will also work closely with students from other community nursing courses at BNU, building your experience of working in a multi-professional way. By the end of the course, you will have developed the higher level of skills and knowledge you need to become a leader in this specialist field of nursing. Your e-portfolio will provide evidence of this, to validate your learning with the NMC.
Modules
Year 1 Modules Enhancing Specialist Community Practice (DN) Philosophical Enquiry in Practice Critical Perspectives in Managing Complex Health Needs in the Community Setting (optional) Leading Innovative Healthcare in the Community Setting (optional) Critical Issues in Mental Health Across the Lifespan (optional) Contemporary Issues in Community Palliative Care (optional) Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribing V100 or Non-Medical Prescribing Clinical Decision Making for Non-Medical Prescribing Applied Pharmacology for NonMedical Prescribing
Assessment method
This course covers all the areas needed to meet the NMC professional requirements for district nurses. By the end of the course, you will be able to: understand the complexities of working in a community setting develop appreciate strategic influences on policy take a critical approach to nursing care in the community, with a strong emphasis on providing holistic, evidence-based care to patients in their homes analyse how decisions about care are made, drawing on relevant research work at the forefront of caring for people with a range of healthcare needs, including highly complex ones. The course makes use of a range of flexible learning and assessment approaches, to ensure you learn in the way that suits you best. We will be looking, in particular, at how well you apply the theory to your own nursing and leadership practice. You will benefit from strong support throughout, with personal and link tutors at the University, and a practice teacher supporting you to learn in your trust. As well as spending half your time in practice, case study-type simulations will allow you to explore the kind of issues you will face as a district nurse. You will also work closely with students from other community nursing courses at BNU, building your experience of working in a multi-professional way. By the end of the course, you will have developed the higher level of skills and knowledge you need to become a leader in this specialist field of nursing. Your e-portfolio will provide evidence of this, to validate your learning with the NMC. Study this course full time for a year. You will spend two days a week at university and two days a week in practice.
Entry requirements
The academic criteria for admission to this programme are a degree (120 credits at level 6) in child or adult nursing. The NMC professional requirements are for applicants to be entered on the appropriate part of the NMC Register. Applicants will be a level 1 nurse and have a qualification in child or adult nursing, and have completed a period of experience of sufficient length to have consolidated pre-registration outcomes. This will be assessed at interview.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | We require an IELTS score of 6.0 (with no element lower that 5.5) or a recognised equivalent. |
If English is not your first language or if you have studied in a non-majority English-speaking country, then you will typically be required to demonstrate your English language ability (speaking, listening, reading & writing) by way of a test such as IELTS.
BNU English Language Requirements
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
For fee information, please visit our website: bucks.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/pgdip-specialist-practitioner-qualification-district-nursing
Provider information
Buckinghamshire New University
Queen Alexandra Road
High Wycombe
HP11 2JZ