Course summary

Take the first step towards a fulfilling career as a Nursing Associate with our NMC-validated Foundation degree. When you graduate, you’ll be ready to start working as a registered Nursing Associate. This course is currently undergoing NMC revalidation. The course and module information on this page is liable to change. The role of a Nursing Associate is a new role that is designed to bridge the gap between a healthcare assistant and a registered nurse.Their valuable contribution to healthcare is regulated by the NMC and will allow for progression via further study to registered nursing programmes such as Adult Nursing, Mental Health Nursing and Child Nursing. As part of your course, you’ll get the chance to immerse yourself in placements that will help you to build up the practice-based knowledge and skills to deliver such care, and become an integral part of the nursing community. Here at ARU, we are dedicated to the continual improvement of healthcare and stand by the values of the NHS Constitution. We’ll support you to be become a confident, compassionate, competent and responsive practitioner with knowledge, skills and behaviours required to deliver safe, high quality, person-centred nursing care across a range of health and social care environments. You’ll understand the service user experience and look for ways to improve this through contribution to innovation in health care practice. 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 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. During your two-year Foundation degree you’ll have four main placements, on hospital wards (surgical, medical, general, child, A&E), with the mental health team in the community and specialist clinics. 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 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. Teaching on campus usually takes place between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. 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 on placements as well as staff from ARU. 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. For Nursing Associate Direct Entry student, Health Education England will provide one payment of £1,000 to each student to cover the entire 2 year programme.