Adult Nursing (MSc)

The course structure ensures you study a range of modules that are highly relevant to adult nursing. During your two year programme you will study 5 core modules. Your study is divided into three roughly equal periods called progression periods. Over the two years, half of the course is dedicated to working in practice, in a variety of healthcare settings.
In your first progression period you acquire the fundamentals of nursing practice including essential care and learn how to work in a professional setting. You also explore the concepts of leadership and develop a research plan for your dissertation
In progression period two you build on your experience and develop your skills in caring for patients with higher acuity requirements using clinical reasoning skills. You will develop leadership skills in practice and formulate your research proposal.
In progression period three you will take on more responsibility and leadership in preparation for your professional transition from student nurse to registered professional. You will be prepared to manage complex nursing care to enhance the safety and quality of the patient experience. You will complete your dissertation project demonstrating the detailed application and findings of your study.
Module A - Fundamentals of Nursing for Health and Wellbeing
The nature of healthcare needs and health policy is changing so that it requires a more pervasive nursing approach. This shift coincides with a drive toward more sub-acute healthcare provision, greater preventative care and self-help with emphasis on developing partnerships with all agencies that contributes to health, well being and recovery.
By undertaking this module you will 'build upon' your previous health care related experience. The module will introduce you to the biological, psychological and sociological perspectives of nursing care for health and well-being and will support you to address policy directives (local, national and international) by including people at the centre of service design, development and delivery. You will integrate this theoretical learning in nursing practice. You will be exposed to learning opportunities within a diverse range of practice learning environments which could include public health, home nursing and care of the person with a long-term condition. A range of different assessments are included in the module which runs for 34 weeks at the beginning of year one.
Module B - Acute and Critical Care Nursing
Many patients are admitted to hospital with acute illness or injury and the condition of others will deteriorate whilst they are being treated in hospital. Some of these patients will recover whilst others will require treatment in higher levels of care. Studying this module will provide you with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable you to assess the care needs of acutely and critically ill patients. In collaboration with patients, carers and fellow healthcare professionals in placements, you will learn how to develop, implement and evaluate care plans to meet these needs.
By successfully completing this module, you will learn how to use a range of frameworks to recognise and respond to meeting the needs of acutely ill patients in both simulated and placement environments, how to prioritise decision­ making and how to communicate effectively with clinical colleagues. Your learning will be based on small group activities and will be student­ focused in partnership with a range of acute and critical care placements. A variety of assessments are included in the module which runs for 38 weeks at the end of Year 1 and beginning of Year 2.
Module C - Transitions to Professional Nursing Practice
The successful completion of this module will ensure that you are prepared to be admitted to the NMC register as an Adult nurse. The key focus of the learning is around transition. Firstly around your professional transition from student nurse to registered professional status. Secondly you will be prepared to manage complex nursing care to enhance the safety and quality of the patient experience. The immersion in real world problems during this module will prepare students to be able to respond flexibly to the dynamic nature of contemporary adult nursing.
The module will examine the career pathways available to nurses and consider the opportunities for the Nurse as: Practitioner, Educator, Researcher and Manager. There will be a particular focus on the role of the nurse as practitioner and as an educator and this is achieved through the student’s sign off practice experience and production of a renewable learning resource for an audience of their choosing. This ensures students are well equipped to deliver effective person centred education that is augmented by their digital literacy. A variety of assessments are included in the module which runs for 32 weeks at the end of Year 2
Module D - Leading for Change in Nursing Practice
This module has been designed to develop leadership, management and team working knowledge and skills across the two year duration of the programme. It is recognised that graduate ­entry nursing students may possess a range of skills and through the development of self-awareness, the role of nurse as a leader and change agent will be enhanced. By exploring effective team and partnership relationships, political awareness, and leadership behaviours the aim is to enable you to manage self, lead teams, and lead service improvement in nursing in contemporary healthcare delivery. Leadership is a core theme that spans the Graduate Entry MSc and is integral to the development of the capable postgraduate nurse.
The assessments will ensure that you have explored key concepts of leadership and management and have been given the opportunity to report on a change in nursing practice
Module E - Research, Evidence and Dissertation in Nursing Practice
This module will enable students with an undergraduate degree to transfer and further develop research skills to support evidence based decision making in nursing practice. Within the module published literature will be explored specific to the student’s field of nursing and area of interest. The differences between research, audit, local service evaluation and the ethical and governance approvals required of studies performed within health care organisations will be identified; enabling development of the knowledge and skills required to design and implement an ethical and feasible research project within a supportive environment.
At the end of this module graduate entry nursing students will be able to provide an in depth understanding of how research management techniques are used to create original application and demonstration of new knowledge and understanding of the process and decision making in managing a research project within strict deadlines. The assessments will ensure that you can present the choice of dissertation topic with a clear rationale and that you can then develop a research proposal. The module is summatively assessed by the production of a dissertation demonstrating the detailed application and reported findings of the project.