Health Visiting

• You will be taught by a dedicated team of professional nurses who have backgrounds in District Nursing and Community Nursing Roles.
• On successful completion of the Community Specialist Practice Programme, the District Nursing qualification will be recordable with the NMC.
• The programme consists of 50% theory and 50% practice (minimum of 600 hours practice) within a district nursing team and has a 6 week period of practice consolidation at the end of the programme, ensuring that you feel fully prepared for your new role as a District Nurse.

The specific aims of the district nursing programme are to broaden the student’s understanding of key aspects of district nursing including the acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge at the forefront of care. The course will prepare students for study and competent practice at a specialist level within district nursing in order to meet the NMC (2001) Standards for Specialist Practice.

• Foundations of Community Practice - The Foundations of Community Practice module will enable registered practitioners to enhance their knowledge and problem-solving skills to a point where they can practise competently in a community setting.
• Process of Enquiry - The Process of Enquiry module aims to provide the student with insight into the principles of a range of research methods while encouraging critical thinking and stimulating the development of research-based practice.
• Clinical Portfolio - The Clinical Portfolio module will enable the student to engage in critical reflection during their community placement and explore their professional practice and personal development.
• Nurse Prescribing (V100) - The Nurse Prescribing module aims to prepare community nurses to prescribe safely, appropriately and cost effectively from the Nurse Prescribers’ Formulary for Community Practitioners.
• Assessing Complex Needs - The Assessing Complex Needs module will prepare students to deal with complex care situations systematically and creatively and make sound judgements within the boundaries of their own discipline.
• Managing Community Specialist Practice - The Managing Community Specialist Practice module will equip the students with the underpinning knowledge of leadership and management in the context of district nursing practice.
• Innovations in Community Practice - The Innovations in Community practice will enhance the students’ ability to lead and manage a district nursing team by recognising the need for change and designing and planning an innovation to reflect the needs within the locality. The module will also enable the students to disseminate this good practice.
• Consolidation of Practice (NMC requirement) - Students will complete this module at the end of their studies and it will enable them to manage a small caseload of patients in readiness for embarking on their new role as a District Nurse. The students will feel fully prepared having worked towards the NMC proficiencies over a prolonged period of time.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.