Advanced Nursing Studies

MSc Advanced Nursing Studies
Mode: full-time

It integrates research, education and management issues to enable you to evolve a high degree of professional autonomy and independent practice.

You will engage in advanced health assessment and diagnostic reasoning skills and be recognised as having advanced nursing knowledge to provide consultancy services to health providers.

These issues will relate strongly to the ever changing climate within healthcare both nationally and internationally.

For those nurses wishing to gain registration in the UK, the Overseas Nurses Programme is offered as an additional unit. This is a unique opportunity to gain both higher level qualifications and UK registration as a nurse.

Why choose this course?

• This course enables you to focus on your discipline area.
• Contributions from an experienced multidisciplinary course team.
• Innovative in its approach, with a strong emphasis on theoretical learning.
• Unique combination of subject areas to enable advanced practice.
• Opportunity for suitably qualified nurses from Overseas to gain registration in the UK as a nurse. This is subject to each candidate obtaining a decision letter to proceed from the NMC.
• Extensive experience in supporting students from overseas.
• Central position of the University - 20 minutes by train to London.

Career Opportunities

Health professionals are increasingly aware of the need to provide advanced practice within the context of health care agendas. Nurses have to operate in increasingly complex organisations and be familiar with advancing practice in all areas of health care. This course offers an opportunity for experienced nurses to develop their knowledge and prepare for taking lead roles in key developments.

Overseas nurses who undertake the placement option for registration in the UK will have the opportunity to become proficient in a new environment as well as developing tier theoretical frameworks. Home based students will have every opportunity to apply their new knowledge to their work environment.

On completing this course the students could progress into the following areas:

• Advanced practitioner roles
• Consultancy
• Managerial positions
• Health and social care policy development
• Teaching
• Research and Development

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

The units available to you offer a range of different teaching strategies in order to meet the learning needs of a diverse range of students. These strategies include lectures, seminars, group work, e-learning, practicals, case studies, learning contract and portfolio development. This ensures that all students have the opportunity to learn in an environment that suits their learning style.

Assessment

Due to the nature of this course you will be exposed to a variety of assessment methods that have been designed specifically to assess skills development and demonstrate the learning outcomes of the individual units. These include portfolios, learning contracts, exams, practicals, essays, reports, poster presentations. These will help to prepare you for a range of activities once you have completed the course.

Dissertation/project and research

Students will be expected to undertake a dissertation in order to successfully complete this course.
An eighteen thousand word dissertation based upon a piece of research, audit or change management project undertaken by the student completes the programme. You will also submit a two thousand word plan in preparation for the above.

Recommended reading

• Cox, C (2004) Physical Assessment for Nurses 1st edn, London, Blackwell Publishing
• Craig J V & Rosalind L, & Smyth J (2007)The Evidence-Based Practice Manual for Nurses , 2nd edn, London, Churchill Livingstone
• Bickley L S, Szilaygi P G (2007) Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking. 9th edn. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

Entry requirements

An honours or pass degree from a UK university or equivalent (HND), or exceptional evidence of previous advanced study, research or professional experience.

For International Students: (As above)
In addition :

• Transcript of nurse training
• IELTS 6

If you intend to undertake the Overseas nurses placement as part of the Advanced nursing studies award you will also have to submit:

• IELTS 6.5
• NMC decision letter that does not expire before the end of your placement.
• 2 ORIGINAL references
• If you are undertaking the ONP unit you will be subject to Criminal Records Bureaux and Occupational health screening before undertaking your placement. If you do not achieve a successful outcome for both you will not be able to proceed to the Overseas nursing placement.
• You must state on your application form your intention to undertake the Overseas nurses placement, failure to make this intention known will mean that a placement may not be guaranteed

Attendance

You are required to attend all the taught components of your selected units.