Nursing Professions

Course Content

Award:
Access to Higher Education Diploma

What's it all about?:
Do you have an optimistic approach to life? Are you patient and sympathetic to people? Are you methodical? You'll get plenty of experience to use these skills in nursing and other health related professions.

Do you have experience of working in health care and want to progress further but don't have the necessary qualifications or evidence of recent study?

Our course helps you prepare for further study towards your career in the health professions and gain confidence by learning, and in some cases reviewing, the core subjects you will need.

Progression:
You can use this qualification to gain entry to higher education or colleges of health studies and degree level nursing or midwifery. Due to the strong competition for places, some university courses may also require additional experience or qualifications and will be taking in to account the grades achieved on the access course. Previous students have also progressed to a large number of related higher education programmes e.g. social work, occupational therapy, teaching and social sciences. Successful completion of the course also enhances employment opportunities within the health and social care professions.

Entry Requirements:
Access courses are principally aimed at:

• mature students who have been out of education for some time and need to provide evidence of recent study
• those with experience of working in a relevant occupation and requiring evidence of academic ability
• mature students who do not have traditional academic qualifications but have life experience and are wishing to change careers

There are no formal entry requirements, but evidence of recent study and experience or detailed understanding of health work is preferable. You will be invited to attend an interview and diagnostic assessments to assess your suitability for the course, with evidence of being able to work at minimum level 2 literacy. You may also be asked to attend a pre-access course or demonstrate other evidence of your ability to progress to a level 3 course.

The introduction of grading emphasises the importance of being well prepared to study at level 3.

Duration: One year

Business Benefits:
Updating of written English skills and mathematics are invaluable, particularly for those without a formal qualification. Information technology skills such as spreadsheets, databases and powerpoint presentation are also useful within the employment market. Past students have also cited oral presentation and interview skills as crucial for developing confidence and enabling them to be successful in gaining employment and Higher Education places.

Course Overview
What does the course involve?:

This area of study aims to prepare mature students for application to diploma and degree-level nurse education or some other health-related courses. Successful completion of this course satisfies the minimum statutory entry requirements for nurse education and other higher education courses.

Some higher education institutions may require additional entry criteria for degree-level study. This will need to be confirmed with individual institutions.

The programme covers:
• human biology
• health studies
• sociology
• study skills
• information technology
• GCSE English equivalent • GCSE Maths equivalent.

When can I study?:
Monday - Wednesday, 9.15am - 3.00pm or Wednesday - Friday, 9.15am - 3.00pm

Are there any exams?:
You are assessed through portfolio activities, essays, oral presentations, discussions and examinations. Many of the students have had a break from education and at the beginning of the course there is a focus on developing study skills in relation to those required to be successful in higher education. Whilst many of the assessment activities are completed in the classroom, you should be prepared to carry out a significant of amount of home study. Group tutorials and one-to-one tutorials are an important part of the programme.

You will be awarded a number of credits at either level 2 or 3, with a minimum of 60 credits including 45 credits at level 3 being required for the award of the Access to Higher Education Diploma. From September 2009 Access to Higher Education courses will be graded with merit and distinctions. Higher education insitutions may offer places conditional on achieving higher grades in some units.
Course Facts

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Start Date:
1 October 2010

End Date:
27 June 2011

Course Type:

Full-time

Location:
Goschen Centre

Course Fees:
£470 If you are receiving certain benefits, you may only have to pay a material fee.

Instalments:
Instalments are available for course fees. A deposit of £117.50 per year is payable before enrolment followed by three monthly payments of £117.50 per year

Material Fees:
£25

Level:
Advanced

Course Code:
CAN

Certain "part-time" courses may become "full-time" courses if additional courses are taken.

If you are aged 16-18, due to Government funding, tuition fees are not applicable for your course (Please note: this does not apply to foundation degrees).

Please note that fees quoted apply to courses starting in the academic year 2009/10 (August 2009 - July 2010). There may be a slight increase in fees for courses starting 2010/11.