Overview
District nurses care for people in their home and in the community. If you’re already a qualified nurse, this course will develop your community nursing skills. You’ll learn to lead teams in delivering excellent patient-centred care, improve your caseload management and independent working skills, and gain a prescribing qualification.
Careers
When you graduate, you’ll be able to record your qualification with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Community Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing) with a prescribing qualification.
We work with employers to make sure you graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities they need. They help us review what we teach and how we teach it – and they offer hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.
Employers will be impressed by the practical experience you gain on this course. You’ll have 120 days’ practical clinical experience under your belt, including a five-week consolidated practice placement. You’ll also have managed a small caseload under the supervision of your mentor, a qualified district nurse.
Modules & assessment
Year one, core modules
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Fundamentals of District Nursing
This module focuses on the essential aspects of the district nursing role, including the changing demographics within the 21st Century and in particular the growing ageing population living in community settings with complex healthcare. You will study caseload management of those living with long term conditions, supported by multidisciplinary teams. The module is aligned with both national and local policies supporting practice, compassion and quality of care in the community setting. -
Assessment Skills in the Community
Comprehensive assessment is key to the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective care to patients. Assessing patients in the community requires the skills to examine not just the patient, but the environment in which they live and in which care will be delivered. -
Leadership and Management in the Community
This module will develop leadership and management skills to a strategic level, enabling you as a practitioner to deliver high quality patient care. The module will introduce practitioners to theories of leadership and management processes to support teams, including performance management and motivation. You will also reflect on integrating the values of courage and good communication and addressing the challenges organisational culture can present. -
Undergraduate Major Project
The undergraduate major project enables you to raise and address significant questions relating to your chosen topic/issue. You will be supported by a tutor with similar interests and research profile. This module requires autonomous study and it is your chance to demonstrate that you have met our University’s expectations and are ready to graduate.
You will choose one of the following modules:
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Community Practitioner Nurse Prescribing - see notes below
Please note: If you have already completed a prescribing module that's recorded with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), your sponsoring Trust or healthcare organisation and the University may suggest you complete one of the optional modules outlined below. The Nurse Prescribing module will prepare you to prescribe safely, appropriately and cost effectively from the community practitioners formulary for nurse prescribers. The module is an alternative option to advanced non-medical prescribing. -
Non-medical Prescribing
Non-Medical Prescribing prepares you to prescribe medicines from the British National Formulary (BNF), within your area of competence, and to assist you in extending your practice. You’ll learn to prescribe safely, appropriately and cost-effectively, as both an independent and supplementary prescriber. Supervision and assessment from a designated GP or Nurse Practitioner is essential within this module in order to meet the 78 hours clinical practice requirement. The module will be undertaken with allied health professionals.
You will take one module from the above list. The choice will depend on modules you may have completed in the past and on availability. The course leader will discuss your options with you at the beginning of the course. Modules are subject to change.
Assessment
You’ll learn theoretical and practical skills on this course – and we’ll assess you on both. Essays, examinations, case studies, poster presentations, a competency-based portfolio, and an extended literature review all help to demonstrate you’re developing the skills you need.
Where you'll study
Your faculty
The Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care is the largest in ARU, with over 7,000 students. Our Faculty is teeming with expertise and primed to meet the demand for creating health professionals, teachers, doctors, scientists and educators for the three districts we serve: Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough.
We have been training undergraduates for professional roles for over 25 years, with a reputation for quality, dedication and ambition balanced with student satisfaction.
We know that to give our students the very best experiential learning, prior to getting into the workplace, simulation is second to none, for safe, realistic, learning environments. We have invested heavily in purpose built simulated wards, science labs and skills space, to support our students through their learning.
Where can I study?
Cambridge
Our campus is close to the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.
Chelmsford
Our striking, modern campus sits by the riverside in Chelmsford's University and Innovation Quarter.
Fees & funding
Funding for UK & EU students
Most new undergraduate students can apply for government funding to support their studies and university life. This includes Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans. There are additional grants available for specific groups of students, such as those with disabilities or dependants.
We also offer a fantastic range of ARU scholarships, which provide extra financial support while you’re at university. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.
This course is fully funded
Places on this course are fully funded by Health Education East of England and the sponsoring employers.
Entry requirements
Important additional notes
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements. Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course, please email answers@anglia.ac.uk for further information.
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