Healthcare Practice BSc (Hons) top-up / GradCert

30 credits

This is the compulsory module for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals who wish to obtain the BSc (Hons) Healthcare Practice award. The module will enable participants to develop their understanding of a variety of research methods, to competently critique contemporary research evidence and to identify research questions that will enable the development of their own clinical practice through the planning of a service improvement.

30 credits

This module is the first of two modules for healthcare practitioners working full-time or part-time within the neonatal unit to be recognised as qualified in speciality (QIS).

This module can be taken as a stand-alone module for other healthcare practitioners that work within the neonatal unit wishing to update their knowledge and skills. The delivery of acute neonatal care is dependent upon a sound theoretical knowledge underpinning neonatal anatomy, physiology, and applied pathophysiology.

This module will provide the novice practitioners to apply these core principles to develop their clinical knowledge and skills in the care of the neonate. It will also enable the learners to establish therapeutic relationships with the parents and the multi-disciplinary team using appropriate communication and interpersonal skills.

Finally, the module will enable the learners to develop their reflective skills and their evidence-based practice in the delivery of holistic, safe, and effective neonatal care to the infants and their family in a low intensity setting. This module adheres to recognised frameworks and standards to ensure high-quality, effective neonatal nurse training.

30 credits

This is the second of two modules for healthcare practitioners, working full-time or part-time in the neonatal unit, that on completion will enable the practitioner to be recognised as qualified in speciality (QIS).

The delivery of specialist neonatal nursing care depends on the sound theoretical knowledge and skills of the practitioner, the development and maintenance of therapeutic relationships with parents, and the multi-disciplinary team using appropriate communication and interpersonal skills.

This module enhances reflective skills and furthers the practitioner’s evidence-based practice in the delivery of safe, holistic, and effective neonatal care to infants needing critical care and their family. 

This module adheres to recognised frameworks and standards to ensure high-quality, effective neonatal nurse training. These include the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) (2012) ‘Matching Knowledge and Skills for Qualified in Specialty (QIS) Neonatal Nurses,’ the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2015) ‘Career, Education, and Competence Framework for Neonatal Nursing in the UK,’ and the latest Health Education England (HEE) (2021) Quality Framework, which identified disparities in the content and delivery of QIS programs across England.

15 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and others registered healthcare professionals wishing to develop their ability to use a 12 Lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) as an assessment tool in clinical practice. It will enable students to gain confidence in ECG interpretation through the development of knowledge relating to cardiac physiology, the principles of electrocardiography and the criteria associated with conditions commonly observed on the ECG.

15 credits

This module is suitable for experienced adult critical care nurses and other healthcare practitioners involved in the care of polytrauma patients during their critical care phase. The module learning outcomes are aligned to the National Competency Framework for Adult Critical Care Nurses: Trauma.

15 credits

This module is for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals who wish to develop skills and knowledge in the holistic assessment and evidence-based treatment of patients with minor health problems in first contact, urgent and primary care settings.

15 credits

This module is for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals who wish to develop knowledge and skills in managing minor injuries in children and adults. It is intended to develop practice through the efficient use of resources and enable practitioners to manage patients presenting to urgent and primary care settings with minor injuries.

15 credits

This is the compulsory module for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals who wish to obtain the BSc (Hons) Healthcare Practice award. The module will enable participants to develop their understanding of a variety of research methods, to competently critique contemporary research evidence and to identify research questions that will enable the development of their own clinical practice through the planning of a service improvement.

15 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals directly involved in the emergency care of polytrauma patients. A range of traumatic injuries will be explored but the focus will be upon initial assessment and management of these patients in the context of the emergency department. The module learning outcomes, indicative content and assessment strategy are aligned to the National Major Trauma Nursing Group (NMTNG) National Curriculum and Competency Framework (NMTNG 2016)i and The National Service Specification for Major Trauma (NHS England 2013).

15 credits

This module is designed for registered healthcare practitioners who are undertaking or are about to undertake work-based projects e.g., clinical audit, producing clinical guidelines, role development or in-service study programmes. It can also be used for the recognition of prior experiential learning (RPEL), which has been undertaken in employment within the past five years. The module offers a flexible approach with the negotiation of a bespoke learning agreement between the participant, clinical supervisor/ employer and module leader, which identifies the work-based activities to be used and presented in a written form for assessment and the award of academic credit.

15 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals working with respiratory patients in an acute setting. It is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to assess and manage patients with acute respiratory presentations.

30 credits

This module is suitable for registered healthcare professionals working in the perioperative environment who wish to develop a career in anaesthetics to enhance the care given to patients in the operating department.

30 credits

This module is for nurses working in Level 3 adult critical care areas and will explore the management of complex conditions seen in Level 3 patients, using contemporary evidence and patient-centred care. It is intended to build on the knowledge and skills previously gained from achievement of the Step 1 Competencies, part of the National Competency Framework for Registered Nurses in Adult Critical Care (2015). When taken in conjunction with the Adult Critical Care Patient Assessment module, these modules meet the requirements for the Step 2 and Step 3 competencies which form part of the National Standards for Adult Critical Care Nurse Education (2016).

30 credits

This module is designed for registered healthcare practitioners who are undertaking or are about to undertake work-based projects e.g., clinical audit, producing clinical guidelines, role development or in-service study programmes. It can also be used for the recognition of prior experiential learning (RPEL), which has been undertaken in employment within the past 5 years. The module offers a flexible approach with the negotiation of a bespoke learning agreement between the participant, clinical supervisor/ employer and module leader, which identifies the work-based activities to be used and presented in a written form for assessment and the award of academic credit.

30 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge and skills in caring for acutely ill patients. Using a flexible, technology enhanced approach, this core module will enable the practitioner to deliver high quality, evidence-based care which focuses on the timely recognition, effective assessment, and appropriate management of this challenging patient group.

30 credits

This module is for nurses working in level 3 adult critical care areas and will equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake and interpret a comprehensive assessment of an adult patient with complex care needs. It is intended to build on the knowledge and skills previously gained from achievement of the Step 1 Competencies, part of the National Competency Framework for Registered Nurses in Adult Critical Care (2015). When taken in conjunction with the Adult Critical Care Patient Management module, these modules meet the requirements for the Step 2 and Step 3 competencies which form part of the National Standards for Adult Critical Care Nurse Education (2016).

30 credits

This module is suitable for registered healthcare practitioners working in the perioperative environment who wish to build on their knowledge and skills in theatre practice.

30 credits

This module is designed for health and social care professionals who have been locally selected to act as professional advocates. The professional advocate role is underpinned by the Advocating-Educating for Quality ImProvement model (NHS, 2017). This model supports health and social care staff to evaluate their working environment through a continuous improvement process and to support individuals to build professional resilience.

30 credits

This module is for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals working in the post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU) of main operating theatres or day surgery environments, who wish to develop the knowledge and skills required to give appropriate and effective care to patients recovering from surgery and anaesthesia.

30 credits

This module will enable midwives and other registered healthcare professionals to critically appraise the intersectionality of the socio-political, racial, economic and cultural context of the care of women and birthing people with antenatal and postnatal mental health problems. It will look at the history and underlying paradigms that inform care and approach this from a feminist and critical social theory perspective. It will equip students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet current challenges in improving outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged families and to critique services in order to advocate for them. It will enable students to understand the importance of providing effective high-quality care through effective interprofessional collaboration and development of managed care pathways.

30 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals working with adult patients in a range of acute clinical settings including cardiology, cardiac surgery, acute medicine and emergency care. The module will equip the practitioner with the essential skills to rapidly assess acutely unwell cardiac patients and the knowledge to inform individualised, evidence-based care.

30 credits

The Independent and Supplementary Prescribing module is suitable for NMC registrants from all fields of nursing practice (adult, mental health, learning disabilities and children's nursing), midwifery and specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN). It builds on existing physical assessment and clinical reasoning skills, to develop the practitioners' pharmacology knowledge base, as well as the theory and practice of prescribing to meet the NMC Standards for prescribing programmes (NMC, 2018). The module is delivered using a blended learning approach, which incorporates both face-to-face and online activities. A variety of strategies and techniques are employed, including simulation-150 based learning, to encourage critical enquiry and problem solving, in recognition of the complexities that may be encountered in prescribing practice. The module forms the second part of the Graduate Certificate in Independent/ Supplementary Prescribing award, with the first part comprising the ‘Clinical reasoning in health assessment: lifespan perspectives' module, or equivalent 30 credits at Level 6.

30 credits

This module is suitable for nurses wishing to gain a foundation in the knowledge and skills required to provide evidence-based care within a primary care setting. The module content reflects the diverse nature of this area of practice and includes the exploration of contemporary professional issues, screening and health promotion, skills-based competencies and the management of long-term conditions.

30 credits

The module will enable midwives and other registered healthcare professionals to explore issues related to examination and assessment of the newborn baby. The module is designed to enable participants to develop competence which will lead to autonomous practice in the examination and assessment of the newborn and to make appropriate referrals in accordance with the Newborn & Infant Physical Examination Standards 2021.

30 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare practitioners working in the Emergency Department who wish to develop their knowledge and skills in caring for patients attending the ED. A variety of areas reflecting the diverse nature of emergency care are covered, including trauma; mental health; paediatrics; minor injuries, and contemporary professional issues. The module learning outcomes, indicative content and assessment strategy are aligned to the Royal College of Nursing / Emergency Care Association (ECA) National Curriculum and Competency Framework (NCCF) (RCN, 2017).

30 credits

This module is suitable for nurses and other registered healthcare professionals wishing to expand their existing paediatric critical care knowledge and skills, and to enable them to care holistically for Level 3 critically ill children and young people. A particular emphasis is placed on developing clinical competencies and understanding the principles of organ failure and organ support, or its withdrawal. It will enable practitioners to provide evidence-based care for Level 3 critically ill children and young people and their families.

30 credits

This module will enable nurses, midwives and other registered healthcare practitioners to develop their knowledge and skills in clinical reasoning and physical examination techniques. Healthcare practitioners are provided with the opportunity to equip themselves to deliver a high standard of care in health assessment techniques, critically explore differential diagnosis and develop management plans that are evidence based and in partnership with their client group. The emphasis of the module is on integrating subjective and objective data into the clinical reasoning process and on synthesis of evidential practice in the context of undifferentiated urgent care. The educational delivery and ethos of this module emphasises and builds on autonomous self-directed learning for independent practice.

60 credits

This module is designed for registered healthcare practitioners who are undertaking or are about to undertake work-based projects e.g., clinical audit, producing clinical guidelines, role development or in-service study programmes. It can also be used for the recognition of prior experiential learning (RPEL), which has been undertaken in employment within the past five years. The module offers a flexible approach with the negotiation of a bespoke learning agreement between the participant, clinical supervisor/ employer and module leader, which identifies the work-based activities to be used and presented in a written form for assessment and the award of academic credit.