Nursing (Adult and Mental Health)

Take the first step towards your career as a registered nurse, with our NMC-validated integrated Masters course in Cambridge or Chelmsford. Study over four years and qualify in two fields of practice: adult and mental health nursing.

You’ll gain the clinical knowledge, skills, confidence and accreditation you need to succeed as a dual registered Adult and Mental Health Nurse with our excellent facilities and placements.

Our purpose-built nursing labs simulate many aspects of a working hospital ward. You’ll use sophisticated healthcare equipment in safe and supportive small group sessions led by our highly experienced and dedicated staff. And of course, you’ll spend plenty of time out on placement.

Student nurses can take advantage of training grants worth at least £5,000 per year.

Here at ARU, we are dedicated to the continual improvement of healthcare and stand by the values of the NHS Constitution. We think it’s important to reflect on what makes a great nurse. A compassionate nurse understands that the wellbeing of individual patients must be placed at the centre of the care delivered. A courageous nurse uses good communication to advocate for what is right for patients and commits to act as a role model. We’ll work with you to help you grow into a competent nurse and concentrate on developing your leadership skills.

We're proud to have been shortlisted for Nurse Education Provider of the Year in 2023 by the Student Nursing Times. It speaks volumes about the quality of our teaching.

You’ll soon discover that our faculty is a stimulating place to learn, with excellent facilities and registered, practising tutors who will make sure you’re being taught the latest techniques and give you the support you need to succeed. We make use of technology to support your learning: good examples are the use of virtual reality scenarios or monitoring your progress with real-time assessment.

Our Nursing and Midwifery Council validated course places equal value on clinical practice and theory. It’ll take you from university lectures to clinical placement settings for young and mature adults. You may well find yourself at a GP surgery, attending health visits or in the middle of a variety of hospital settings, from accident & emergency through to acute care and oncology.

Placements last around seven to twelve weeks and will include both acute and community settings. Placement opportunities include: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, District Nursing, Surgical Setting and many more. There will also be the option of a self-funded overseas placement at the end of Year 2.

You’ll be linked to one of our NHS healthcare trust partners for your placements in hospitals or community settings.

If you study in Cambridge, you’ll do your placements in or around Cambridge
If you study in Chelmsford, you’ll do your placements in or around Chelmsford, Southend, Basildon, Harlow or Colchester.

We want to make sure you experience a variety of placements and that you graduate as an effective practitioner. Our placement maps will help you plan your travel before you start on the course.

Teaching usually takes place between 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, and on campus time is supplemented by online learning and virtual lectures. On placement, you’ll be working shifts, this can mean early, late and night shifts, as well as working weekends and bank holidays. You’ll be supported by practice supervisors and assessors on placements as well as staff from ARU.

Each year, you’ll get allocated annual leave at set points to support you in balancing your course and relaxation time. You’ll have the chance to share experiences with students from other courses, and to see how the professions work together to provide effective and seamless care.