Nursing (Mental Health)

Overview
Empathy, compassion, commitment – become a Mental Health Nurse with our BN (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) degree and make a positive difference to people’s lives every day.

On this course developed and delivered with local NHS partners, you’ll benefit from extensive time spent working with patients in real healthcare settings, building key skills in mental health assessment and care.

• Explore mental health nursing scenarios in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, one of the country’s leading teaching healthcare environments

• Observe, assess and engage with patients in professional and local community environments

• Study a course approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and be eligible to register with the NMC as a mental health nurse on graduation

NHS Learning Support Fund – at least £5,000 a year
Students on this course may be eligible for additional funding through the NHS Learning Support Fund bursary of at least £5,000 a year.

Approved by:
This course has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), meaning the course meets the standards of education, training, conduct and performance required for nurses in the UK.

For pre-registration nursing, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018, Part 1: Standards Framework for nursing and midwifery education, 5.12, page 12) state that there is no compensation between theory and practice learning.

This course will prepare graduates to be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It is your responsibility to seek registration with the NMC, on completion of your course. This registration must be sought within 5 years of successful completion of your course.

Careers and opportunities
On this Mental Health Nursing degree, you'll develop the skills, confidence and understanding to support people in need, learning how to make difficult decisions based on evidence and building the fundamental skills needed for personal nursing care.

When you graduate, you'll be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which allows you to work as a Registered Nurse in the UK.

You’ll be ready to start a challenging yet hugely rewarding career as a mental health nurse, and you can choose to work with people from certain age and vulnerability groups, such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), or Older People’s Mental Health (OPMH). With experience, you could work in GP liaison, nurse education, or leadership and management.

As an NHS nurse in 2021, you could expect a starting salary of £25,655 moving up to £31,534 (Band 5).

With more experience as a senior mental health nurse, you could earn from £32,306 to £39,027 (Band 6) and with a role in management or consultancy, you could make up to £90,387 (Band 8d).

What jobs can you do with a Nursing (Mental Health) degree?

Once you graduate, you'll be ready to take on a mental health nurse role within a variety of settings, including:

• Adult Mental Health (AMH)

• Older People's Mental Health (OPMH)

• Community Mental Health

• Crisis Mental Health

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

• Assessment and Recovery

Clinical placements
You'll spend a large amount of time on this course in clinical practice placements. These give you practical experience in caring for people with acute and long-term physical and mental health conditions of all kinds, in many settings. Together with our partner trusts, we'll develop you into a confident, independent, adaptable and professional Mental Health Nurse.

Our placement partners include Solent NHS Trust, Southern Health, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, Inclusion (Sub-Misuse), and Liaison and Diversion (Custody).

Course Modules

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year

• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams

• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit the link to the course page.

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bn-hons-nursing-mental-health#modules

You’ll be assessed through academic work including essays, reports, case studies and reflective accounts; performance-based clinical practice assessments including objective structured clinical examinations and activity in simulation; in-class tests and examinations; presentations and scientific posters; work-based projects; and online learning activities
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select.