Children's Nursing with Foundation Year

Children’s nurses care for children from birth to adulthood and support their families to care for them. Children’s Nurses bring a detailed understanding of children and young people’s health and wellbeing, clinical and technical skills and skilled communication to enable families to feel safe in their care. On our Children’s Nursing degree you'll learn the skills you need to be able to join a dedicated team committed to delivering exceptional child and family-centred care, whilst being a pillar of support.

This course is also offered as a four-year programme, with an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate degree.

On successful completion of the course, you’ll be eligible to apply for your NMC registration, meaning you’ll then be able to practice as a qualified nurse.

Why study BSc (Hons) Children’s Nursing at BNU?
Placements
Throughout the course, you’ll allocate approximately half of your time to clinical practice and the remaining half to University-based learning. Our strong partnerships with various NHS Trusts and independent care providers in the region ensure that students have diverse and enriching clinical placements. Many of our students are employed by the Trust that they worked with during their time at the University.

Facilities
Our facilities offer a high-fidelity environment, which includes the use of NHS approved consumables, genuine functioning equipment and technology enhanced manikins. The essential element of de-brief in simulation is undisputed; audio/visual technology is available and widely used by the teaching teams to enhance feedback to learners.

You will also benefit from up-to-date PROMPT advanced models where you’ll practice resuscitation using authentic equipment. All the technology and equipment supplied to you enables you to become familiar with kit used within the local hospital trusts.

What will I study?
Becoming a children’s nurse is an extremely rewarding yet challenging career. You’ll have experiences from neonatal units to general children’s wards, children’s own homes to paediatric intensive care and everything in between, giving you a rounded view of children and young people’s healthcare and learn the theory and evidence that informs that care.

The programme develops and nurtures you as you gain the skills and knowledge you need to meet and manage the health needs of children, young people and their families.

You’ll learn how to perform a range of nursing skills with proficiency, predicated on contemporary knowledge and the understanding of best practice. You’ll also learn how to practice in a non- judgemental and anti-discriminatory way, prioritising the needs of children, young people and their families, respecting their choices and individual wishes and promoting health.

As well as this you’ll be taught how to assess and review mental, physical, cognitive, behavioural, spiritual and social needs to identify the priorities and requirements for evidence-based nursing interventions and support.

From understanding and being able to refer to policies and procedures, to pharmacology, treating, assessing and making the right care-decisions for a young patient, you’ll learn how to work within a team as critically reflective, resilient practitioners, with an ability to learn from experience and solve problems.

Our team of experienced and dedicated lecturers have a collective wealth of knowledge from working in a range of children and young people’s healthcare and clinical environments across the NHS and private sector.

Upon successful graduation you’ll be a compassionate, proficient, confident, and digitally able children’s nurse, who is able to adopt a child and family centred approach, working autonomously and accountably, within the integrated care system.

Course Modules

Foundation Year
Core
Core Academic Skills for Health and Social Care
Personal Development and Teamworking in Health and Social Care
Communication in Health and Social Care
Evidence in Health and Social Care
Enquiry Based Care
Introduction to Ethics in Health and Social Care

Year one
Core Modules
Introduction to Professional Practice
Fundamental Skills for Nursing
Essential Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare
Pharmacology and Numeracy in Nursing
Understanding Health, Illness, Disability and Diversity Across the Lifespan
Becoming a Children's Nurse
Beginning Practice

Year two
Core Modules
Approaches to Research Methods, Appraisal and Application in Nursing
The Professional Context of Nursing
Understanding Health Conditions in Children's Nursing
Assessing Needs and Planning Care in Children's Nursing
Developing Competence in Children's Nursing
Progressing in Practice

Optional Modules
Choose from one of the following:
Socio-cultural Aspects of Health
Sexual Health
Infant Feeding Practice
Elective Placement

Year three
Core Modules
Leading and Managing Care
Medicines Management
Coordinating Complex Care in Children's Nursing
Advancing Nursing Practice
Preparing for Registration in Children's Nursing
Attaining Competence in Practice

We include assessments which reflect real life nursing practices and, across the three years, you will be assessed through a number of means, such as:

reflective assignments
presentations
exams
academic poster development
assignments
literature review
oral exams.

You are also required to complete the knowledge skills and behaviours included in the Practice Assessment Document in each year of practice.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Nursing and Midwifery Council