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MSc Adult Nursing

Foundation

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UCAS Code
Adult Nursing - Students on ward

MSc Adult Nursing

Our programme
Our programme is developed in partnership with our skilled academic staff, clinical practice partners and experts by experience. The course at Newman University, puts people at the centre of care delivery. As a post graduate nursing student at Newman you will develop into a professional nurse who can assess and manage the health needs of people, at some of the most challenging times of their lives.

Our aim is to support your development into a registered nurse who is able to work flexibly across a range of healthcare settings and meet the health needs of the whole person. We will work with you on your development to help you become a skilled, knowledgeable, emotionally intelligent nurse, able to lead and co-ordinate compassionate, evidence-based, person- and family-centred care while working as an integral member of the interdisciplinary team.

As a post graduate student nurse with Newman University, you will gain theoretical and practice knowledge to develop a range of key skills. This will include: exploring the evidence that underpins person- and family-centred care; professional values;?self-leadership;?and the role of the registered nurse.

As you progress through the programme you will explore evidence-based complex care incorporating a wide range of?research, skills,?team?leadership and principles of coordinating care. You will be supported to build on your previous learning and develop proficiency in adult nursing. The modules you study will develop you as a leader who uses research-informed critical thinking to co-ordinate care,?supervise other health professionals and gain confidence in the safe management of medication.

You will have individual support throughout the programme through a named personal tutor. The tuition will enrich your learning experiences and will enable you to reflect meaningfully on your practice and the development of your individual field identity.

As part of the course you will be provided with practice placements to help you develop your nursing skills and knowledge in a variety of settings. Your placement learning experiences may be within community, hospital or home environment settings and at a location anywhere within the West Midlands and potentially into neighbouring counties. You should be aware that placements are valuable learning experiences and cannot be chosen. While on placement you will be supported, supervised and assessed by practice and academic staff to develop your knowledge and skills.

We are committed to providing excellent, innovative, learning, teaching and assessment experiences, through lectures, seminars, skills simulation, virtual learning as well as meaningful input from our practice partners and experts by experience. As part of the course we will enable you to develop the independent learning skills that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement.

Whilst on the course you will benefit from some of the best university facilities of their kind, including clinical skills suites and our state-of-the-art immersive suite. Our experienced and enthusiastic teaching team will provide full support to help you achieve your ambitions.

Why choose Birmingham Newman University

– Funding – Adult Nursing students will receive at least £5,000 a year in additional funding for maintenance and associated study costs – see NHS release. Mental Health Nursing students will receive at least £6,000 a year in additional funding for maintenance and associated study costs – see NHS release.
– You will benefit from our new state of the art clinical simulation and immersive suites.
– We offer smaller class sizes and excellent academic and pastoral support for our students
– You will have the opportunity to study on an inter professional basis alongside other nursing and allied health students.
– Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities outside of London, which provides you with a wide variety of experience that will be valuable to take forward into your future career.
– Student finance – have you already had a student loan to study an undergraduate degree but would like to do a post graduate degree in nursing, midwifery or the allied health professions? You may still be eligible for funding.

Got a question you’d like to ask?

Standard 2-year entry requirements – 2:2 BSc (Hons) degree, usually in a health related subject Plus: – GCSE/IGCSE English language and maths grades 9-4/A*-C or equivalent – Candidates must have achieved these before commencing on the MSc programme. Candidates applying for the MSc programme will need to evidence 600 hours RPL of care experience of other relevant work experience. This needs to be verified by someone who is on a professional register. In line with NMC requirements RPL cannot total more than 50% of the programme unless you are a registered nurse seeking an additional field of practice and there are no restrictions on your practise. All RPL claims for NMC programmes are scrutinised on an individual basis and are also assessed by an external examiner as part of the School of Nursing and Allied RPL/RPEL process. Candidates must also complete an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check which must be satisfactory prior to commencing the course. The Admissions team will use the entrance criteria, as well as the personal statement, reference and work experience information, to shortlist candidates for interview. Successful applicants will be invited to an interview– Candidates will be assessed on their motivation and understanding of the role of a nurse and familiarity with the NHS Constitution and Values and the requirements of an NMC registered nurse. Health Checks As part of the health clearance checks you will be required to provide information about your immunity and vaccination status. Candidates must prove they have been immunised against Rubella, Measles, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis B. We strongly recommend that all successful applicants (unless exempt on medical grounds) receive a full course of Covid-19 and Influenza vaccinations prior to commencing the course. Candidates must receive a satisfactory occupational health clearance prior to commencing the course.

The tuition fee for academic year 2025/26 is: £9,535

Additional costs

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Developing pharmacology and numeracy for nursing practice
0 Credits (Compulsory)

The Nursing & Midwifery Council demand that on qualification Nurses understand the principles of safe and effective administration and optimisation of medicines and they can demonstrate proficiency and accuracy when calculating dosages of prescribed medicines. Through engagement with the virtual learning platforms Script and Safemedicate you will build upon the skills and knowledge gained in part 1; whilst blending experiences from your simulation and clinical practice experience to understand the importance of meticulous medicines management. Intravenous administration will be a core component, you will examine the implications of administering medication via this route, and how to do so safely. You will also explore the role of regulatory bodies concerned with drug prescription and administration and the implications for your practice. Explaining the medications we administer to patients in order to gain consent and concordance is a cornerstone of the nurses role in this area, so you will explore issues around health literacy.

Delivering nursing care
20 Credits (Compulsory)

This module aims to build on your knowledge, experience and skills in a clinical practice setting relating to your field of nursing, with a specific focus upon practical skills, medicines management, multidisciplinary team working, prioritising health needs and managing people with increasingly complex health and social care needs. You will also critically reflect on your own development as a team member within professional practice. You will undertake study related to the underpinning theory around advanced practical skills related to nursing care alongside having the opportunity to develop those practical skills by undertaking simulated practice within the University Skills and Simulation suites. You will continue to develop an understanding of evidence-based practice and the practical skills that are required to fulfil the role of the nurse. This module will prepare you for your final Nursing Care module and enable you to progress to Part 3 of the nursing programme.

Healthy people and communities
20 Credits (Compulsory)

This module will introduce you to the concept of compassionate, person-centred, evidence-based nursing care. You will explore the role of the nurse when promoting, protecting and improving health and preventing ill health across the lifespan and understand the relevance of maintaining your own personal health and wellbeing as a healthcare professional. It will enable you to identify key factors that can impact upon health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals, families and communities, locally, nationally and globally and recognise commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural and cognitive conditions.
You will understand the potential impact that early years and childhood experiences can have on later life and the impact of individual behaviours such as smoking, diet and exercise and substance and alcohol use on health and wellbeing.
You will examine models of health promotion that support health interventions, taking into consideration health literacy and reasonable adjustments. Health protection measures including screening programmes and immunisation and notifiable diseases and infection prevention will be explored within the local health system and globally

Introduction to pharmacology and numeracy for nursing practice
0 Credits (Compulsory)

In this module you will develop your knowledge and skills in relation to pharmacology, health numeracy and medicines calculations. You will be introduced to two e-learning platforms SCRIPT and safemedicate

There will be opportunities to explore the types of drug calculations commonly used in practice and engage with them to find areas of challenge. You will examine the base constituents of common drugs and administration routes, to understand how interactions occur. The module will also explore methods to minimise the risk of drug calculation and administration errors. You will have unlimited access to the two virtual platforms to practice calculations formatively.

Safe and effective professional healthcare practice
20 Credits (Compulsory)

In this module you will be given the opportunity to reflect and develop self-awareness to foster an understanding of your own beliefs, attitudes, values, knowledge, attributes and skills. This will enable you gain insight into how others may see the world differently to build and develop your professional identity. You will explore what it means to be a professional within the context of legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks as applied to your professional healthcare discipline.

The principles of courage, transparency and the professional duty of candour will be covered in the context of raising and escalating concerns and whistleblowing in healthcare and social care environments. You will explore the role of the nurse and other health care professionals in managing and improving patient safety, quality of care and healthcare outcomes. Health and safety legislation will be examined, and you will develop your knowledge and skills in identifying, assessing, managing risk when maintaining healthy and safe work environments.

The importance of partnership working and communication with people, their families, carers and other professionals to encourage reflective learning and improve patient safety & quality will also be considered. The process of reporting and critically reflecting on near misses, critical incidents and serious adverse incidents and ways in which both individuals and organisations learn and make improvements will be outlined.

Coordinating and managing complex care in adult nursing
40 Credits (Compulsory)

In this module you will learn how to holistically assess, plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based care for individuals, their families and carers across all stages of the lifespan. You will explore a range of evidence-based interventions including commonly occurring medicines and therapeutic approaches.

This module aims to provide the knowledge and strategies to develop problem solving and decision-making skills. These skills will enable the management of complex situations and health conditions across the life span in a variety of nursing settings. You will learn about detection, analysis and interpretation as part of the assessment process and how to escalate assessment findings appropriately. As part of this process, you will become skilled in individual need identification and both family and person-centred care plan development. You will have a good understanding of identified physiological systems that may impact on a patient, and pharmacological management. Throughout this module you will be required to build on your existing communication skills and apply professional principles such as duty of candour to complex, challenging and sensitive health care situations. You will also consider care needs in relation to the legal principles of consent and capacity. You will advance your critical thinking, problem solving and team-working skills to manage and provide continuity of person-centred care in partnership with people, their families and carers.

Live, Learn & Belong at Birmingham Newman

At Birmingham Newman University, you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds: a peaceful, green campus that creates the ideal setting for focused study and personal reflection, yet remains just eight miles from the vibrant city centre. As the UK’s second-largest city, Birmingham is also one of the youngest and most diverse in Europe, offering a dynamic blend of culture, innovation and opportunity. From world-renowned museums and music venues to a thriving food scene alongside a growing business and tech sector, it’s a place where creativity and ambition naturally thrive.

Experience Birmingham: A City Full of Possibilities

Whether you're discovering the Midlands for the first time or already know the area well, Birmingham provides a lively and inclusive environment for students. As one of the most energetic and multicultural cities in the UK, it’s a place where you can grow academically while developing personally. Its rich cultural heritage, creative energy and broad range of opportunities make it an inspiring backdrop for your university journey.

A City That Loves Great Food

Birmingham is a brilliant place to explore diverse culinary experiences. You might wander through the famous Balti Triangle, sample global street food at Digbeth Dining Club or enjoy a relaxed meal by the canals in Brindleyplace. The city is also home to independent cafés, vegan-friendly eateries and countless hidden gems. Whether you're grabbing a quick bite between lectures or planning an evening out, there’s always something new to discover.

Arts, Culture and Entertainment

The city pulses with creativity. You could catch live music at the O2 Academy, experience a world-class performance at the Birmingham Hippodrome or browse exhibitions at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Creative spaces like the Custard Factory showcase local talent while hosting events that celebrate innovation. With festivals, sporting fixtures and cultural celebrations taking place year-round, there’s never a shortage of things to enjoy.

Simple & Convenient Travel

Getting around Birmingham is straightforward thanks to its well-connected public transport system. Buses, trams and trains make it easy to reach campus, explore the city or travel further afield. Whether you're commuting daily or heading off for a weekend adventure, transport is both accessible and affordable.

Life Beyond the Lecture Hall

Your time at Birmingham Newman University extends far beyond academic study. You’ll have the chance to join student societies, contribute to community projects or try something entirely new. The university’s supportive atmosphere encourages you to build confidence, develop practical skills and feel genuinely at home throughout your studies.

Are you looking for a rewarding career that will help transform lives?

A career in nursing is challenging, satisfying and life-changing. As a nurse you can make a positive difference to people’s lives every day. Our person centred post graduate nursing degrees will equip you to deliver exceptional care as a confident, capable and compassionate adult nurse.

The importance of our healthcare workers and the role they play has never been so evident. Find out more and apply now for a career where there’s demand.

Additional Costs

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance is a mandatory entry requirement for the course.

Additional Funding

From September 2020 students studying Nursing BSc, Midwifery BSc, Physiotherapy BSc, Occupational Therapy BSc and Paramedic Science BSc will receive a non-repayable and non-means-tested payment of at least £5,000 a year, in addition to existing mainstream student support.

There will also be additional funding available on some prioritised courses. Additional funding will also be available for childcare and to support regional recruitment difficulties. Total additional funding could come to as much as £3,000 per year for some students.

The new funding will be offered to continuing students as well as new course entrants.

The new financial support is intended to provide additional funding and not to replace the maintenance loan.

This funding is made available by the government. Students are advised to check the latest information from the government to confirm their eligibility.

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