NURS4009
15 credits
As a nursing student, this module will help to prepare you for academic and professional learning. You will develop the skills for academic writing, including...

Accredited by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
Develop the knowledge and care skills to support children, young people and their families in healthcare settings.
Children's nursing is constantly evolving. You will be diving into a rewarding career that will make a difference to children, young people, and their families and carers every day.
You will spend 50% of your time gaining practical experience in hospital and community placements. You’ll be taught by children's nurses who are passionate about supporting you to become a children's nurse who can provide the best evidence-informed nursing care. You'll develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide exceptional nursing care for children, young people, and their families.
We will prepare you to become a confident professional practitioner. You'll be able to care for children from birth to teenagers and sometimes beyond. You'll develop empathy, sensitivity, and communication skills to help you succeed.
We’ve been ranked number 2 in The Guardian for children’s nursing, and we're consistently achieving great student satisfaction. Also 100% for teaching in the NSS 2026
You’ll develop quickly through placements in varied children’s nursing settings. We’ve been commended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for excellent partnership working.
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
Our university-wide language programme is available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| UCAS tariff points | 112 |
| Contextual offer tariff points | 88 |
| A-level | BBC |
| BTEC Extended Diploma | DMM |
| International Baccalaureate | 27 |
| GCSE English Language | Grade 4 (C) |
| GCSE Maths | Grade 4 (C) |
Including one A Level or a comparable Level 3 qualification in a science subject (e.g. Physical Education, Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, Psychology).
Relevant experience (e.g. in a hospital) or a suitable indication of your interest in, and understanding of, the relevant healthcare profession.
Caring for vulnerable children and their families is very fulfilling but it is important to recognise that it can be emotionally challenging too. We find that students enjoy their course and are more successful if they have carefully considered these factors and reflected on their personal readiness to embark upon a children's nursing career prior to starting the course. We are happy to talk through any individual concerns or queries you may have.
Securing a place is subject to both a satisfactory DBS and an Occupational Health clearance. If neither clearance has been completed prior to enrolment or a DBS issue has been declared on application, then enrolment may not be possible.
If enrolment has been agreed, then continuation on the programme will be contingent on satisfactory clearances.
For this course, the University operates a gathered field approach to admission. This means that applications are assessed in groups, ensuring a fair and comprehensive selection process when the level of interest exceeds the number of places available.
As part of this process, following your interview, you may be placed on a waiting list until most interviews have been completed. If you are placed on the waiting list, you can expect to receive your decision before the end of March. We appreciate your patience and will keep you informed throughout the process.
All Oxford Brookes University Health and Social Care Programmes conduct Value Based Recruitment (VBR). We recognise that values and attitudes have the greatest impact on the quality of people's care and their experiences.
VBR is a way of helping our Programme recruitment teams to assess the values, motives and attitudes of those who wish to work with people in health and social care settings. When we refer to values we mean, for example, the values included in the NHS constitution.
VBR focuses on 'how' and 'why' an applicant makes choices in how they act and seeks to explore reasons for their behaviour. Further details about the VBR framework.
All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.
| Fee types | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| Home full-time | £9,790 | £10,050 |
| International full-time | £17,250 | £19,300 |
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.
Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
You'll start with an introduction to evidence-informed practice and critical thinking for clinical environments. As you progress, you'll develop your knowledge of anatomy, terminology and physiological principles. You'll also cover professional values, ethical principles and the culture of nursing.
You’ll thrive in a variety of work placements. With 50% of your learning being in clinical practice, you'll work in partnership with local health providers. This includes Oxford Health and Oxford University Hospitals Trust, with access to the Oxford Children's Hospital covering regional medical and surgical services, a paediatric critical care department and the Oxford Newborn Care Unit and private organisations providing hospice and respite care.
Access to outstanding facilities including our state-of-the-art simulation suite means you can develop your clinical expertise in a safe environment. You'll also collaborate with students from nursing and paramedic courses and medical students for Oxford University.
Our team of highly qualified practitioners will support and guide you throughout.
Your learning will include:
You'll also experience Simulation Based Learning which takes place in a safe learning environment. These look like a real clinic or hospital and allow you to role play in clinical situations.
Placements can include:
| Contact hours | Total workload | Timetabled |
|---|---|---|
| about 7 hrs a week | 1,200 hrs a year | Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 |
As with all pre-registration nursing courses, the BSc Nursing (Children's) course is made up of 50% theory and 50% practice.
All modules have an assessment component. We will ask you to show how what you are learning enhances patient care.
Assessments can include:
You will be assessed for your practice learning during the clinical practice experience modules. You must pass to fulfil the professional requirements to be eligible for registration as a nurse.
During placements you will be supported by a supervisor and assessed by an assessor with the necessary qualifications to function as a practice supervisor or assessor (NMC standards for student supervision and assessment, 2018). You will also have a dedicated Link Lecturer from the university to provide additional support.
NURS4009
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NURS4018
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After completing the course, you'll be able to register as a children’s nurse with the NMC and work in a range of settings. There are many career possibilities, especially with the rapid growth in digital healthcare and research. On graduation and registration with the NMC, most of our students gain employment in the NHS. You can go straight into hospital positions in acute, critical or emergency care. Alternatively, you could choose to make a difference in the community or support at a research facility?
As you progress in your career, you will have a wider range of options open to you, whether that is in advanced practice management or education. Some students choose to study for a PhD in order to pursue a career in academia or clinical research.
Whichever route you take, we have a strong track record of successful graduate employment - many of our students are headhunted because of the vast range of experience given on the course.
If you're applying for this course, please note that there are specific accommodation arrangements for some students. Find out more about accommodation options for this course.
Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)