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Nursing (Children's)

BSc (Hons)

Key facts

UCAS code

B708

Start dates

September 2023 / September 2024

Course length

Full time: 3 years; previously qualified, post-experience nurses (except children's nurses) may complete in a shorter period, depending on entry credit

Accreditation(s)

Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

UCAS Tariff Points

112

  • Nursing and Midwifery Council

Overview

Children's (or paediatric) nursing is a challenging but rewarding career. With empathy, sensitivity and excellent communication skills you are bound to succeed.

Our Children’s Nursing course prepares you to be a confident, professional practitioner, able to care for children and families within an ever changing health and social care environment.

You'll gain a wide variety of hospital and community practice experience throughout Oxfordshire. There are also specialist children’s nursing placements available in the surrounding counties. On completing our course, you could be caring for children and young people, across a range of health care specialisms in children’s nursing . 

In line with the new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Future Nurse Standards (2018), our Children's Nursing curriculum has recently been re-developed. At our recent approval event (March 2020) we were commended by the NMC for our excellent partnership working with placement organisations and for the inclusion of a strong public health theme throughout the curriculum. 

How to apply

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 112

A Level: BBC

IB Points: 30

BTEC: DMM

Contextual offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 88

A Level: CCD

IB Points: 27

BTEC: MMM

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

A Level: Including one A Level or a comparable Level 3 qualification in a science subject (e.g. Physical Education, Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics, Psychology).

GCSE: Grade 4 (C) in English, Maths and Science. For English and Maths, Level 2 Functional Skills are accepted as alternatives to GCSEs.

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.

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

Screening

All applicants will be screened for fitness to practise and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be made.

Selection 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 can be found here.

All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.

English language requirements

An IELTS score of 6.5 in all areas is required for ALL applicants whose first language is not English.

Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.

International qualifications and equivalences

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English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Credit transfer

Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.

Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.

Application process

Full time Home (UK) applicants

Apply through UCAS

International applicants

Apply direct to the University

Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

International full time
£15,300

Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

International full time
£15,900

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2022 / 23
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

International full time
£15,300

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

International full time
£15,900

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 483088

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

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. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

Financial support and scholarships

All eligible nursing students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back.  For more information please visit https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Learning and assessment

We have developed the nursing curriculum in partnership with:

  • students
  • clinical partners
  • mentors
  • service users
  • carers.

Every year you will have placements in your field of practice, with some taught content specific to your nursing field. However, there is increasing specialisation as the course progresses. There is also a shift in focus on the complexity of nursing interventions, as indicated below.

  • Year 1 focuses on communities, health and wellbeing, lifespan and values.
  • Year 2 lets you explore specific nursing interventions, working in partnership with patients and their families to meet care outcomes.
  • Year 3 focuses on complex care of people with multiple co-morbidities and the need for health and social care services to be integrated to promote optimal health outcomes.

You can also pursue a personal interest through a range of optional modules.

Student relaxing in the John Henry Brookes Building

Study modules

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Preparation for Academic and Professional learning

Foundations of Nursing Practice

Bioscience for Nursing Practice

Child and Family Health and Wellbeing

Clinical Practice Experience 1 (Children's)

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Research Methods and Analysis

Enhancing Therapeutic Relationships

Assessing and Planning Care for Children's and Young People

Research Methods and Analysis

This module will teach you about the research process, the associated research methods, data analysis and the ethical considerations associated with health and social care research. It provides you with advanced skills to critique research and determine its usefulness for evidence based practice in preparation for honours degree dissertation

Clinical Practice Experience 2 (children's)

Year 3

Compulsory modules

Complex Care of Children, Young People and their Families

Consolidation of Children's Nursing Practice

Clinical Practice Experience 3 (children's)

Dissertation

Work placements

Optional modules

Work placements

In the Children’s Nursing programme, 50% of learning is in clinical practice. We enjoy an excellent working partnership with our local health providers, collaborating closely with our clinical colleagues to plan and deliver your programme of learning. Students gain experience in a wide range of community and acute placement settings for the care of children and their families. Placement areas have excellent national and international reputations for innovation and the quality of care offered. Students will work alongside their mentor and are required to work both day and night shifts, according to the shift pattern used within the practice setting. This allows the student to experience care as it is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is in accordance with NMC (2010) standards for pre-registration nursing education. While on placement, you will be supported by a named member of staff from the placement known as a mentor, as well as a link lecturer from the University.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Learning and teaching

Your learning will include:

  • experiential learning or practice learning
  • mentoring, coaching and supervising
  • active learning such as projects or role-play
  • student-centred learning such as self-assessment, reading, or finding evidence
  • online learning such as quizzes or specialist lectures
  • use of technology, including social media, networking, mobile health (mHealth), or Electronic Patient Records (EPR)
  • collaborative learning with other nursing students, other cultures, teams and agencies
  • problem-based/solution-focused learning.

Simulation Based Education (SBE) takes place in a safe learning environment. These look like a real clinic or hospital and allows you to role play in clinical situations.

Placements can include:

  • working within community health care teams (supported by a district nurse, health visitor or school nurse)
  • working in acute settings within local Trusts.

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

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 ask you to show how what you are learning enhances patient care.

Assessments can include:

  • reflective essays
  • presentations
  • clinical examinations
  • multiple choice examinations
  • neighbourhood studies
  • case studies.

You will be assessed for your practice learning during the Education in Nursing Practice modules. You must pass to fulfil the professional requirements to be eligible for registration as a Nurse.

Your work during placements will be assessed by a mentor with the necessary qualifications to function as a practice assessor (NMC Pre-registration Standards (2010)

Study abroad

As part of the optional health and social care elective module, students may spend part of the summer of their second year abroad, making up part of the requirements for a module credit.

After you graduate

Career prospects

Students usually obtain a post within children's health care, shortly after graduation.  The course is designed such that students are supported to gain relevant theory and practice learning in areas of particular interest towards the end of the course.  For example, having a high dependency base placement in their final year has led to some students gaining employment in a neonatal or children's intensive care as their first destination post.

With a professional qualification as a Registered Nurse (Child), you will be well prepared for employment and will have the ability to work as a staff nurse in a range of settings. As you progress, you will have a wide range of options open to you, whether you choose to pursue a career in clinical practice in hospital or community, management, nurse education or research.

Many students who take the course to gain a second registration are seconded from their employer and, after completing the course, either return to their posts or pursue new options with their children's nursing qualification.

Further study

Students who successfully complete the award may be able to develop their careers further. A wide range of courses are available at Oxford Brookes for continuing professional development (CPD).

Our Staff

Mrs Emma Inness

I am currently subject co-ordinator for undergraduate children's nursing. I am also the lead for children's nursing simulated learning (which mainly takes place in our simulation suites) and I lead on children's practice related teaching in years 2 and 3 of the nursing course.

Read more about Emma

Free language courses

Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.