Nursing (Children's)

In this module, you’ll learn how to support families, children and communities with regards to lifestyle changes that are designed to improve overall health. You’ll be introduced to the key concepts surrounding public health, and will train in facilitating this knowledge into the wider community to enhance health activities. You'll familiarise yourself with the latest National Public Health resources. This will equip with you a range of strategies, models and approaches which will support your children's nursing practice activities.

As you progress through this module, your confidence will grow to incorporate prevention campaigns and focused community approaches. You will also train to explore health promotion determinants that can complement existing resources in health education. This module will build upon your learning in Year 1.

In order to fulfil your professional requirements and qualify as a registered nurse, you will need to complete this module. Through a combination of simulation practice learning (SPL) and direct care, you will develop the relevant knowledge base and skills to ensure you meet the requirements for the children’s nursing programme. You will gain transferable skills for application in a range of clinical settings, and will be offered placement experience opportunities - there will be two placements during the year. Completion of this module will contribute to the achievement of Part 2 of your programme.

You’ll build upon your knowledge and understanding gained in the bioscience module of Year 1, with an increased focus on the clinical assessment of childhood illnesses. You will base your findings on a combination of processes associated with disease or injury, how medicines affect the body, and holistic treatments. You’ll learn how to consolidate and evaluate insights and information gathered to develop integrated individualised plans of care. You'll learn how to do this while incorporating legal, ethical and professional issues. You’ll apply current tools and frameworks to aid assessment and planning that will enhance your ability to make clinical decisions.

Research shows that better relationships with patients lead to better outcomes. You’ll gain an insight into how the diverse experiences of people and their families inform all stages of the nursing process. You'll discover how to help them get the most out of therapy from a physical and mental health care perspective.

You’ll deepen your knowledge from Year 1 of how human connection, communication and self-awareness can be crucial elements in forming a therapeutic relationship with the patient, greatly influencing their quality of care and overall health outcome.

You will be supported to critically reflect on the concept of therapeutic use of self and approaches to working collaboratively with people and their families, who may be at any stage of life and who may have a range of mental, physical, cognitive or behavioural health challenges.

By the end of this module, you’ll be able to manage individuals’ physical, psychosocial and developmental stages in order to inform your practice.

In this module, you’ll gain the necessary skills to identify and analyse issues related to the nursing care of children and young people with complex health care needs in critical, acute and community settings. You’ll get the chance to work both independently and within a team, critically analysing evidence and identifying situational needs to formulate evidence-based interventions.

As part of this module, you’ll be given the task of completing a comprehensive nursing assessment for a child in a given scenario. You’ll experience the process of identifying actual and potential problems. You’ll design plans and frameworks to meet the needs of children with complex care, and you’ll discuss how collaborative working with other professionals provides optimal care. By the end of this module, you will be rewarded with a firm grounding in the provision of holistic health to support the needs and improve the outcomes for children and young people with complex needs, and their families.

Through a combination of simulation-based education and direct care, this module will allow you to develop a relevant knowledge base, skills and behaviours to fulfil the professional requirements for the children’s nursing programme and ensure you are eligible for nurse registration. You’ll undergo 2 placement experiences during the year, and completion of this module will contribute to your achievement of Part 3 of your programme. 

This module will equip you with the required confidence and competencies to deliver the high-quality skills, knowledge and strategies required to be an effective independent children’s nurse. You will gain the ability to develop and manage your own professional practice, in addition to progressing your management and leadership skills to support colleagues around you and further develop the Nursing profession in an ever-changing healthcare environment. You’ll build resilience and a critical understanding of the children’s healthcare world, which will contribute to your lifelong learning and future career prospects as a children’s nurse. You’ll learn about the accountability of your role in creating strategies that promote teaching and learning, taking into account personal, social and cultural influences. You’ll also explore how effective leadership qualities can be used in partnership with diverse teams across professional and organisational boundaries.

In this module, you’ll develop research awareness and understanding of the principles, and how to apply them, in this particular clinical practice. You’ll be given the opportunity to identify your own research question and undertake an independent project under the guidance of an academic member of staff. In addition, there will be the chance to utilise various texts and literature to support your study.

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. You will work alongside your mentor and are required to work both day and night shifts, according to the shift pattern used within the practice setting. This allows you 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.