Specialist Practice in District Nursing

Entry requirements

You should have a first degree at a 2.2 (or above) or equivalent. If you don't have a first degree at this level, you must demonstrate that you can successfully study at master’s level.

You must have an NMC-valid registration as a registered adult nurse and be successful at interview where value-based recruitment is embedded, and subject to gaining support from an employing organisation who will be responsible for the following essential elements:

• enabling access to the appropriate learning opportunities – normally you have supernumerary status throughout the learning course
• providing a nominated sign-off mentor or practice teacher who contributes to your teaching and assessment process, is a practicing community prescriber and provides you with practice learning opportunities
• completing a satisfactory work-based risk assessment
• ensuring you have a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check issued within three years of the proposed completion date of your course, and as the employer, having a policy which requires you to immediately inform them of any changes which may affect the status of your DBS record – any issues which may have implications for your progression on the course must be communicated to the course leader immediately.

Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credits for previous study or related work experience which can be credited towards the course you want to study.

Months of entry

September

Course content

District nursing is a core service within the NHS. The Five Year Forward View (NHS England 2015) sets out an expectation that more care will be provided in the community in the future. This care will be to people with increasingly complex needs and the people working in these health and social care structures will have to be more flexible to accommodate this.

Course details

There are two programmes at master’s level: the postgraduate diploma and the masters. (The postgraduate diploma is Year 1 of the full master's degree.) By successfully completing either of these programmes you achieve the new QNI/QNIS Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice as well as the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the Specialist Practice in Nursing in the Home/District Nursing professional qualification which is recorded on the NMC register. This qualification has integrated within it the Community Practitioner Prescribing (V100) qualification (NMC 2006), enabling you to prescribe from the community practitioner’s formulary.

The district nurse must respond to these challenges and the Queen's Nursing Institute/Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland (QNI/QNIS) Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice (2015) provide a strong framework for district nurses in the current NHS as well as the skills and knowledge base needed to respond to the dynamic nature of community nursing.

You will also have demonstrated skills at Level 3 of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines in brief interventions which is a requirement for a district nurse as set out in the Health Education England’s District Nursing and General Practice Education and Career Framework (2015).

When you successfully complete your chosen course, you are well prepared for the dynamic and inspiring world of community nursing as well as being in a strong position to apply for position as a district nurse and team leader.

Professional accreditation

After successfully completing your course you are eligible to be awarded the recordable qualification of the Specialist Practice Qualification in District Nursing which has integrated within it the V100 recordable qualification of the Community Practitioner Prescriber.

What you study

For both course routes, you study seven modules full time across a total period of 44 weeks. The PgDip route (which is the first year of the master’s route) includes practice competencies which you achieve on placement. The balance of the course is 50% theory and 50% practice.

If you continue to the MSc route after your first year, you undertake an eighth module which gives you 60 credits as a part-time student. This module involves you carrying out live research or a systematic review.

Where you study

In Year 1 of the MSc (the whole of the PgDip) teaching is split equally between the practice placemen master's degree.) By successfully completing either of these programmes you achieve the new QNI/QNIS Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice as well as the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the Specialist Practice in Nursing in the Home/District Nursing professional qualification which is recorded on the NMC register. This qualification has integrated within it the Community Practitioner Prescribing (V100) qualification (NMC 2006), enabling you to prescribe from the community practitioner’s formulary.t and theoretical study.

The practice placement is organised by your local trust which sponsors you for your place on the course. This placement is usually in a different team to the one in which you have been working to give you a contrasting learning experience.

The theoretical learning is largely at our Middlesbrough campus. If you are studying the MSc, then the teaching in Year 2 is largely self-directed with supervisor support and can be arranged to suit you and your supervisor.

Course structure

Core modules

• Advancing Community Practitioner Prescribing
• Advancing Patient Safety in District Nursing
• Advancing Leadership and Management in the Context of Specialist Practice
• Advancing Public Health
• Developing Research Projects
• Evidence-based Practice
• Principles and Practice of Advanced Management of Long-term Health Conditions

MSc only

• Dissertation

How you learn

These courses require you to commit to a very comprehensive and individual approach to learning.

There are opportunities for some components of your learning to be accredited through recognised prior learning – this is agreed on an individual basis.

This course helps you gain confidence in accessing digital resources. You share some of your learning with other students on the postgraduate district nursing course, some with students on other courses and some further time with just your own course.

Classroom teaching includes group discussions, presentations, project work and clinical skills development in practical labs. We highly value the experience and knowledge of service users and carers who are involved in the course, for example through teaching activities and assessment. Your practice teacher plays a significant role in ensuring that you have access to great learning opportunities during placement. Their skills and experiences also provide you with an excellent role model.

The final dissertation module within the MSc route gives you the opportunity to focus on an aspect of district nursing which interests you. You investigate this issue in depth either through live research or a systematic review.

How you are assessed

You are assessed in a number of ways as we know that everyone learns differently.

These include exams, essays, reflections, reports, viva voce, simulations, research proposals, assessment of competencies in practice evidenced through a portfolio, and dissertation (if you are on the MSc course).

Your practice teacher or sign-off mentor is key to your practice assessments.

Career opportunities

When you successfully complete the course, you are well prepared for the dynamic and inspiring world of community nursing with an advanced level of professional knowledge. You are also well placed to apply for a position as a district nurse and team leader.

Following successful completion of the postgraduate diploma, you can return to Teesside University within five years to enrol on the MSc route.

Fees and funding

For funding information, please contact the University Finance Office, +44 (0)1642 342171, email finance@tees.ac.uk