Nursing (Adult) BSc Honours

In your first year, you will explore the foundations of learning and practice of adult nursing.

This module aims to start developing the role and function of the graduate adult nurse in health and illness. It will provide the fundamental nursing knowledge required to undertake basic nursing assessment, support and enable people across different life spans in managing and improving physical and mental health, as well as preventing ill health. Theories, evidence and models to support the art and science of nursing will be introduced to develop knowledge and understanding about the nature of nursing, the person, health, society and the environment.

This module equips you to develop your self-awareness through reflective activities. You will develop a broad understanding of the complexity of health and social care issues and the development of appropriate professional attitude, skills and knowledge. Additionally the module offers you the opportunity to develop a range of applied skills through active enquiry, synthesis and reflection.

This module will introduce and expand on the scientific principles underpinning nursing practice. This module is comprehensive and introduces principles which draw on scientific areas of biopsychosocial and behavioural sciences as related to all areas of nursing.

Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills in meeting the fundamental care needs of people across their lifespan, with a range of physical, mental, cognitive and behavioural health challenges. You shall demonstrate high standards of professional conduct in line with the NMC code in all aspects of their practice and be able to carry out a range of procedures, under supervision, that are expected of you at this level, in a variety of health and social care settings.

In your second year, you will further develop in your learning and practice of adult nursing. 

This module develops your professional and leadership knowledge, and self-awareness through critical reflective activities and evaluation of your own learning. It builds your theorical knowledge to enhance clinical and professional judgements and independence. The module provides in-depth knowledge of your subject area of choice, with reference and application to the wider complexities of health and social care.

This module aims to develop the knowledge and skills required of the graduate adult nurse to assess, plan and evaluate care across the lifespan during illness that is person centred and evidence-based. It will focus on interventions to address physical, cognitive, mental, spiritual, behavioural and social health needs during illness.

This module will build upon the scientific module of year 1 to further develop principles and deepen the knowledge and application to all fields of nursing.

You will demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills to meet more complex care needs of people across the lifespan with a range of physical, mental, cognitive and behavioural health challenges, across a range of health and social care settings in line with the new standards of proficiency. You will be expected to demonstrate increasing independence in your own field of adult health practice whilst maintaining high standards of professional conduct in line with the NMC Code, showing awareness of the implications of the Code for self and others.

In your third year, you will consolidate your learning and practice of adult nursing. 

This module builds upon and consolidates your knowledge and skills to manage and lead as an accountable, responsible, emotionally intelligent nurse. It will support you to understand your own learning needs, and that of others so that you can evaluate and investigate complex problems, and socially engaging nursing practice.

The aim of this module is to enable you to critically engage with the coordination and management of care delivery for those individuals who are severely ill with life- threatening or limiting illness, or have complex physical/mental health needs requiring long- term care in a range of healthcare settings, working in partnership with the individual, their families where relevant and the multi-disciplinary team to evaluate whether the care is effective and meets desired outcomes. It encourages you to build on prior learning in relation to critically applying nursing knowledge, evidence/research and the nursing process in the planning and co-ordination of care for the individual with complex needs.

This module builds upon the Scientific Principles modules for year 1 and year 2. They all aim to improve your pathophysiology knowledge but this module aims to deepen and expand on your scientific knowledge of pathophysiology to enable you as finalist student to apply this knowledge into your practice. In this module, we teach you scientific principles utilising a wide range of patient scenarios to draw on your previous and current knowledge and skill and challenge you to apply these principles in prescribing in a safe and effective way, understand the role of drugs as a therapeutic intervention and the role of the nurse in this. We aim to prepare you for your future prescribing practice.

You will be able to demonstrate the ability to work autonomously in the adult field of practice caring for all people across the lifespan with a range of physical, mental, cognitive and behavioural challenges. You will display advanced clinical skills and have the ability to integrate leadership in all aspects of care management. You will utilise a critical and reflective approach in delivering high standards of professional conduct in line with the NMC Code as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Your learning will be split between 50% practical experience, including simulated practice, and 50% theory-based teaching at the university.

You’ll engage in a variety of formal learning methods, including lectures, seminars, small group discussions, self-guided study, e-learning, and support from your academic advisor. Most of your on-campus learning will take place three days a week in small groups (20-40 students).

Practical skills sessions and simulations will take place at the West Stand Facility at StoneX stadium, where we integrate virtual and augmented reality to connect theory with practice. These sessions help you build confidence and apply your knowledge to real-life nursing situations, enabling you to critically engage with decision-making and deliver high-quality patient care.

A shuttle bus is available from the Hendon campus to StoneX.

Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.

Practice-based learning amounts to 50% of the entire course and you must complete a set amount of hours to meet the professional body’s clinical criteria for professional registration.

Throughout the course, we emphasise the development of practical skills, and the course is split equally between theory and practice. By the end of the course, you'll have completed 2,300 hours of theory.

Here is an indication of how you will split your time:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Whether studying full or part-time, your timetable balances study with work, life commitments, and independent learning. We aim to provide timetables at least two weeks before the start of term, with some variation due to class schedules.

• Flexible Schedule: Seminar topics range from anatomy and physiology to interactive, problem-based learning focused on the nursing management of children, young people, and their families.
• Practical Learning: Attend 12 hours of seminars, 4-6 hours of supervised simulation at StoneX, and engage in hands-on clinical skills sessions.
• Support and Guidance: Benefit from one-to-one sessions with your personal tutor, module leader, mentors, and experienced clinicians, plus 2 hours of academic writing and 3 numeracy support sessions per year.
• Professional Development: Participate in 1 hour of personal development with your academic advisor, with a total of 4 sessions each year.

Your learning will be assessed regularly. The exact balance will depend on the modules you are taking. The table below is a good guide.

We'll test your understanding and progress with informal and formal tests.

The informal tests usually take place at least once per module, from which you’ll receive feedback from your tutor. The grades from these tests don’t count towards your final marks.

There are formal assessments for each module, usually at the end, which will count towards your module and your final marks.

Assessments are reviewed annually and may be updated based on student feedback or feedback from an external examiner.

To help you achieve the best results, we will provide regular feedback.

We maintain strong partnership relationships with NHS and independent health and social care organisations so that you’ll have access to excellent placement opportunities as a nursing or midwifery student.

We have approximately 500 pre-registration students out on placement at any one time.

You must satisfy the National and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirements to achieve a minimum of 2300 hours in practice during the whole of their programme, to gain professional registration with the NMC. Up to 450 hrs of the 2300 will be met through Simulated Practice Learning. Practice experiences can take place in an approved learning environment across NHS Trusts that are part of NHS London and in the independent and private sector.

Our main placement providers are:

• Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospital
• Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust
• BMI Healthcare (being placed specifically at Hendon Hospital, Clementine Churchill Hospital, Cavell Hospital, and Kings Oak Hospital)
• Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
• Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
• Marie Curie Hospice
• Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
• Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
• Whittington Hospital NHS Trust (Whittington Health).

In addition to a number of placements in both community and hospital environments in the NHS Trusts and independent sector that are highlighted above, we also have a range of placements in the following areas:

• General practice nursing
• Care homes
• Schools
• Nurseries and play schemes
• Learning disability homes
• Specialist areas such as children’s hospice care, eating disorders, forensics
• Volunteering opportunities with a range of voluntary/ charitable organisations across London.

We also work with a number of other London NHS Trusts in supporting a range of pre-registration pathways. These include (but are not limited to):

• Barts Health NHS Trust
• Central London Community Health NHS Trust
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
• Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• West London Mental Health NHS Trust.

We work in partnership with placement providers to ensure that the practice learning environment meets your individual learning needs. We ensure there is a robust quality monitoring process of the learning environment.

Each practice area has an allocated link lecturer and practice placement information to further support clinical learning. You'll be expected to work with your assigned mentor/assessor two to three times per week.

Placements and internships greatly improve graduate employment prospects, and those who take part achieve excellent academic results through applying their learning in a professional setting.

Our specialist Employability Service and London location ensure that every year our students and graduates gain prestigious placement opportunities.