Course summary

Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the course covers all the key areas of contemporary community nursing practice, from mental health across the lifespan and safeguarding, to effective caseload management. Honing your critical thinking and leadership skills, you will learn to make better decisions, and be well equipped to lead large teams of nurses effectively in caring for children in their own homes. This course is for qualified nurses with a postgraduate diploma in nursing. You will be sponsored by a health organisation or trust and achieve a master’s, while gaining advanced skills and knowledge in an area of community nursing you want to specialise in. Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? You will benefit from an excellent standard of teaching provided by staff from the University and practice, in partnership with our NHS Trust partners. Our lecturers have a wide expertise in the field and also maintain close links with practice, ensuring that the programme is up-to-date with modern practice. Highly regarded by students and practice partners for our teaching in this area, BNU has a strong reputation for its health visitor and school nurse training. You will work with highly skilled academics, who have worked in the community – and spend 50% of your time in practice yourself, consolidating and deepening your understanding and skills. What will I study? Specialist community nursing is an area of nursing practice which has a focus on assessing, and reacting, to the health needs of children, young people or adults with particular health needs in the community setting. Working in the community requires specialist knowledge, skills and behaviours that are distinct from working in the hospital setting. Learn to take a more strategic view of community healthcare provision, drawing on the latest research, ideas and policy – as well as carrying out your own piece of research. Develop a critical understanding of the application of research and enquiry to identify, interpret and react to the complexity of the health needs of children, young people, adults and their families. This course covers all the areas needed to meet the NMC professional requirements for community children’s nurses. By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• understand the complexities of working in a community setting

• better appreciate strategic influences on policy

• take a critical approach to nursing care in the community, with a strong emphasis on providing holistic, evidence-based care to children in their homes

• analyse how decisions about care are made, drawing on relevant research

• work at the forefront of caring for children with a range of healthcare needs.