Enrolled on BSc/Dip HE Nursing Practice / Registered Nurse programme
Access to practice placements

Diamond, B. (2005) Legal Aspects of Nursing 4th Edition. Harlow, Pearson Ed. Ltd
Dougherty, L. & Lister, S. (eds) (2004) The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures 6th Edition. Oxford, Blockwell.
Hendrick, J. (2004) Low and Nursing Cheltenham,Nelson Thornes
Kozier, B; Erb, G; Bermon, A, Snyder, S; Lake, R. & Harvey, S. (2008) Fundamentals of Nursing - Concepts, Process and Practice. Harlow Pearson Ed. Ltd

Lecturers, Peers, Personal Tutor, Clinical Placements, Clinical Supervisor/ Mentor/Facilitator/Specialists, Classroom, Seminar Room, Skills Laboratories, Access to a PC/ CD Rom/Virtual Learning Environment, Blackboard, Library and Learning Resource Centre, PowerPoint, TV and Video, Video Camera, Audio Tape, Flipcharts and Pens.

Contact Hours: (170)
65 hours Key lectures
51 hours workshops, small group work
15 hours Inter-professional workshops, values based discussions with service users
9 hours Assessment Preparation
30 hours Clinical Skills laboratory practice

Independent Study: (430)
180 hours directed learning / using blackboard : directed reading, directed preparation for classroom or practice activity
200hours Reading and assessment preparation
50 hours Recording learning, skills and activities in portfolio

1) Multiple Choice Question Examination - 90 minutes, assessing learning outcomes 1 and 2
A collection of multiple choice questions based on assisting individual nursing care that demonstrate satisfactory achievement of learning outcomes 1 and 2.

2) Objective Structured Clinical Examination - Pass/Refer 30 minutes, assessing learning outcome 3
An Objective Structured Clinical Examination of student's aseptic technique

3) Practice Assessment - Pass/Refer, assessing learning outcomes 4 and 5

Submission of approved clinical assessment documentation and successful achievement of the continuous assessment of practice document

All elements must be passed.

Formative assessment will include:
Practice for OSCE with feedback
Feedback from mentors
Formative multi choice tests and feedback
Personal Tutorials

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the nursing knowledge, skills and professional, ethical and legal principles necessary to develop the foundations of professional nursing care. In order to achieve this the indicative content of the module will focus on 4 themes :

1) Professional, ethical and legal foundations in care delivery:
The history of professional nursing
Expectations of professionals.
NMC code, standards and relevant documentation including the Code of Conduct
Public protection and professional self regulation
Protection of vulnerable adults and children - legal frameworks and local policies. Principles of consent and confidentiality with children, adults and vulnerable adults.
An introduction to nursing and law, nursing and ethics.
An introduction to legal /ethical frameworks including Health and Safety at Work Act and the Mental Health Act
An introduction to relevant health policy development and its influence on practice.
Policy related to equality and diversity

2) Foundations of nursing theory and care delivery :
An introduction to theories of nursing and organisation of nursing care.
Nursing Benchmarks and standards : Essence of care, Essential skills clusters, National Service Frameworks, NICE guidelines
Local policy and protocol for nursing procedures
The theory and practice of nursing assessment for children and adults including observation of weight, height/length, body mass index, temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and urinalysis, behaviour and response. Reporting and documentation of findings.
Assisting in care: personal care, nutritional status and measures, monitoring fluid intake and output, basic medication calculations and management. Introduction to symptom management.
An introduction to nursing evaluation.

3) Assisting with risk assessment in care delivery:
An introduction to the concept of risk and risk assessment. Common factors affecting the safety of nurses and health professionals in hospital and home environments and reducing these risks. Safe moving and handling.

Common factors affecting the safety of children and adults, risk assessment and prevention in relation to these factors, both within clinical and home environments. An introduction to recognising and responding to emergencies in children and adults: cardiac arrest, resuscitation, basic life support, acute mental distress, self harm, attempted suicide and neglect. Recognising and responding to individuals at risk of or exhibiting aggression and violence.
You will also focus on the risk assessment and reduction of health acquired infection in children and adults, including appropriate hand hygiene, cleaning multi use equipment, disposal and decontamination, isolation nursing, exposure to infection, awareness of exposure prone procedures and the safe disposal of waste. You will study the principles of wound care, healing, asepsis and clean and aseptic technique.

4) Introduction to nursing roles and contexts:
You will be introduced to working in the NHS, independent and voluntary sectors, providing nursing care of different service user groups both in hospital and in settings closer to home including:

children and adolescents
adults and older adults
mental health service users
service users with learning disability

For each of these groups you will consider specifically related issues of vulnerability, communication, the recognition and experience of acute illness and ongoing long term conditions for service users, their carers and families. Roles within the relevant interprofessional team and workforce will be explored.

You will also be introduced to midwifery care: including normal pregnancy and birth, common complications with pregnancy, experiences of pregnancy and an introduction to the maternal care team.