Program Overview

Nursing / RN Mental Health

Overview

Mental health nurses work in hospitals or in the community, offering support, education, and care to people using mental health services.

Course Details

• Attendance: Full-time
• Course: Three years
• Next Enrolment: September 2025

Introduction

Mental health nurses work in hospitals or in the community, offering support, education, and care to people using mental health services. On this course, you will experience the realities of contemporary 24-hour service provision when caring for patients across all aspects of the health/ill health continuum. 50% of your studies will be spent in hospital and community settings, within the NHS and independent sector, which includes prison placements, where you will spend time in a well-supported environment, working alongside qualified practice assessors and supervisors.

Our Nursing Community

Meet our inspirational and caring Nursing community. Gain insight into their journeys, placement experiences, and time at the University of Salford. Read our student stories.

What You Will Learn

• Learn how to support people during the most acute phases of their distress
• Learn how to work with people who have issues around substance misuse or offending behaviour
• Learn how to help those with ongoing mental health conditions

Placement Options

• Placement options available
• International students accepted

Course Accreditations

• Discover a degree in Nursing at the University of Salford

This is for You If...

1. You are hardworking and committed
2. You are prepared to work shifts
3. You are a compassionate and caring character
4. You can see yourself working with people from all kinds of backgrounds
5. You want to make a real difference
6. You have a strong desire to help people

Course Structure

Year One

• Introduction to Mental Health Nursing: This 20-credit module offers a field-specific introduction to Mental Health Nursing. Students will learn essential nursing skills and the underpinning theory, through a blend of simulated practice learning, classroom activity, and guided independent learning.
• Practice Module: Part 1: You will demonstrate the required NMC proficiencies commensurate with your stage of learning and development in year one in relation to your chosen field of practice and interprofessional practice (NMC part 1 progression).
• Transdisciplinary Science: The ability to understand anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, and the ways in which our biological systems interact with our environment, our behaviour, and the social systems we live in are integral to your interprofessional work as a student nurse.
• Voices and Choices: You will acquire the essential knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes needed to provide personalised care and support planning for service users, carers, and significant others.

Year Two

• Developing Mental Health Nursing: This 20-credit module offers a field-specific development of Mental Health Nursing, building on Introduction to Mental Health Nursing. Students will continue to learn essential nursing skills and the underpinning theory, through a blend of simulated practice learning, classroom activity, and guided independent learning.
• Evidence-Based Interventional Nursing: A key component to ensuring that your future practice stays up to date is your understanding and interpretation of the best available evidence.
• Practice Module - Part 2: You will demonstrate the required NMC proficiencies commensurate with your stage of learning and development in year two in relation to your chosen field of practice and interprofessional practice (NMC part 2 progression).
• Mental Health Field Specific Care Needs: This follows on from year one and you will deepen your knowledge of the key principles which underpin healthcare and begin to apply these to your chosen field of practice.

Year Three

• Being an Autonomous Mental Health Practitioner: You will develop the knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes to facilitate the critical, systematic, and contemporary application of the evidence base required to demonstrate autonomous nursing practice.
• Being an Inspiring Mental Health Practitioner: You will build upon your developing knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes to facilitate the critical application of the evidence base required to demonstrate inspirational nursing practice.
• Practice Module – Part 3: You will demonstrate the required NMC proficiencies commensurate with your stage of learning and development in year three in relation to your chosen field of practice and interprofessional practice (NMC part 3 progression).
• Leading Mental Health Nursing: This 20-credit module will enable the student to consolidate their learning and demonstrate a critical understanding of looking outwards from one's own profession to consider relationships with other professional
  on-professional people and the impact this has on care delivery in Mental Health practice.

Teaching and Learning

• A blended learning approach will provide the foundation for the teaching and learning strategy by way of seminars, masterclasses, action learning, guided independent study, simulation, and workshops.
• Theoretical learning will be complemented by a field of practice and level-specific seminar group facilitation, discussion, dissemination, and formative feedback.
• The course has an equal split between time spent in theory and time spent in practice.

Assessment

• Assessment methods are varied and include:
  • Assessments in practice
  • Exams
  • Observed structured clinical examinations
  • Presentations
  • Written assignments

The School of Health and Society

• The School of Health and Society is a forward-thinking, dynamic school with a commitment to lifelong learning and real-world impact.
• Our courses are informed by the latest research, and we work closely with organisations from both the public and private sector to ensure our teaching is at the forefront of practice.

Facilities

• Our Clinical Practice Wards are located in the Mary Seacole Building.
• We also have a number of clinical skills rooms that enhance student learning from taking blood pressure, to giving CPR, and more complicated procedures.
• Along with nursing skills rooms where you can practice in a ward situation, there are basic skills rooms for sessions such as moving and handling.

Simulation Suites

• Our Simulation Suites offer a safe environment to tackle real-life scenarios in a safe and supported environment.
• Designed like a hospital ward, the lab features advanced patient simulators capable of mimicking a range of conditions, from the common cold to major heart issues.

Service Users and Carers Group (SU&C)

• Our Nursing Service Users and Carers Group (SU&C) is a collective group of service users, carers, and parents who have past and current lived experience of engaging with local healthcare services and or providing care for family or friends.

Employment and Stats

• As a graduate and qualified staff nurse in your chosen field of practice, you will be able to apply for a job in either an acute setting such as a hospital or in the community.
• You may want to work within the NHS or in the public and private sectors, for example, a ward, a health centre, a prison, a care home, or a hospice.

Requirements

• Applicant Profile: Nursing is not a nine-to-five job. Neither is being a student nurse.
• English Language Requirements: If you are an international student and not from a majority English-speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in writing.
• Standard Entry Requirements:
  • GCSE English and maths at grade C/grade 4 minimum (or equivalent)
  • 104 UCAS Tariff points
  • A-levels, BTEC National Diploma, T-Level, Access to HE, Scottish Highers, Irish Leaving Certificate, and International Baccalaureate are accepted

Additional Funding Support for Healthcare Students

• The NHS Learning Support Fund might be available to students studying the following courses.

Tuition Fees

• Type of Study: Full-time home and international
• Year: 2025/26 and 2026/27
• Fees: £9,535 per year for full-time home and £17,650 per year for full-time international

Additional Costs

• Students will be expected to contact their General Practitioner for provision of medical history on the ‘Pre-acceptance Health Assessment – Fitness to Train Questionnaire’ – there may be a charge for this by the Practice.
• The cost of uniform (three sets) and DBS clearance will be covered by the University.
• Students are expected to obtain their own immunisations prior to commencing the course.