Fundamentals of General Practice - Module / BSc / AdvDip / GradCert / PgCert

Program Overview

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Fundamentals of General Practice - Module / BSc / AdvDip / GradCert / PgCert

Overview

This course will provide a solid foundation to further develop your career as a General Practice Nurse. The course will develop your clinical, academic and research skills. You will focus on the health needs of the general practice population alongside the core skills required to work as part of the interdisciplinary team. You will develop skills within your professional scope of practice working under the direction of a registered nurse.

What's covered in this course?

General practice is a rewarding and compelling environment in which to work, you have the privilege of caring for people from ‘cradle to grave’, engaging with the communities and families you care for. You will get to know them over several years through many life transitions. Understanding these transitions and the needs of people at different stages of their life is threaded throughout the course. Your role being the prevention of ill health as well as empowering people to manage and live well with health-related issues. Yet general practice today is also a demanding and high-pressured environment to work in, General Practice Nurses can feel isolated at times in comparison to working in a hospital setting. You will be consulting with large numbers of people and be under considerable time pressure. Therefore, managing your own stress, work-life balance and wellbeing is essential. You will be supported in developing your own strategies throughout the course to manage this and to be able to support others in your team. Communication, consultation, and time management skills underpin everything you do and there is a focus on this throughout the course. As your confidence and capability grow you will develop into an integral and key member of the team.

Why Choose Us?

• This course is regionally approved for General Practice Nurses
• All your essential training and education will be in one place.
• You'll benefit from learning in small groups, peer support and networking
• You'll have support from an experienced teaching team
• We have excellent links to practice

Entry Requirements

To successfully apply for this course, you must:

• Be employed in the general practice setting for a minimum of 20 hours per week
• Be a Registered Nurse with current NMC registration
• Have support from your employing practice
• Have a foundation degree on entry

For each route you will need the following qualifications:

• BSc award: you will need a Diploma in Higher Education or evidence of study at level 5
• Graduate Certificate award: you will need a first degree
• PgCert: You will need a first degree or evidence of study at level 6

Fees & How to Apply

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament.

Award: Module

Starting: Sep 2025

Funding: Self Funded

Pathway: Module only

• Mode: Part Time
• Duration: TBC
• Fees: TBC

Award: Module

Starting: Jan 2026

Funding: Self Funded

Pathway: Module only

• Mode: Part Time
• Duration: TBC
• Fees: TBC

Award: BSc

Starting: Sep 2025

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Nursing Associates

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: BSc

Starting: Jan 2026

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Nursing Associates

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: AdvDip

Starting: Sep 2025

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: AdvDip

Starting: Jan 2026

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: BSc

Starting: Sep 2025

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: BSc

Starting: Jan 2026

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: GradCert

Starting: Sep 2025

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: GradCert

Starting: Jan 2026

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: PgCert

Starting: Sep 2025

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

Award: PgCert

Starting: Jan 2026

Funding: Employer Funded

Pathway: Registered Nurse

• Mode: Work Based Learning
• Duration: 1 Year
• Fees: TBC

International students

Sorry, this course is not available to International students.

Included in your course fees

• Access to computer equipment
• Printing
• Field trips
• Access to Microsoft Office 365
• Key software
• Key subscriptions
• DBS check
• Occupational health assessment
• Memberships

Not included in your course fees

• Placement expenses (mandatory)
• Travel (mandatory)
• Excess printing (optional)
• Personal stationery and study materials (optional)
• Accommodation and living costs (optional)

Course in Depth

Adv Cert / BSc / Grad Cert

To complete this course you must successfully complete all the CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):

• Core Skills for Working in General Practice: Caring for People across the Lifespan 20 credits
• Long Term Conditions and Population Health 20 credits
• Professional Issues and Quality Improvement for General Practice Nurses 20 credits

BSc (Nursing Associate)

To complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 40 credits) plus one optional module choice of which to be discussed with the course lead:

• Core Skills for Working in General Practice: Caring for People across the Lifespan
• Long Term Conditions and Population Health 20 credits
• Optional module 20 credits

PG Cert

To complete this course you must successfully complete all the CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):

• Core Skills for Working in General Practice: Caring for People across the Lifespan 20 credits
• Long Term Conditions and Population Health 20 credits
• Professional Issues and Quality Improvement for General Practice Nurses 20 credits

Course Specifications

• ADPS BSc Grad Cert Fundamentals of General Practice Registered Nurses
• BSc Fundamentals of General Practice Nursing Associates
• PG Cert Fundamentals of General Practice Registered Nurses

Facilities & Staff

Our Facilities

Our Nursing and Midwifery courses are based at our City South campus in leafy Edgbaston.

We’ve spent £41million expanding our facilities at City South. These facilities offer hands-on practical experience, replicating the spaces you will come across in professional practice.

In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that you learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. Alongside physical spaces such as a mock operating theatre and wards, we also make use of online and virtual technology, such as our virtual ward and virtual case creator.

Centre for Skills and Simulation

The Centre for Skills and Simulation offers a range of different spaces which replicate situations that you will encounter in practice. These include hospital wards, an operating theatre and a home environment room.

Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. The hospital wards can be adapted from low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.

The home environment room is the perfect space for teaching communications skills and allows us to simulate a community setting for our students. It is particularly useful for mental health nurses, learning disability nurses and midwives.

Simulation Manikins

We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and simulation babies (SIM babies) which are anatomically correct manikins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills. The manikins contain software which replicates real symptoms, and can manipulate indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM man can even ‘talk’ to the students as they are treating him, to add another dimension to learning.

Computer Facilities

The Seacole building has two open-access IT Suites which offer PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. There is also an IT Helpdesk for quick and easy help with your computing or internet issues.

Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:

• Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
• Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
• Microsoft Office software
• Research and statistical software
• Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home

Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

In addition to desktop PCs, we also offer a laptop loan facility, allowing students to borrow a laptop for up to six hours while on campus.

Our staff

• Sue Shortland

Associate Professor – Primary Care

Sue qualified as a registered nurse in 1984 and a registered midwife in 1986. Sue worked for over 20 years in general practice as a general practice nurse and then as an advanced nurse practitioner and non-medical prescriber. Sue joined Birmingham City University in 2008 as a Senior Lecturer on the MSc Advanced Practice Course whilst also...