Infection, Prevention and Control Pathway (Professional Practice)

Program Overview

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Infection, Prevention and Control (Professional Practice)

Overview

The Professional Practice Course is flexible, practice-led, responsive and aims to foster excellence. This course will develop knowledgeable, critical thinking, proactive, professional practitioners who are fit to meet the changing demands of modern healthcare provision in the global arena.

What's covered in this course?

The Infection Prevention and Control pathway has been designed for people already working in a specialist practitioner role to broaden their knowledge and understanding within this specialised area of healthcare. You will work with a range of healthcare specialists to improve your practice. This will enable you to function more proficiently in your specialist role by developing a higher level of knowledge and understanding within this specialised healthcare area. You'll learn face-to-face and be able to network with a range of healthcare professionals.

Throughout the programme you are provided with a blended integrated approach learning, where clinical based knowledge is underpinned with theoretical and conceptual principles and delivered by experts within the area.

The wider issues associated with specialist practice such interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary working, leadership and networking have been integrated into the programme to enable you to manage working across the expansive health and social care sector.

A core element of the Infection Prevention and Control practice consists of clinical knowledge of applied Microbiology which underpins much of the day to day activity required to keep patients safe from acquiring healthcare associated infection and minimise outbreaks of infection. The detailed Microbiology that is taught on the course will be delivered by an experienced physiologist and expert in the field and further supported by the inclusion of healthcare epidemiology and surveillance principles. This depth of expertise will enable you to fully understand the complex nature of commonly recognised micro-organisms that are responsible for predominance of healthcare associated infection. This will give you the confidence to deal with each situation confidently and with a high level of competence.

The learning and assessment strategy will enable you to develop skills that will benefit you throughout your career; such as being able to deliver a presentation confidently, design educational posters for use at conferences, and produce high quality written work and health policies and develop crucial leadership and managerial skills.

Why Choose Us?

• Dynamic and contemporary curriculum
• Face to face delivery [taught sessions]
• Opportunities to network
• Interdisciplinary approach to learning - practitioners from different health and social care backgrounds
• Expert clinical and academic input

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:

Starting: Sep 2025

• Mode: Part Time
• Duration: up to 5 years (part time) or 2 years (full time)
• Fees: £860 per 20 credit module

International 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:

Starting: Sep 2025

• Mode: Part Time
• Duration: up to 5 years (part time) or 2 years (full time)
• Fees: £860 per 20 credit module

Entry requirements

This pathway is aimed at those already working in the field of Infection Prevention and Control in a dedicated specialist practitioner role, or equivalent, such as surveillance or decontamination. Ideally, you should have a minimum of 12 months' relevant experience.

Level 6 study

For entry onto the BSc/ BSc (Hons) students must have a relevant Diploma In Higher Education or 240 credits of which at least 120 credits are at level 5.

Students who have a Dip HE or equivalent but do not have any previous BCU credits will need to complete three modules at Level 6.

For entry onto the Graduate Certificate award, students must have a relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent or a 60 credit Level 6 award in an appropriate subject area.

Level 7 study

For entry into the Post Graduate Certificate/Post Graduate Diploma/MSc award students must have a relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent or a 60 credit Level 6 award in an appropriate subject area. Applicants with evidence of successfully completed Level 6 study within the preceding 2 years.

Where appropriate and on an individual basis students may be required to undertake a pre-course assessment to enable the course team to support students study skills. We will use this to navigate your appropriate pathway assessment.

To prevent duplication of study, a student that has previously completed a Level 6 module or pathway award within the last 5 years cannot access the equivalent pathway award at Level 7.

Recognition of Prior Learning – RPL

If students have gained Level 6 or 7 credits either at Birmingham City University or elsewhere in the last 5 years, it may be possible to use them towards an award. The amount of RPL is stipulated by the regulations that apply at the time of enrolment.

Access

Diploma HE in nursing or equivalent appropriate for level 6 study

EU/International students

IELTs of 6 with no element below 5.5.

Course structure

You can study this programme as a complete pathway award (full or part-time), dependent on your individual need and the needs of your organisation. All programmes offer a convenient part-time format to fit around home and work commitments.

Pathway awards in Infection, Prevention and Control can lead to:

• Module only Professional Practice Level 6
• Module only Professional Practice Level 7
• BSc Professional Practice
• BSc (Hons) Professional Practice
• Grad Cert Professional Practice
• PG Cert Professional Practice
• PG Dip Professional Practice
• MSc Professional Practice

Course in Depth

Degree (Level 6)

In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

Year 1 Pathway Award – Exit Award: Grad Cert / BSc Professional Practice (Infection, Prevention and Control)

• Critical Review of Decontamination Methods, Estates and Facilities 20 credits
• Applied Leadership, Change Management, and Innovation Theory 20 credits
• Applied Microbiology, Healthcare Epidemiology and Surveillance 20 credits

Year 2 Pathway Award (BSc Only) – Exit Award: BSc (Hons) Professional Practice (Infection, Prevention and Control)

• Using Research Evidence in Practice 20 credits
• Negotiated Study 20 credits
• Optional Module 20 credits

Postgraduate (Level 7)

In order to complete this route a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):

Year 1 Pathway Award – Exit Award: PG Cert Professional Practice (Infection, Prevention and Control)

• Critical Review of Decontamination Methods, Estates and Facilities 20 credits
• Applied Leadership, Change Management, and Innovation Theory 20 credits
• Applied Microbiology, Healthcare Epidemiology and Surveillance 20 credits

Year 2 Pathway Award - Exit Award: PG Dip Professional Practice (Infection, Prevention and Control)

• Leadership Skills and Project Management for Health 20 credits
• Research: Methods of Enquiry 20 credits
• Optional Module 20 credits

Year 3 Pathway Award – Exit Award: MSc Professional Practice (Infection, Prevention and Control)

• Research Dissertation 60 credits
• OR
• Research Dissertation 40 credits and Writing for Publication 20 credits

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

Shirley Kirnon

Senior Lecturer, Infection Prevention and Control

Shirley's professional background is in nursing and she specialises in teaching Infection Prevention and Control, which is a specialism within the health protection strand of Public Health. She is involved in teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, across the various healthcare disciplines.

More about Shirley