Program Overview

Specialist Nursing Practice with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300) - PgDip

Overview

This course will deliver innovative academic excellence in research, leadership, and person-centred assessment in specialist practice nursing care.

Summary

The PG Dip Specialist Nursing Practice with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300) is aligned to the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards for prescribing programmes standards (NMC 2023b) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Competency Framework for all Prescribers (2021). The course will have two strands:

• Community Specialist Practice Qualification (strand 1)
• Specialist Nurse (non-community) (strand 2)

This programme aims to provide students with the knowledge, critical understanding, skills, values, and resilience to manage clinical complexity and risk, be autonomous practitioners, and work across organisational boundaries.

About this course

About

Students can choose between two strands; Community and Non-Community. Within those strands, students have the following pathway options:

• Strand 1 Community pathways:
  • Community Children's
  • Community Learning Disabilities
  • Community Mental Health
  • District Nursing
  • General Practice
• Strand 2 Non-community pathways:
  • Adult
  • Diabetes
  • Emergency Care
  • Mental Health
  • Palliative Care
  • Stroke

All students will take the following modules:

• Practice Learning for specialist nurses
• Person-centred prescribing
• The assessment and planning of person-centred care
• Critical appraisal and application of research evidence to improve (community) health
• Providing and evaluating evidence-based (community) nursing specialist practice
• (Community) specialist nursing leadership and management

These modules run alongside seminars specific to the student's chosen strand/pathway. The full-time course is one year in duration.

Practice learning

All students are required to undertake, in their intended field of practice, a minimum of 90 days clinical practice, related to achieving their clinical competencies for RPS and achieve their NMC specialist proficiencies.

Assessment

Each module will have 2 items of assessment. The pass mark for all modules is 50%, except when there is an NMC stipulated pass mark. All modules must be passed to successfully complete the programme and be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Community Nursing Specialist Practice with integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing. Practice Assessment Document (PAD) must be passed at the summative assessment point. The PAD is awarded a Pass or Fail.

Attendance and Independent Study

• The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points.
• This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment.
• Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course.
• Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.

Modules

Year one

• Providing and Evaluating Evidence-Based Specialist Community Nursing Strand 1
• Community Specialist Nursing Leadership and Management Strand 1
• Person-Centred Prescribing Strand 1 and 2
• The Assessment and Planning of Person Centred Care Strand 1 and 2
• Critical Appraisal and Application of Research Evidence to Improve Community Health Strand 1
• Practice learning for Specialist Nurses Strand 1 and 2
• Critical Appraisal and Application of Research Evidence to Improve Health Strand 2
• Providing and Evaluating Evidence-based Specialist Nursing Practice Strand 2
• Specialist Nursing Leadership and Management Strand 2

Standard entry conditions

• Registered nurse (level 1) on the live NMC Register
• BSc Hons/ BSc degree or successful completion of academic study at level 6
• Registered with the NMC for a minimum of one year prior to application for entry on to the programme
• In the application form the applicant must confirm that they are;
  • of Good Health and Character
  • not undergoing any live formal professional, criminal or internal investigation, disciplinary hearings or serving a live disciplinary warning or formal underperformance procedure (as at date of application)
• Have a current Access NI Enhanced Disclosure Certificate with a date of issue within the previous 2 years prior to commencing this course (as it must extend to the end of the course covering a 3-year period in total).
• Applicants to this programme are required to provide TWO references

English Language Requirements

• The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 7.0 with no element below 7.0.

Exemptions and transferability

• In line with the NMC (2022) requirement to ‘consider recognition of prior learning that is capable of being mapped to the RPS Competency Framework for all Prescribers for applicants’ (1.7; NMC 2022, Part 3) Students who have previously completed the NMC approved independent / supplementary prescribing programme (V300), may gain exemption from the module Person-Centred Prescribing following the completion and submission of a portfolio.

Careers & opportunities

• Specialist nurse students from Ulster University are all predominantly already in employment within the NHS and Social Services, independent GP practices, and other employment such as the voluntary sector (hospice) and prisons.
• The approach to employability in this programme is explicit insofar as the entitlement to use the qualification is directly linked to career progression.

Work placement / study abroad

• All students must complete 90 days Practice Learning in an approved setting.
• Dedicated blocks of practice learning will be incorporated into each Academic Year.
• Students must have direct interaction with patients and families during this period.
• Supervision and Assessment by Practice Assessors will occur during Practice Learning.
• A Practice Assessment Document (PAD) is required to evidence achievement of professional outcomes, specialist practice and prescribing competencies.

Professional Recognition

• Recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of recording as Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) (District Nursing) with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300)
• Recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of recording as Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) (General Practice Nursing) with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V3000)
• Recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of recording as Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) (Community Children’s Nursing) with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300)
• Recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of recording as Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) (Community Learning Disability) with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300)
• Recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of recording as Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) (Community Mental Health) with Integrated Independent and Supplementary Prescribing (V300)
• Recorded by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of registration for Independent and Supplementary Nurse Prescribing (V300)

Fees and funding

• £11,872.80 (International Fees)
• Tuition Fee Loans Available for students domiciled in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and UK students
• 10% Alumni Discount for Ulster University graduates

Additional mandatory costs

• Access NI (enhanced disclosure) is an additional cost for Self-Funded students.
• It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.