Program Overview

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Overview

Exceptionally rewarding

Mental health nursing is a constantly evolving field, with as many as one in four people experiencing a mental health issue each year. We'll help you to meet the challenges of effective mental health care provision.

You'll gain practice experience in a wide range of in-patient and community settings, reflecting the diversity of mental health specialities. This could include acute psychiatry, child and adolescent mental health, forensic psychiatry, eating disorders, substance use and rehabilitation.

Why Mental Health Nursing at LSBU?

• Ranked 4th in the UK for Mental Health Nursing (Guardian University Guide 2023).
• Success on this course makes you eligible to register as a mental health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
• 100% Mental Health Nursing students get graduate level jobs or are in further education at professional or higher education level, within 15 months of graduation (Guardian University Guide 2023).
• Our heritage - LSBU has been developing, delivering and evaluating courses in the field of learning disability nursing for more than 20 years.
• LSBU Nursing & Midwifery graduates are the highest paid amongst all London Modern university graduates, and fifth highest in the UK one year after graduating (DfE LEO data 2022).
• Students on this course could be eligible to receive a non-repayable amount of up to £11,000 per academic year with the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Top-up to MSc

After graduating, you'll be able to gain a Masters degree by completing a dissertation. Students who successfully complete the PgDip course have up to four years to complete the dissertation module via part-time study. This will incur an additional cost.

Course Accreditations

• NMC

Location

• Southwark Campus

Entry Level Requirements

• A Bachelor degree (hons) with a minimum 2:2 classification. Candidates without a health or science related degree are required to complete a Life Sciences work book package to satisfy the Life Sciences element of the RPL portfolio.
• Please make sure you will have completed the required GCSE qualifications (or equivalent Level 2 qualifications) before the start of this course.
• Maths and English GCSEs/equivalent (at C or above) to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) selection criterion.

Fees

• UK: £9535
• International: £18600

How to apply for the PgDip

Although this is a postgraduate course, all students apply to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full details of how to do this are supplied on our How to apply webpage for undergraduate students.

Attributes and values

Nursing is a very competitive career and it is important you make a high quality application to us. Here are some tips on what attributes, skills and values we are ideally looking for in an LSBU nursing student:

• Meet the required entry requirements for LSBU nursing courses
• Good understanding of basic numeracy and literacy skills
• Impeccable communication, caring and helping skills
• Able to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Reliable, patient and understanding
• Motivated
• Dedicated to a career in nursing and fully comprehend the responsibilities of the role
• Personal qualities and values in line with those expected by the NHS constitution.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

All applicants are required to make an RPL claim. You may apply for RPL through both certificated learning and the production of a portfolio to demonstrate achievement of programme outcomes for the programme you have applied for through experience. If you are offered a place on the course you'll be provided with guidance notes to assist you in constructing this.

Interviews and assessments

Our interviews take place via Microsoft Teams​, this consists of a short (20-minute) interview with 1 or 2 members of the academic team. ​There may also be a nurse from one of our Trust partners in attendance​. It is not a ‘test’. We do not expect applicants to answer complex science or maths-based questions. ​

English language

For those whom English is not their first language must achieve a minimum score of 7.0 overall or equivalent with not less than 7.0 in the listening and reading sections and not less than 7.0 in the writing and speaking sections for the International English Language Test Score (IELTS) at the time of application.

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS)

All pre-registration students need to be DBS cleared before going on placement. You’ll need to have an enhanced DBS check even if you have had one before and will not be able to go on placement until this is complete.

Occupational Health (OH)

An exciting part of many of our Health and Social Care courses is the opportunity to learn off-campus and work with patients, clients and/or service users. Before you start, we need to make sure that you have the correct levels of immunisations.

Holidays

Your holiday periods will not follow the normal University timetable because of placements. You’ll receive more details once you start your course.

Practice placements

Most health and social care courses’ practice placements will operate outside normal working hours e.g. evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays.

Uniforms

Most placements and some practical sessions in our skills laboratories will require you to wear a uniform and name badge. You will be measured for uniforms specific to your course as part of your Welcome Week activities after enrolment.

Course Content

Year 1

• Assessing, planning and providing care in Mental Health Nursing
• Applied physiology for Mental Health Nursing
• Research in health and social care
• Promoting health and preventing ill health

Year 2

• Enhancing and evaluating care in Mental Health Nursing
• Pharmacology and medicines management in MH Nursing
• Acute and complex care in Mental Health Nursing
• Transition to Leadership
• Disseration (Msc only)

Careers

This course will equip you with the skills to work in a diverse range of mental health nursing roles across a range of settings, including the NHS and the private health care sector. Successful completion of the course fulfils the requirements for graduates to be able to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nurse - Mental Health.

Employability Service

We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Teaching and Assessment

Personal tutoring

As a Health and Social Care student, you will be allocated a named tutor during your first three weeks at LSBU. The role of your tutor is to be your primary contact for academic and professional development support.

Your tutor will support you to get the most of your time at LSBU, providing advice and signposting to other sources of support in the University. They should be the first person at the university that you speak to if you are having any difficulties that are affecting your work. These could be academic, financial, health-related or another type of problem.