BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
Experience a transformational, high-quality, future-ready education in nursing
Experience a transformational, high-quality, future-ready education in nursing
- Designed with your nursing career in mind
- Undertake placements with our local Health and Social Care partners
- Discover brand new facilities and supervised clinical and simulation environments
- Guaranteed employment within UHSussex after completing your degree
Top 40
UK University
Guardian University Guide 2024
94%
positivity for library resources that support learning
National Student Survey 2024
Top 20
for academic support
National Student Survey 2024
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Saturday 12 October | Friday 1 November | Saturday 23 November
Saturday 12 October
Friday 1 November
Saturday 23 November
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Overview
Become a highly-skilled, digitally-competent, and compassionate nurse
NHS Learning Support Fund
You will receive at least £5,000 a year, with further funding available for eligible students. You can find out more on the NHS website.
On our BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing course we offer small cohorts in a community. During the course you will develop into a resilient, attentive, and caring professional ready for the ever-changing and dynamic healthcare sector.
We welcome curious learners who are looking to make an impact on people’s lives by learning the skills and procedures that help patients and pursue a career with excellent employment prospects.
Develop your person-centred approach
You will learn how to observe patients and assess their needs, to plan and deliver the most appropriate care for them, and evaluate the results.
We will support you in becoming a caring and compassionate professional who delivers skilled, evidence-based care in partnership with patients, families, and communities.
Experiential learning through cutting-edge technology
Our brand-new facilities offer innovative teaching methods that provide immersive learning experiences and simulation-based learning, allowing you to engage with scenario-based activity using robotic manikins, virtual reality, and actors to reflect real situations.
Head of School of Nursing and Allied Health Dr Nita Muir has published international research in virtual simulation learning and Senior Lecturer James Wilson is a National Teaching Fellow with expertise in Forum theatre.
Facilities include
- Immersive sensory simulation space
- Virtual reality equipment
- Six-bed clinical practice area
- Responsive robotic mannequins
- Simulated community nursing settings
Work alongside our practice-experienced staff
Our skilled and expert staff are all clinicians in practice who will support you to achieve your learning goals.
As a curious and motivated learner, we will work with you in developing your study skills and ability a professional nurse registrant and a graduate.
Discover our supportive community
We pride ourselves on our community and the support we offer our students. Our smaller class sizes ensure that you will be known by a name and truly valued, as you feel the support of your personal tutor from the moment you join.
A rich history of nursing education
In 1973, the 25-year-old Graylingwell School of Nursing combined with Royal West Sussex and St Richard’s Hospital School of Nursing to form Chichester and Graylingwell School of Nursing, which was responsible for most nurses who practiced in the area before it closed in 1978.
The School of Nursing and Allied Health at the University of Chichester now takes up the mantle to promote and develop nurse education in the local area.
Study on a nationally-accredited course
This course is accredited against the Nursing & Midwifery Council’s (NMC) 2018 standards, enabling you to be eligible to seek admission to part 1 (Adult) of the NMC register on successful completion of this three-year programme.
The NMC has assessed the course as requiring no improvements against 2018 standards, which is an exceptional outcome. This means you can be confident that you will be gaining the required level of theoretical and clinical training to succeed as a graduate nurse.
Guaranteed employment within UHSussex
University Hospitals NHS trust guarantee employment within UHSussex as a Registered Adult Nurse for those students who successfully complete their degree at University of Chichester and gain professional registration.
This is subject to successful pre-employment checks at the time of graduating.
On this course you will:
- Learn how to deliver the most appropriate, evidence-based care for patients.
- Become a resilient, attentive, and compassionate professional.
- Graduate ready to enhance the quality of person-centred care.
- Develop a strong professional network that strengthens your career opportunities.
- Gain elevated digital skills to prepare you for a rapidly evolving health and social care sector.
- Engage in annual inter-professional conferences.
The Course
Learn through a combination of theory, simulation, practical sessions, and placements
Throughout the three years of the course, you will undertake placements at local healthcare institutions to provide you with the required level of experience and knowledge for a registered nurse.
Your on-campus studies to help you learn and develop as a professional nurse.
Study areas include:
- Caring sciences
- Person-centred care
- Professional issues
- Health and wellbeing
- Mental and physical health conditions
- Preparing for practice learning
Year One
In your first year, you will focus on the foundations of anatomy and physiology alongside your introduction to the concept of person-centred care. You will also explore the fundamentals of caring science and its relationship to compassionate nursing practice., alongside a focus on your personal development as a practitioner.
Year Two
Your second year continues to develop your caring science knowledge and practical clinical skills, as you expand your understanding of clinical decision making in response to adult patient deterioration.
You will also explore the subject of pharmacology and its applications within nursing, as you develop your ability to work within a healthcare team dynamic.
Year Three
In your third year, you will develop your understanding of person-centred care in relation to those with complex needs and those who need end of life care. In addition, you will explore the delivery of effective nursing leadership and policy development.
Your final year also sees you focus on working across healthcare systems, as you prepare to work in array of care settings and develop your leadership and management skills.
Dr Nita Muir
Modules
Select a year
Becoming A Professional Nurse
This module will introduce you to the concepts of professionalism in relation to the specific profession of nursing.
For example:
- Duty of care
- Duty of candour
- Accountability
- Self-regulation and autonomy
- The legal and ethical frameworks that govern nursing practice
- The values and skills required to become a professional such as: reflection, resilience and emotional intelligence to support effective and compassionate communication.
Caring Science and Understanding
Caring science is the concept of caring science defined as the underpinning evidence-base for holistic nursing practice through an evaluation of research methods, ethics and governance, the ability to apply a range of evidence, drawing on experience to make evidence informed decisions will be explored.
Foundations of Health and Wellbeing for Nursing
This module develops your foundational knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and behaviour by examining key body systems and homeostasis which are fundamental to nursing assessments and developing appropriate care plans.
Introducing Person-Centred Care
You will explore the concept of person-centred care as applied to nursing assessment and care planning and the methods used to ensure an individual approach is undertaken, taking into account reasonable adjustments and the vulnerability of the person.
Preparation for Practice – Year 1
In this module, you will safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all year one skills and procedures undertaken in placement.
Caring Science in Promoting Heath and Preventing Illness
Your understanding and application of the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people and understanding global patterns of health and wellbeing outcomes will be addressed.
Delivering Person-Centred Case
Understanding of person-centred care in complex situations is considered across a wide range of integrated care settings including a change in a person’s mental capacity or transition points such as coordinating safe and effective transfer of care or discharge to home.
Developing as a Professional Nurse
You will continue to develop your skills and abilities required to develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues. This module will also revisit and strengthen the developing skills of self-reflection, resilience and emotional intelligence.
Understanding Illness for Nursing
You will develop your knowledge and ability to respond proactively and promptly to signs of deterioration or distress in mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health and use this knowledge to make sound clinical decisions.
The subject of pharmacology applied to nursing and the principles of safe and effective administration and optimisation of medicines will also be covered.
Preparation for Practice: Year 2
This module will continue your development of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for nursing practice to enable the student to meet the Future Nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC] 2018).
Being a Professional Nurse
This module will cover the delivery of care through effective nursing leadership, how nurses can influence policy development and promote the profession of nursing at an individual level and within the wider context of systems.
Caring Science for Quality Improvement
This module will cover an understanding and application of the aims and principles of quality improvement through an evaluation of the quality and effectiveness of nursing care.
You will also cover the importance of undertaking a collaborative approach to quality improvement and how health economics contributes to quality improvement through measures of efficiency, effectiveness, value and behaviour in the production and consumption of health and healthcare.
Maintaining Person-Centred Care
This module will continue your expert understanding and the ability to recognise the need to respond to the challenges of providing safe, effective and person-centred nursing care for people who have complex care needs specifically end of life care.
Preparation for Practice: Year 3
This all-field, shared delivery module supports you to critically analyse the communication and relationship management skills and nursing procedures that a newly-registered nurse must be able to demonstrate in order to meet the proficiency outcomes of the Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC], 2018) for Part 3 of the programme.
Facilities
Experience brand new on-campus facilities that help you thrive
School of Nursing and Allied Health
The School of Nursing and Allied Health is based on the Bishop Otter campus, you will learn both on campus and in a variety of practice and simulation settings.
All learning will be supported by our lecturers in a safe and controlled setting and by your practice assessors and supervisors in health and social care environments.
Immersive sensory learning technologies
Explore our immersive learning room that recreates sounds and visuals from a range of clinical settings, supported with the latest virtual reality technologies.
Six-bed ward environment
Our six-bed ward environment recreates a hospital setting, allowing you to practice basic nursing skills in a realistic simulated setting.
Robotic mannequins
Our responsive robotic mannequins allow you to simulate a variety of clinical procedures and situations ahead of your placement experiences.
Immersive sensory learning technologies
Experience our immersive learning room that recreates sounds and visuals from a range of clinical settings, supported with the latest virtual reality technologies.
Simulated community nursing settings
Practice your communication skills and managing difficult situations via Forum theatre and with actors in our community flat and GP surgery.
Expert and supportive staff
Our experienced teaching staff include clinicians in practice and are here to support you as you develop into a competent graduate nurse.
Specialist library facilities
You will have access to additional resources available from our partners who support your practice learning, including the specialist library facilities at the local St Richard's Hospital.
Develop your digital competency
Gain critical experience of digital materials such as clinicalskills.net, Electronic Practice Assessment Documents and anatomical software with Hololens technology.
Flexible teaching space
Our newly developed HealthOne building includes dedicated teaching spaces that can transform into a variety of layouts and functions.
Learning and social hub spaces
Our commitment to a friendly and inclusive student community includes dedicated learning and social spaces within our HealthOne building.
Learning Resource Centre
The on-campus Learning Resource Centre (LRC) contains the library, a cafe, IT/teaching rooms, and the Support and Information Zone (SIZ).
Molly Ntange
Daniel Grigorita
Marta Kumczyk
Teaching and Assessment
Innovative teaching delivered by expert and supportive staff
Collaborative learning
You will experience a range of different techniques such as enquiry-based learning groups, blended learning, keynote lectures and small group seminars.
Our innovative and supportive teaching approach is based on a collaborative learning philosophy, which encourages you to learn with and from other and achieve your own learning goals.
Experiential learning
From clinical practice settings to recreations of community nursing settings, our use of modern, highly-equipped simulation environments and situations combined with our simulated-based approach to learning develops your professional practice skills and your confidence ahead of your clinical placements.
You will have the chance to simulate various clinical situations with both actors and real service users in care.
Digital competency
We will work with you to develop your digital competencies across the three years as you utilise a range of technologies which will support your learning both now and in your future career.
We are exploring new technologies constantly and you will be exposed to virtual learning environments that recreate clinical scenarios, in addition to using an online learning practice portfolio and developing your own vlog.
Varied assessment methods
Your placements are assessed through an electronic portfolio, alongside more traditional forms of assessment for your clinical learning. Half of these are completed in practical sessions and can include presentations, essays, case-study analyses, and multiple-choice exam questions.
Meet our teaching staff
You’ll be taught by academics, with many who are registered practitioners from a variety of clinical backgrounds. Healthcare qualifying degrees offer a range of options for future employment both internationally and nationally. Roles can be within emergency care, primary care, end-of-life care and development into becoming advanced practitioners.
Nita Muir
Nita is an active researcher as an Adult Registered Nurse and academic with an international reputation, with a particular focus within community nursing and nurse education.
She has undertaken evaluative consultations for Health Education Improvement Wales, is a member of the British Safety Institute, and is on the editorial board of a national nursing journal.
At an international level, Nita has participated in global research and led funded innovation projects to develop sustainable curriculum with colleagues in Zambia, Sweden, Denmark and China.
James Wilson
James is an award-winning nurse academic recognised for his student-focused work in nurse education and interactive theatre. James is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and an innovator in education. He successfully applies transformative learning theory to an immersive suite of drama-based approaches that have since gained national and international recognition and his research interests are in this field. He is also National Teaching Fellow.
Paul Watters
Paul is an experienced nurse and educator. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and his teaching practice is at the praxis of end-of-life care, caring science, research, and evidence-based practice. His educational practice enables students to grow and develop, both academically and practically, to achieve their best potential. Paul is a nurse historian and is currently exploring a local oral history project.
Louise West
As a Lecturer Practitioner Louise works half of the week in a clinical role as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and the other half of the week as a Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Allied Health.
Erika Thorne
Erika has been a Senior Lecturer in Nursing for the last 10 years, moving after 25 years from a successful and enjoyable clinical career in critical care. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and her areas of educational practice include critical/acute care, simulation, pedagogy and practice learning. Erika has a research interest in exploring simulated based education.
Work Placements
Transfer the theory into real life practice
Gain vital practice experience
Practice learning will occur within allocated health and social care placements, which start from December: around three months after you start with us. You will undertake approximately six placements of around 8-10 weeks each.
These placements range across a variety of clinical settings to ensure you experience all fields of nursing, a variety of experiences and the range of hours expected of registered nurses.
Placement allocation
Whilst placement allocation is based on availability across the sector, it is non-negotiable as there is consideration of your home address and travel required. In some instances where travel to placement will be up to one and half hours from your home address, there is a travel bursary available to support this.
Expect to:
- Attend across the 7 day week 24/7
- Travel 1.5 hours one way to placement
- Work in a range of clinical settings i.e., at home, in community and at hospital
Please note the map above provides an overview of the placement areas and not an accurate representation. Placement travel time will be up to an hour and a half from the Bishop Otter campus.
Careers
As a registered nurse, you'll have a varied and fulfilling career ahead of you.
Graduate ready for a career in healthcare
As a University of Chichester BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing graduate, you will demonstrate an elevated level of compassionate leadership, excellent digital literacy skills, resilience and evidence-based knowledge which is person-centred and will prepare you to enter a modern-day nursing workforce.
Become a core part of a healthcare team
Adult nurses are a key part of the multidisciplinary teams that care for patients. You will be at the centre of teams which can include: social workers, doctors, occupational therapists, pharmacists, radiographers, and healthcare assistants. You’ll also work closely with patients’ families and carers.
Prepare for your future with a bespoke careers day
A bespoke careers day is offered with our local health and social care employers designed to prepare you for your future applications, and assist your decision making for your future career in nursing.
Career support
As a University of Chichester graduate, we will provide you with clear guidance for future career choices across the healthcare sector. There will be an opportunity to attend many recruitment fairs with local employers, who will be keen to recruit you.
Guaranteed employment within UHSussex
University Hospitals NHS trust guarantee employment within UHSussex as a Registered Adult Nurse for those students who successfully complete their degree at University of Chichester and gain professional registration.
This is subject to successful pre-employment checks at the time of graduating.
Open up your career options
After completing your degree your career options are wide and varied. There are opportunities in advanced practice in clinical, research, education, and leadership areas.
Potential careers include:
- Community nurse
- Critical care nurse
- Palliative care nurse specialist
- Practice nursing
- Care home manager
- Nurse educator
- Nurse researcher
- Nurse leader
Course Costs
Course Fees 2024/25
UK fee
International fee
For further details about fees, please see our Tuition Fees page.
To find out about any additional costs on this course, please see our Additional Costs page.
Course specific costs
- One uniform will be provided but you are likely to require additional uniforms which cost in the region of £30.
- The University will pay for an occupational health assessment, however you may need to pay for immunisations if they are not covered by your GP.
- You will need a pair of suitable comfortable shoes while on clinical placement and studying in our simulation settings (estimated cost £40- £60).
- You will need to purchase some of your own clinical items, for instance a stethoscope and fob watch (estimated cost £30).
- You will need to be able to travel to your placement.
NHS Learning Support Fund
You will receive at least £5,000 a year, with further funding available for eligible students. You can find out more on the NHS website.
Entry Requirements
Typical Offer (individual offers may vary)
UCAS
A Levels
T Levels
BTEC Extended Diploma
Access to HE Diploma
GCSE
IELTS
Contextual offers
We believe everyone deserves an equal opportunity to pursue higher education, regardless of their background.
When we receive your application we consider your personal circumstances and the factors surrounding your achievements to see if you are eligible for a contextual offer. This is an offer with a reduced entry tariff – typically the equivalent of 16 fewer UCAS points (two A-level grades).
Find out more about our contextual offers.
Further requirements
- Capability in digital and technological literacy
- Evidence of study within the last 5 years
Background checks
We are required to verify that you are of good health and character. We achieve this through a satisfactory occupational health assessment and enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check on entering the programme. You are required to self-declare this on an annual basis.
Interview
You will be required to attend a nursing values-based interview for this degree. You will meet current students, complete different activities, and go on a campus tour. Activities include problem solving and ethical dilemmas. For more information on the interview process, please visit our Interviews and Auditions page.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Applicants will be considered on an individual basis in line with the University’s Admissions policy and the Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards and requirements:
1.5 permit recognition of prior learning that is capable of being mapped to the Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and programme outcomes, up to a maximum of 50 percent of the programme and comply with Article 31(3) of Directive 2005/36/EC.
1.6 for NMC registered nurses permit recognition of prior learning that is capable of being mapped to the Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and programme outcomes that may be more than 50 percent of the programme.
Foundation Year in Health and Exercise Science
Our Foundation Year in Health and Exercise Science course provides an opportunity for those who require a foundation year to prepare for admission to the BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing course.
