Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Nursing (Pre-Registration)
Become a highly-skilled, digitally-able, and compassionate nurse
Become a highly-skilled, digitally-able, and compassionate nurse
- Become a Registered Adult Nurse in just two years.
- Discover brand new facilities and supervised clinical and simulation environments
- Experiment with innovative computer simulation and virtual reality experiences.
- Undertake placements with our local Health and Social Care partners
Top 40
UK University
Guardian University Guide 2024
Gold
rated university in the Teaching Excellence Framework
TEF 2023
7th
best university in the South East
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
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Overview
Build on your experience in a healthcare role on this accelerated blended learning course
NHS Learning Support Fund (Eligibility criteria applies)
Receive at least £5,000 a year of NHS Funding on this course, with up to £3,000 further funding available for eligible students. You can find out more on the NHS website.
Transition into Adult Nursing with NMC adult nursing registration
Our accelerated, blended learning Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Nursing (Pre-Registration) course develops you into a resilient, attentive, and caring professional ready for the ever-changing and dynamic healthcare sector.
We offer small cohorts in a community and welcome graduates from any subject who can demonstrate the required level of professional experience within the healthcare sector and who are looking to develop skills, knowledge, and professionalism to make an impact on people’s lives.
Develop your person-centred approach
You will learn how to care for adult patients in any health care settings, 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.
Blend interactive teaching sessions with online study
Our approach allows for flexibility in learning. It combines immersive, interactive learning sessions using our brand-new on-campus facilities with virtual online learning with your tutors.
You will be required to attend campus 1-2 days a week during the academic blocks. In addition, guided and independent online study will further develop your knowledge and understanding, this includes (from academic block 2) a weekly placement experience day to develop your understanding of wider healthcare delivery.
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 Registered Nurses who are either academic or also clinicians in practice who will support you to achieve your learning goals.
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 two-year programme.
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.
The Course
Learn through a combination of theory, simulation, practical sessions, and placements
Combine academic study with practical skills
On this course, you will spend 50% of your time in academic study and the remaining 50% will be within a clinical placement learning or simulation-based learning environment.
Apply theory to practice through clinical placements
Throughout the course, you will undertake placements at local health and social care organisations to provide you with the required level of experience and knowledge for a registered nurse.
Studies areas include:
- Caring sciences
- Person-centred care
- Professional issues
- Health and wellbeing
- Mental and physical health conditions
- Preparing for practice learning
Dr Nita Muir
MSc Top-Up
Once you have completed your Postgraduate Diploma, you’ll have the option to return to your studies within a few years and complete your dissertation through topping up to a MSc in Adult Nursing.
Year One
- Becoming a Graduate Professional Nurse
- Developing Person Centred Nursing with Integrated Care
- Caring Science – Leading and Managing the Promotion and Prevention of Illness
- Leading Person-Centred Nursing Practice
- Preparation for Practice Part One
- Preparation for Practice Part Two
Year Two
- Understanding Illness and its Associated Pharmacological Interventions
- Caring Science – Advancing Nursing Practice
- Preparation for Practice Part Three
This list is indicative and subject to change.
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 in Chichester, which has a rich history of nursing education.
Our team of expert and experienced lecturers are here to ensure a safe and controlled setting for your learning, with additional support provided by your placement practice assessors and supervisors.
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 Learning Resource Centre (LRC) contains the library, a café, IT/teaching rooms, and the Support and Information Zone (SIZ).
Molly
Mariann
Daniel
Marta
Teaching and Assessment
Innovative teaching delivered by expert and supportive staff
Collaborative learning
You will experience a range of different techniques on this blended learning course such as experiential 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 two 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. These can include presentations, essays, case-study analyses, and exams.
Meet our teaching staff
You’ll be taught by academics, with many who are registered practitioners from a variety of clinical backgrounds.
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 as 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.
Claudia Cadman
Claudia is a Lecturer Practitioner and is excited to be beginning her academic career by supporting the delivery of the new nursing programme at the University of Chichester. As a Lecturer Practitioner, Claudia’s role is to facilitate a programme that bridges the gap between theory and clinical practice.
Louise West
As a Lecturer Practitioner, Louise works both in a clinical role as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and as a Lecturer at the school of Nursing and Allied Health and is delighted to support the next generation of nurses.
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.
Clinical Placements
Transfer the theory into real life practice
Gain vital practice experience
Practice learning will occur within allocated health and social care placements. You will undertake approximately five placements across the two years, ranging from 8-12 weeks in length.
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, travel to placement will be up to one and half hours from your home address, there is a travel bursary available to support this if you are in receipt of the NHS Learning Support Fund.
Expect to:
- Attend placement 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
Placement experience days
In addition to the 5 blocks of clinical placement, we aim to offer placement experience days in the following settings, community care, primary care and health and social care.
This placement experience will occur within each academic module and will encourage you to explore the roles that these health care settings provide in leading patient centred care.
Please note the map above provides an overview of the placement areas and not an accurate representation. Placement travel time will usually 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.
Boost your career opportunities in healthcare
On the completion of this course, you will have developed an elevated level of compassionate leadership, excellent digital literacy skills, resilience, and evidence-based knowledge, which promotes person-centred/individualised care and will prepare you to enter a modern-day nursing workforce.
Your career options are wide and varied, healthcare qualifying degrees offer a range of options for future employment both internationally and nationally. Opportunities can include advanced practice in clinical, research, education, and leadership areas across the full range of healthcare settings.
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.
Potential careers include:
- Community nurse
- Critical care nurse
- Palliative care nurse
- Practice nursing
- Prison nursing
- Care home manager
- Nurse educator
- Nurse researcher
- Nurse leader
Entry Requirements
Typical Offer (individual offers may vary)
GCSE
Undergraduate Honours Degree
IELTS
In addition to the above criteria, you will also need to:
- Provide evidence of a minimum of seven weeks (265.5 hours) work experience in a professional caring role within the previous three years that is verified by either an NMC Registered Nurse or Care Manager and an employment contract
- Have the required level of digital and technological literacy or demonstrate potential to meet programme outcomes
- Provide validated evidence of study within the last five years
- Complete a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) claim prior to entry
- Attend a values-based interview
- Complete a satisfactory occupational health assessment
- Complete an enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
- Obtain relevant immunisations
You may be required to pay for some outstanding immunisations.
Record of Prior Learning (RPL)
As the Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Nursing (Blended Learning) is an accelerated course, to support entry to the programme you must be able to demonstrate prior learning for the equivalent of BSc (Hons) Level 4 Adult Nursing programme.
Recognition will be considered on an individual basis in line with the university’s admissions policy and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards and requirements.
If you are already an NMC registrant with Mental Health, Child Health or Learning Disabilities and looking for dual qualification then at least 50% of prior learning can be mapped to the NMC (2018) Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and the programme outcomes (Part 3 Point 1.6).
RPL Portfolio
You will be required to develop evidence to support your RPL through a portfolio of achievements, mapping these against the relevant module outcomes and practice learning hours for Part 1 of the programme and the NMC Standards for pre-registration nursing.
This process commences following interview and a conditional offer for the course. Support is available with this process.
- The RPL process must demonstrate the equivalence of 600 hours of theoretical learning and a minimum of seven weeks (262.5 hours) of evidenced work experience in a professional caring role within the previous three years.
- Practice hours will need to be verified by an NMC registered nurse or registered (NVQ level 5) care manager and include a reference and an employment contract.
- The theoretical learning will need to demonstrate knowledge gained from previous academic and experiential learning through critical refelction, mapped to 8 of the learning outcomes in Part 1 of the programme
- All RPL portfolios will be assessed by the admissions tutor. Those identified as potentially meeting the criteria will be ratified by the exam board. A selection will be reviewed by the programme external examiner to ensure academic consistency.
- We encourage you to achieve the care certificate prior to application.
Technical Requirements for the Course
- An up-to-date PC/Laptop or Mac (Tablets and smartphones are not recommended as sole use for the course)
- A stable internet/Wi-Fi connection
- Chrome of Microsoft Edge web browser to successfully navigate the virtual learning environment
- Working webcam
- Working headphones
- Working microphone
Student Visa Requirements
Applicants who require a student visa to enter the UK are not eligible to be considered for this course.
Skilled Worker Visa Requirements
Applicants who are in the UK on a Skilled Worker Visa or are a dependent of a skilled worker are not eligible to be considered for this course.
Course Costs
Course Fees 2023/24
UK fee
Learning Support Fund (Eligibility criteria applies)
Receive at least £5,000 a year of NHS Funding on this course, with up to £3,000 further funding available for eligible students. Find out more on the NHS website.
For further details about fees, please see our Tuition Fee page.
For further details about international scholarships, please see our Scholarships 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. These must be black and have a waterproof and non-penetrable upper surface (estimated cost £40- £60).
- You are advised 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 – travel expenses can be claimed if you are eligible and in receipt of the NHS Learning Support Fund.
To find out about any further additional costs on this course, please see our Additional Costs page.
