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Nursing is proving increasingly popular as a
degree course choice. The secure employment prospects
allied to a degree that leads to a real and challenging
profession is attractive to many. But what are
the various types of Nursing about? How do you
choose the right course and the best method of
study?
What Type of Nursing are you
interested in:
Adult Nursing
The Adult branch of Nursing Programmes is designed
to enable student s to experience, participate
in, and learn to manage, the health needs of adult
patients and clients in a variety of settings.
Students experience practice placement in both
the Acute Hospital setting and in the Community
In the Hospital setting students placements are
related to primary health care the assessment
and management of the acutely ill, and the needs
of patients who are elderly, who have conditions
such as cancer or heart disease and other chronic
health issues. The work is immensely rewarding
and challenging, there will be times when students
will derive enormous satisfaction from the experience
of giving care.
Students are expected to participate fully in
the practical and academic elements of the programme
in order to develop the knowledge and skills necessary
for competent and effective practice.
The contemporary nature of the curriculum provided
facilitates students to learn to be a competent
practitioner to assess , plan and manage care
of patient across the spectrum of adult nursing,
in the community, hospital and the patients own
home. The practice experience is designed to meet
the needs of the adult clients/patients in Community
and Acute Hospital in order to meet the competencies
required by Nursing and Midwifery Council for
entry on to the Register of Qualified Nurses.
Mental Health Nursing -
Branch Programme
Mental heath nursing is a very challenging and
at times difficult field of health care. As a
mental health nurse, students will be working
with people at the extremes of human experience,
people who are often extremely distressed and
disturbed. Mental health nursing has the potential
to be not only extremely beneficial for users
and carers, but also immensely rewarding and there
will be times when you will derive enormous satisfaction
from this work. However, the challenges will also
provide a searching examination of your personal
and professional qualities and at times will stretch
these to the limit.
The Mental Health branch programme is designed
to help you cope with the complex demands in meeting
therapeutic care needs. It also prepares students
to deal successfully with the responsibilities
they will face as a qualified mental health nurse.
Students will be expected to participate fully
in the practical and academic elements of the
programme in order to develop the knowledge and
skills necessary for competent and effective practice.
The mental health branch programme is equally
divided between theory and practice. For the practice
component students are given the opportunity to
attend a range of care settings within the statutory
and voluntary sector including adult admission
wards, forensic services, older person services,
and child and family services. Students are offered
practice experience with partner providers in
the NHS.
Learning Disability
The Learning Disability Branch Programme has been
developed to meet the requirements of the Professional
Nursing Register for Learning Disability nursing.
The programme's objective is to develop competent,
confident practitioners who are able to meet the
ever-changing health needs of people with learning
disabilities in society.
Learning disabilities nurses contribute to the
health and wellbeing of individuals, their families
and carers. Within the programme, students will
learn how to relate to people in a sensitive manner,
helped by new technology tools such as sensory
stimulation and interactive learning systems.
Learning Disability nurses practice from a strong
value base that promotes people with learning
disabilities as equal citizens, helping them and
their families lead a valued, healthy and inclusive
lifestyle. In order to be successful in this field,
students will need to provide sound nursing practice
with a good understanding of the support systems
available from individual, local and national
perspectives. Learning Disability professionals
believe that you need most, if not all, of the
following qualities; empathy, flexibility, confidence,
patience, understanding, tolerance, leadership
and motivation.
Student placements are planned in a systematic
way to develop the skills and qualities they will
require, these placements will be strongly related
to the theoretical aspects of the modules being
undertaken. Students are likely to receive placements
in some of the following areas: nursery schools;
schools and further education colleges; community
teams for people with learning disabilities; day
opportunities; residential services; primary care;
voluntary sector; specialist services; short term/respite
care and elective placements towards the end of
the programme.
Child Health
The Health of all children is seen as being a
variable concept, with the pivotal aim of keeping
children as healthy as possible, though of course
some children will become ill. There is then the
need to provide as much access for them and their
families as possible to child Health services,
for both the promotion of health and the care
of the sick child in the community and hospital
settings.
The philosophy of children's nursing is embedded
in the belief that care should be family centred
and driven, the nature and location of children's
nursing work is constantly changing in response
to both the needs of children and health service
provision, as for example in maximising care at
home through ambulatory care.
Children now have shorter lengths of stay in hospital
and those admitted to hospital often require more
specialist, complex, and highly technical care.
The child branch programme is underpinned by the
view that the child/young person is seen as a
unique, developing individual who has the right
to be cared for by knowledgeable, reflective and
skilled child care practitioners, in a negotiated
partnership with families and carers. Within the
branch programme Students develop knowledge and
clinical practice to meet the demands of changes
in health care policy, new technology, innovations
in paediatric practice and the move to care for
children, whenever possible, in the community.
Following qualification there are a variety of
Post Basic Certificates and Degrees available
which build on and develop the basic qualifications
already gained. Since the National Nursing Boards
responsibilities came under the Nursing and Midwifery
Councils authority the Post Basic courses once
validated by these boards are now offered by Higher
Education Institutions (HEI). These are available
at HEI's where Nursing and Midwifery Courses are
offered and are designed to develop nursing knowledge
and skills as they relate to the world of work.
The choice of which course to take will relate
to the type of nursing environment in which the
applicant is working. (e.g. Intensive Care, Theatre,
Accident and Emergency etc).
What does a qualified nurse
do?
Qualified Nurses work in a variety of settings
and form an important part of the Multi Disciplinary
Team, where they work with a number of other health
care professionals such as Doctors, Physiotherapists,
Occupational Therapists and others to provide
a seamless provision of care for patients and
clients who are unable to care for themselves
at that time. The focus of the care is to return
the patient/client to full health if possible
or to provide help to enable the patient/client
to return to their home. Many qualified nurses
provide care in the Community and in the clients
own home, this enables them to remain with their
family and community rather than being cared for
in Hospital.
What course or college
should I look at?
Before applying for any programme at University
it is important to carry out some research into
the various Higher Education Institutes (HEI)
available who offer the programme you are looking
for. All HEI's have a web site the addresses are
available in various Student Career magazines,
at the local Library, in the UCAS Handbook, HEI
prospectus etc. You may wish to look at the history
of each HEI and the various QAA reports.
For Nursing programmes you may want to find out
which NHS Trusts the HEI works with in the provision
of practice placements for the programme, which
learning communities the HEI works with.
It is also important to enquire about the reputation
of the Nursing Programme, what percentage of students
drop out of the programme and what are the success
rates over the past few years.
What should I do before
applying
Having done the research and reduced your options
down to three or four possibilities contact the
Universities of your choice and ask about open
days, informal visits and the selection process
carried out for applicants. When you have all
of the information that you feel you need ask
for an application pack.
Set aside some quiet time to go through the information
provided carefully. Make a photo copy of the application
form and fill it in roughly, leave this for a
day or two, read it carefully and make any corrections
you need to, set aside a quiet time to copy your
rough application in clear writing onto the original
application form. Send the form off to the address
specified in the information. If your application
is short listed for selection you will be notified
of a date when you will be considered for a place.
These selection days often last most of the day
and may contain pre selection exercises to be
carried out at the commencement of the day. If
this is the case the information will be in the
application information you have been sent, read
it carefully. Be sure to arrive on time, dress
appropriately and smile. Good Luck.
Author: June Saunders
Thames Valley University
www.tvu.ac.uk
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