Northumbria University has an established reputation for excellence and innovation in nursing education.

We are working closely with our NHS partners to deliver a pre-registration Nursing Science course that embodies the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s ‘FutureNurse’ standards, to equip you to lead your profession.

Northumbria’s Nursing learning experience

You will study partially at our Coach Lane Campus, and partially on placement, with both strands running alongside each other to give an integrated approach to theory and practice. You will study within the standard university semester system, allowing time during the Easter and summer breaks for additional projects and internships – or simply a well-earned rest.

This programme will equip you to be curious, creative and collaborative in your care. It will allow your compassion to thrive within an evidence-based approach, and enable you to make a genuine impact on the health and wellbeing of your clients and patients with learning disabilities.

How does this Nursing (Learning Disability) course help with employability?

The BSc Nursing Science (Learning Disability) course will provide you with experience in a caring role and prepare you to become a Registered Nurse who is capable of prioritising people, practicing effectively and promoting professionalism. Studying within the requirements of the new NMC standards means that you will have the ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills in relation to complex healthcare issues and the health and wellbeing of patients with a learning disability.

How will I learn during this Nursing Science course?

Throughout this course you will experience a range of creative and challenging learning opportunities and different environments. This will enable you to grow, personally and professionally, within safe and supportive spaces.

Our concept-based approach will allow you to build the complexity of your understanding gradually over the course of your studies. It will encourage you to question and think critically, establishing a healthy learning habit that will last throughout your career.

Your learning experience will be enhanced by the use of innovative technology – all lectures will be delivered electronically, so that you can get the most out of your time with staff during seminars, discussion groups and practical sessions. This will also encourage you to develop excellent communication and interpersonal skills, which you can use in your delivery of safe, effective and compassionate care.

In addition, we use a supported online learning environment to enhance your digital skills within practice, and to help you understand and promote the use of digital technology as a solution within care settings.

How will I be assessed during my degree?

Your assessments will be balanced between theory and practice, with essays evenly spaced through the year. Your supervision and assessment on placement will be extremely supportive, based on a model designed in collaboration with our partnership organisations, and will be structured to encourage you to develop the necessary proficiencies at the highest level.

Who teaches the BSc Nursing Science (Learning Disability) course?

You will be supported throughout your time at Northumbria by a truly remarkable team of highly experienced academics and practitioners.

You’ll benefit from our Personal Tutor system, Learning Leaders programme, and close partnership working with Practice Supervisors and Assessors, all of which play a part in ensuring you meet University and NMC expectations. We will coach you towards independent learning and personal and professional achievements, as you journey towards graduation and registration.

To further enhance your knowledge and learning we regularly welcome external speakers who are experts in their field and actively working within the nursing profession.

Carol Morgan RNLD, RHV, BSc (Hons) Nursing, BSc (Hons) SCPHN, PGCAP, FHEA. PhD candidate is an Assistant Professor of Nursing Science Registered Nurse (Learning Disability) and is an expert within her field. She has co-written an article ‘Introductory Guide For Someone Considering A Career In Learning Disability Nursing’, read more here.

Where is Northumbria University’s Nursing course based?

This course is based at our Coach Lane campus, which houses our Clinical Skills Centre – a purpose-built facility that will allow you to develop practical skills and gain valuable experience within a simulated scenario.

Our facilities are some of the most advanced and allow us to ensure your learning evolves in-line with the latest developments in this profession.

What facilities are available to Nursing students?

You will have access to our university library – which has been recognised as third best in the UK – and well-equipped working space, The Hub, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Technology is embedded throughout all aspects of your degree, and you will receive ongoing support through our innovative e-learning platform, Blackboard, where you can access module learning and assessment information, learning materials, and reading lists.

Northumbria’s specialised clinical skills centre

Our innovative Clinical Skills Centre replicates a range of nursing environments and situations. Its virtual reality equipment, high fidelity Simulated Mannequins (SimMan, SimJunior, and SimBaby), and immersive technologies will allow you to practise skills, challenge your learning and develop confidence in your clinical ability – all within a safe environment.

Clinical Skills learning is embedded throughout the course, supporting you to develop a range of high-quality nursing skills, as well as skills for working as part of a multidisciplinary health care team.

How is healthcare research applied to teaching throughout my degree?

Research is vital to the evolution of healthcare, and this course will equip you to play a valuable role in generating new knowledge within the nursing profession.

Research-rich learning is embedded throughout the course, culminating in a dissertation that will allow you to explore a topic of your choice in significant depth. You will have the option to conduct an empirical study, undertaking hands-on research supported by tutors with specialist knowledge in the field of children and young people nursing.

Our academic staff have extensive research experience across nursing, midwifery and health, where our work informs policy and practice to improve quality, safety and effectiveness. Our areas of research strength include professional development of children’s nurses, mental health, transitional care, and family centred care.

How will my BSc (Hons) Nursing Science degree provide me with the skills needed for my career?

The focus on fitness for practice and employment in a nursing environment is a core throughout the programme, culminating in your Leadership and Management Internship in your final year. The course is vocational, leading directly to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, under the new Standards, which will allow you to start and quickly progress in your nursing career.

The NMC’s ‘Future Nurse’ programme seeks to drive forward changes in the profession, and we have embedded research, leadership and advanced practice strands throughout the course to equip you to play a key role in those future developments.

You will graduate as an accountable professional who has the knowledge and skills to promote health and prevent ill health; assess, plan, provide, co-ordinate and evaluate care; lead and manage nursing care and work in teams; and improve safety and quality of care.

At Northumbria we have long-standing strong relationships with our partnership Trusts, and we have developed this new course in close collaboration with them as well as with a wide range of experts by experience. This will ensure that the course prepares you for practice in exactly the way employers are seeking, so that you benefit from our consistently high employment rates.