PGDip Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing)

Course description

PGDip Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing)

This course is for qualified nurses who wish to work as specialist practitioners (district nursing). You should have a first degree and be currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The course will develop your professional, evidence-based knowledge and skills, enabling you to meet the demands of contemporary practice in district nursing and respond and contribute to local and national contemporary health policy and practice.

Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to review and critically analyse many of the issues that impact on service delivery and outcomes from a theoretical and practice perspective.

The course comprises a total of 52 weeks with 50% theory and 50% practice.

This postgraduate-level course will require you to demonstrate, through both theory and practice, your ability to appraise research evidence and extrapolate implications for practice improvement and development. You will also develop critical insight into how you can contribute to organisational practice developments through leadership and innovation.

The selection process will include a joint interview with the University and NHS Trust.

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Suitability - Who should attend?

To meet present NMC requirements, you must:

Be a qualified nurse (adult branch).

Hold current NMC registration.

Have a relevant degree, normally at 2.1 or above.

Recruitment will be in partnership with local healthcare organisations (NHS trusts), which will employ successful applicants for the length of the course. NHS Trusts will also advertise for external candidates for Student District Nurses via NHS jobs. Search www.jobs.nhs.uk for Student District Nurse vacancies to apply. As an employee of the healthcare organisation, you will be required to have an occupational health assessment and undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service police disclosure.

If you were educated in a language other than English and/or in a country where English speakers are in a minority, you should have an IELTS score of 7.0 (with a minimum of 6.0 in any individual skill).

Outcome / Qualification etc.

On successful completion of the course, you will be able to work to influence and improve individual and community health. You will develop skills to holistically care for patients with complex needs as well as skills in team leadership and management.
You will also have the ability to meet the NMC’s standards of proficiency for specialist community nursing (district nursing).
You will develop your evidence-based knowledge and skills in order to respond and contribute to local and national contemporary public health policy and practice.
Successful completion of this course will enable you to achieve a postgraduate diploma in specialist practice and the V100 Community Practitioner Nurse Prescriber qualification. These are recordable on the NMC register.