Foundation Degree Science Nursing Associate
University of Derby
UCAS Code: B720 | Foundation Degree in Science - FdSc
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
T Level
Pass with C or above in the core
UCAS Tariff
We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.
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About this course
The University of Derby was one of the first Higher Education Institutions to be involved in the pilot training programme for Nursing Associates, with over 100 Trainee Nursing Associates starting with the University in January 2017.
- Join a Foundation Degree course with excellent career prospects: 100% of our graduates were employed or continued onto further study on completion of the course
- On successful completion of the programme you wil be able to Register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Nursing Associate
- Gain essential practical experience within all four fields of nursing – Learning Disability, Mental Health, Children’s and Adult
- Benefit from some of the best university facilities of their kind including Clinical Skills Suites and our state-of-the-art Immersive Suites
- Be inspired on a programme with strong approval ratings: in the 2018 National Student Survey 92% were satisfied with this course
- Learn from a highly experienced and enthusiastic teaching team who provide full support to help you achieve your ambitions
This programme is aimed at individuals entering the Nursing Associate role. Entrants will come from a wide variety of backgrounds reflecting the breadth of the health and social care workforce. The programme develops your knowledge and critical understanding of theory underpinning workplace practices, fostering reflective practice and exploring the limits of the learner's scope of practice.
The programme reflects key policies shaping the Nursing Associate workforce, the NHS, Health and Social Care sectors today with the skills and attributes needed within the workforce to deliver care with compassion and to ensure the best outcomes for patients and service users. The programme has been developed through close consultation and collaboration with employers and is directly linked to the delivery of care in practice.
**First-class facilities in Derby and Chesterfield**
You can take this course at Derby or Chesterfield. Both offer outstanding learning environments built to professional standards, with replica wards, counselling rooms and treatment rooms fully equipped with the latest clinical resources.
Our state-of-the-art Immersive Suite creates a simulated environment for practising your skills in a realistic setting and are available at Derby and Chesterfield. The first university facility of its kind outside London, the suite replicates the atmosphere, sights and sounds of, for instance, the inside of an ambulance, a busy A&E ward or an operating theatre so you can gain a greater understanding of clinical decision-making in action.
**In tune with latest developments**
This course is closely mapped against the needs of employers. In delivering the programme we respond to national changes such as latest government policies to ensure your learning is up to date and relevant.
As health care is increasingly delivered by multi professional teams, we offer opportunities at each stage of the course for you to learn with, and from, students from other disciplines. This is really important in preparing you to work in more flexible ways after graduation. By learning to work together, you can help achieve the best outcomes for your patients.
Modules
Stage one
Human Growth and Development across the Lifespan
Communication and Working in Teams
Providing and Monitoring Nursing Care
Promoting Health and Independence
Personal and professional development for Nursing Associates
Integrated Theory and Practice
Stage two
Research and Evidence Based Practice
Medicines Management
Patient centred care for complex health needs
Leading and Integrating care
Assuring quality and safety of care
Applied Theory and Practice
Assessment methods
Assessment approaches are varied and include poster presentations, exam, essays, assignments, case based discussions and practical skills assessments.
The teaching team includes qualified health professionals with extensive experience of nursing and leadership roles within the NHS as well as nursing education. They have professional interests across children’s, mental health learning disability nursing as well as Occupational therapy and science.
Your Programme Leader, Tracey Whitmore, has more than 30 years’ experience as Registered Nurse (Adult) as well as teaching higher education for over 10 years.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Derby
Chesterfield - St Helena
Health, Social and Community Work
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Nursing (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Nursing (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
19,890 nursing qualifications were awarded in 2015, making it much the most popular degree in the country. Despite that, we have a serious shortage of nurses - estimates suggest that we're over 20,000 nurses short - that is only set to continue. So it's no surprise to see that the very large majority of nursing graduates go on to become nurses, and that starting salaries are pretty competitive. There are lots of different specialties to choose from (including midwifery), and the most common by far is adult nursing, but the typical end result for graduates is the same — they go on to become nurses (or midwives). That’s not to say that you can’t do anything else. Some nursing graduates get other jobs - usually, but not always, in health or caring professions, or management, and with nurses in such demand, there are always going to be options for you. Do be aware that even this doesn't necessarily guarantee you can get the exact nursing job you want exactly where you want though - some flexibility in type of job and location will still help your career.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Nursing (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£29k
£30k
£30k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Lower entry requirementsSame University
Higher entry requirements
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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