COURSE CURRICULUM

The BSc (Hons) Children's and Young People's Nursing Practice degree combines academic learning with extensive clinical experience to prepare you for professional registration as a children's nurse. In the first year, you’ll study the bio-psychosocial principles of health and wellbeing, gaining an understanding of anatomy, physiology, psychology, and the factors that influence children's health and development. Through Foundations of Nursing Practice, you’ll learn essential nursing skills, including health assessment, communication, health promotion, and evidence-based care, while developing professional values and reflective practice. Enquiry for Nursing Practice introduces research skills, academic writing, and evidence-based learning, helping you understand how research informs nursing care. Practice Placement 1 allows you to apply your learning in real healthcare settings and begin developing confidence in caring for children and young people. As the course progresses, you’ll study altered physiology and common disease processes, exploring how illness affects children and how nursing interventions support recovery and wellbeing. Practice Placement 2 builds your clinical competence, enabling you to assess, plan, and deliver safe, compassionate care with increasing independence while developing skills in observation, clinical interventions, and care planning. Modules in evidence-based practice strengthen your ability to evaluate research and apply the best available evidence to nursing decisions. Leadership and Interprofessional Learning develops your understanding of teamwork, leadership, service improvement, and the importance of collaboration across healthcare professions. In the final year, Practice Placement 3 focuses on caring for children and young people with complex health needs, integrating biological, psychological, and social aspects of care while exploring pharmacology and long-term condition management. The dissertation provides an opportunity to undertake an independent research project on an area of children's nursing practice, developing advanced research and critical thinking skills. Graduates leave with the knowledge, practical experience, and professional competence needed for careers in paediatric hospitals, community services, specialist children's units, schools, and a wide range of healthcare settings in the UK and internationally.