Institute of Health

Mental Health Nursing with Foundation Year

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BNurs (Hons)
Start date(s)
10 April 2023,25 September 2023
UCAS Code
B762
Course specifications
Course length
Full-time (4 years)
Campus location
Wolverhampton City Campus,University Telford Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

Mental health nurses work with people experiencing mental health difficulties across the lifespan. At the core of a mental health nurse's role is the ability to establish trusting therapeutic relationships with service users and with their families and carers. As a mental health nurse you would care for people affected by a range of mental health difficulties, for example: anxiety; depression; eating disorders; psychological trauma; psychosis; and dementia. Mental health nurses support individuals and their families in a wide variety of settings, including in their own homes; GP practices; primary care facilities; specialist nursing homes; hospitals (both general and mental health); prisons; community mental health nursing; and forensic mental health units. Whatever your client group, you will use professional expertise, skills and knowledge to promote recovery and positive mental health.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

Our mental health nursing course adopts a person-centred approach to enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide safe and effective care. With this mental health nursing qualification you will, upon successful completion, be able to apply to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practise as a registered mental health nurse in a range of diverse health and social care settings. Studying mental health nursing at the University of Wolverhampton is delivered by subject experts with extensive clinical experience and you will be supported to achieve a high clinical, professional and academic standard, we are also proud of our relationships with our partner organisations which were recently commended by the NMC.

Nursing is a demanding vocation which requires compassion, commitment, creativity and resilience, along with an ability to work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Mental health nursing, especially, requires a warm and empathic approach to help build trusting therapeutic relationships with people who are sometimes reluctant to engage. This course will develop your knowledge, skills and confidence as a practitioner working in partnership with service users and carers in a variety of settings. The course promotes personal resilience and critical thinking, and supports you to advocate on behalf of service users and carers and to provide effective evidence-based interventions and continuous service improvement.

INTAKES: September and April

WHERE: City Campus and Telford Campus

 

What happens on the course?

50% of your course will be situated in the University and 50% in a variety of practice areas.

THEORY

You will study a range of academic core (all fields of nursing) and field (mental health focused) modules based on theory and practice experiences. Your practice experiences will assist you in developing practical skills and professional awareness.

Your modules will also contain a range of key skills which are essential for lifelong learning, including numeracy (essential for medicines management), information technology, communication and working with others, problem solving and how to improve your learning.

The course aims to help you prepare yourself to adapt to new roles and the environments you will be working in. You will continuously learn in order to develop your nursing knowledge and skills as the start of career progression. Theoretical material will reflect the requirements of the National Health Service and Social Care Services and the changing needs of today's population.

PRACTICE

We have a dedicated practice team whose role it is to support the quality and variety of learning experiences you will be exposed to within your course that will enable you to meet the competencies required to be a Registered Mental Health Nurse. Placements will be within local NHS providers and in the Independent sector. Travel expenses to University placements will not be funded, however a learning support fund is available, to check whether you are eligible please visit here: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/student-services

Placements will be undertaken within Black Country Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust, Midlands Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, and in private health organisations.

Generally Mental Health students based at City campus are placed across the Black Country, and Mental Health students based at Telford campus are placed across Shropshire and Staffordshire. However we do not guarantee that your placements will all be within a particular Trust or region, and you will be expected to travel.

For more information on placements and locations, visit: https://wlv.ac.uk/schools-and-institutes/faculty-of-education-health-and-wellbeing/nursing/nursing-placement/

Placements make up a large part of your course and shifts can be early mornings, evenings, overnights, weekends and Bank Holidays so it is essential that you have considered how you will travel to your placements before applying.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Successful completion of the BNurs (Hons) Mental Health Nursing will lead to the right to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and will then open up the prospect of many jobs in clinical practice, hospital or community settings, research, teaching or managerial roles.

Mental health nurses work in a variety of diverse settings caring for children, adolescents, adults of working age and older people who are experiencing mental health problems. Mental health nurses work alongside many other professionals including social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and GPs to plan and deliver person–centred care. Registered nurses continue to study after they have qualified, often in a specialist area, as they develop their career path within the UK or working abroad.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Full-time £9250 per year 2022-23
International Full-time £13450 per year 2022-23

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

Key Entry Requirements

Either

  • A-levels: Grade profile of DD
  • Access to HE Diploma (60 credits) : of which a minimum of 45 must be at Level 3 (48 UCAS point equivalence, minimum 45 credits at pass)
  • BTEC: Grade profile of PPP
  • T-Level: Pass grade with a core component profile less than C.
  • Tariff: Other Level 3 qualifications are accepted for entry. A minimum of 48 UCAS Tariff points will be required.
  • Other: We also consider applicants who have not achieved 48 UCAS points from prior level 3 qualifications. If you have a keen interest in this subject area or hold relevant experience, we also welcome your application. If you would like more advice and guidance about this admissions pathway, please complete this form and we'll contact you to discuss and support you making an application to us.

Plus

  • GCSE: English language and maths grades 9-4/A*-C or equivalent
    • Equivalent qualifications include the following at Level 2:
    • Functional Skills, Key Skills, Learn Direct.
  • Equivalency Test: If you have not achieved your Level 2 qualifications, you are eligible to take our University equivalency tests. The tests for this course are free of charge and can be taken completely online. Our admissions team will confirm in your offer if you are required to take one of these assessments.

AND

  • Prepare for foundation condition: All applicants will be required to attend a one-day prepare for foundation programme. This compulsory programme is designed to introduce you to studying a health professional course, answer your questions, meet staff and fellow students. You will take part in a variety of subject related activities, this programme will aid you in securing an interview with us and will prepare you to kick start your academic experience with us should you secure an offer.

Interview:

Our Admissions team will use the entry criteria and your application information to shortlist successful candidates. If you are successful you will be invited to select an interview date through e:Vision. For further interview information click here

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Occupational Health Check:

Due to the professional nature of this course you are also required to complete a Declaration of Health and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.  We will coordinate both of these non-academic condition checks if you accept an offer with us. The DBS cost is currently £46 in total.

Progression Information:

Applicants who successfully complete the foundation year programme can progress onto Level 4 of this course area, you will not be required to reapply or reinterview.

If you complete this foundation year programme and decide you wish to change your degree subject, you will be required to apply again through UCAS and take part in the course specific interview and selection process for this new course area.

Contextual Offers

The university recognises that many students have additional barriers in progression to university, whether this be through disability, as a care leaver, from an area of deprivation or another factor. The university wishes to provide additional support for these students through the contextual offer scheme. If you are eligible, the University will apply a contextual Admissions decision, in the form of a reduced offer letter by up to two grades or 16 UCAS tariff points. Find out more.

Don't have GCSE English and/or Maths? Take our Equivalency Assessments

We understand that not everyone is able to achieve GCSE Maths and English for a variety of reasons. Our equivalency assessments provide an opportunity for you to further your English and/or Maths skills ready for your studies, as well as being able to meet part of the entry requirements for many of our undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Our online equivalency assessments are free of charge and accepted as the equivalent to a GCSE for the majority of our courses, however applicants of Initial Teacher Training courses will need to sit an on-campus equivalency test which costs £35. Find out more about our equivalency tests.

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

By studying an undergraduate or postgraduate pre-registration programme you are eligible for a Tuition Fee loan. of up to £9,250. The loan will support your studies and enable you to start a rewarding career in healthcare.


Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as Overseas (International) students for fee purposes. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


NHS Grant:

All new and continuing nursing, midwifery and most allied health professionals’ students on pre-registration courses will also receive a grant of at least £5,000 per year that is not means-tested and will not have to be repaid.

An additional payment of up to £3,000 per academic year will be available to eligible students. Eligibility will include the following:

• £1,000 towards childcare costs • £1,000 if studying in a region that is struggling to recruit • £1,000 if studying a shortage specialism

Among others, the shortage specialisms have been confirmed to include:

• Mental health nursing

• Learning disability nursing

Read the full press release on the Government website to find out more or access“The recent grants for health courses explained"


Additional funding:

Is available via NHS Business Services Authority

The Learning Support Fund offers students additional support while studying for their degree. This includes:

• Dependants allowance of £1,000 per student per year

• Additional travel and accommodation costs to clinical placements over their normal daily travel costs

• An exceptional hardship fund of up to £3,000 per student per academic year


You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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