PGDip Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor)

This module is designed to enable you to develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of the research process which builds on existing skill and knowledge. Becoming a confident researcher is fundamental to your specialist practice role as this knowledge will inform professional decision making and increase the scope of professional practice. Integral to this is an ability to synthesise existing literature specific to your area of expertise, develop a research question and using a critical lens position your methodological approach to procure a research proposal specific to practice. This distinct skill will evidence knowledge of literature searching, literature critique and incorporate paradigm belief. Using theories of being, knowing, methodology / methods, and ethics requires a deep engagement with the philosophy of research inquiry and an understanding of epistemology and ontology and how they intersect in the research act. Deepening knowledge of a range of research approaches will add to the specialist practitioners’ repertoire to advance practice and improve health care delivery.

Effective leadership is a central tenant for the delivery of high quality individual care to the population within the community. This requires leaders who have the knowledge and skills to identify population health needs and work collaboratively to develop services to meet those needs. This module will support the student to lead, manage and recognise the inequalities and the wider determinants of health to drive the community public health agenda within specialist practice. This module will facilitate student to critically examine leadership, collaborative working, managing change and its application to practice within their specialist community public health field of practice. Students will recognise the importance of using data and statistics and evidence based practice to provide person centred care and influence the development of high quality service provision.

This module will introduce you to the broader issues of public health. This will encompass why some population groups within established communities are healthier and some are not. This orientation driven by a multitude of factors is defined by a series of determinants which give rise to health inequalities and inequity within society. Increasing your awareness of associated and accumulative disadvantage you will hone your skill to identify diverse and vulnerable populations at risk nested in communities to optimise health outcomes.

The module is designed to enhance your knowledge in relation to the protection of children and young people, whilst critically exploring the notion of risk management and its relationship to safeguarding. Studying the module will enable you to work closer with families and professionals around child protection and understand the complexities involved with child protection/safeguarding

Having identified an at-risk population in semester 1, this module draws attention to social determinants which can compound and sustain social and economic disadvantage. This will draw attention to deprivation and poverty and its effect on health outcomes. Dominant themes such as social capital and community empowerment will be given particular attention as strategies of engagement to break down social divisions. Consideration will be given to cultural issues and gender to encompass socially excluded groups. Acknowledging the complexity of population health requires a re-orientation towards inter-sectoral working and partnerships as core components of collaborative endeavours. This shift away from traditional models of care requires a different way of thinking to advance your understanding of approaches to improve population health

This module aims to help you to explore the role of the health professional when interacting with children and families whilst analysing current evidence based practice in relation to the 0-19 years agenda. Child development theories will be examined within a cultural and social perspective and the factors which impinge on child development. The role and responsibilities of the health professional in relation to child law and local policy will be explored. There will opportunities to analyse and critique concepts, models of key authors, rival theories, and major debates. This module aims to provide you with opportunities to learn more about the promotion and protection of positive health in children and their families.