FdSc Nursing Associate course preparation
To help you feel prepared for your FdSc Nursing Associate studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Read on to find out more:
Pre-course events
If you were unable to attend the events in July and September, you can view the welcome presentation and the the finance presentation online. You can also take a look at the slides from the induction timetable review event that took place on 5 September.
You’re also invited to the following online event before your course begins:
Your final Q&A
Friday 22 September. AM and PM event options.
Two time slots are available for this session. You only need to join one session if you have any questions.
Important: Occupational Health
You’ll be allocated an Occupational Health (OH) appointment at the clinic being held at our Ormskirk campus. The clinics will be held within the first weeks of when you start the course (dates are yet to be finalised).
Please remember that it’s a condition of entry to the programme that you’re cleared and immunised by OH. If you don’t meet this requirement your place on the programme could be jeopardised. It’s also important to remember that if you’re not fully cleared by OH, you won’t be able to fully enrol on your course. This could then mean you can’t access your maintenance loan via Student Finance England.
So, to make sure this goes as smoothly as possible, you’ll need to provide details of your immunisation record to the OH Team when you complete the questionnaire.
If you’re unable to attend your allocated time slot, you must contact us, preferably giving at least 24 hours notice. If you’re unable to give 24 hours notice or have an issue on the day of your appointment, please email [email protected] or call the team on 01695 650946. The OH and School team will try to provide another appointment, but this is likely to be at the OH department based in Wigan and you will need to make sure that you attend.
Most of our placement settings will also require you to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as a condition of placement. If you’re not vaccinated or are part way through vaccination, please let us know as soon as possible. It’s likely that this will be included on your immunisation record which will be sufficient to confirm your clearance.
We routinely collect data on short notice cancellations and non-attendance. Unfortunately, if this happens more than once, the University will charge you the full cost of the appointment.
Suggested reading
You’ll be given lots of information about which textbooks to read and introduced to the University Library, as well as the many ebooks we have for you to access, when you begin your studies in September.
In the meantime, there are a couple of books you might like to read before starting your degree if you can. We don’t recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive. But if you can pick some up second hand, borrow from a library or access online, we suggest the following:
Suggested materials for your course
- A fob watch with second hand
- Mini Dictionary for Nurses
- Access to the British National Formulary (BNF)
Useful websites
- Department of Health and Social Care
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- World Health Organization
- Royal College of Nursing
Things to do now
Visit the The Nursing and Midwifery Council website for information about professional codes and standards.
This is a two-year foundation degree that will offer you perspectives on health, ill health, health promotion and protection, life sciences and nursing practice in a range of settings. The programme will prepare you to be a Registered Nursing Associate who will be able to deliver compassionate and effective evidence-based care to a wide range of clients in both hospital and community settings across the lifespan.
And you will be given the opportunity to achieve national proficiencies that relate to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates.
Affiliation to a union body is also recommended, for example: