BSc (Hons) Nursing (Learning Disabilities) course preparation

To help you feel prepared for your university studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Open the links below to find out more.

Important: Occupational Health

You’ll be allocated an Occupational Health appointment at the clinic being held at our Ormskirk campus. The clinics will be held within the first weeks of you starting the course (dates are yet to be finalised).

Please remember that it is 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.

Professional standards and the NMC

The regulatory body for the BSc (Hons) Nursing programme is the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The NMC have produced standards of proficiency that have to be met in order for you to be able to register, practice and remain registered as a nurse. The NMC are the professional regulatory council for Nurses and Midwives in the UK and Nurse associates in England. They do not register any other professions under their regulations.

Below you will find more information about the NMC and some tasks further down the page that will help you to become familiar with the standards of proficiency before you start your programme.

What do the NMC do?

They maintain the register of Nurses and Midwives who meet the requirements for registration in the UK
Set the requirements of professional education that supports people to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for entry to, or annotation on, our register
Investigate serious concerns about nurses, midwives and nursing associates fitness to practice and take action if needed

Shape the practice of professionals in developing and promoting standards including the code, and lifelong learning through revalidation.

Your tasks

We’ll be looking at professional standards and professionalism in much more detail during the first two weeks of your programme. Make a note of any questions you have, we would love to hear them.

Suggested materials

Before you begin you will need:

A fob watch with second hand
Mini Dictionary for Nurses
Access to the British National Formulary (BNF)

Useful websites

Things to do over summer

The regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), will give you detailed information about the professional code and associated standards.

The NMC (2018) acknowledge that our society is changing and so care is changing with it. Nurses provide vital care throughout our lives. As a future qualified nurse, you will spend time developing knowledge, skills and behaviours that every nurse must have.

Your programme offers an equal balance of theoretical and practice learning to facilitate achievement of the standards of proficiency so that you maximise the health and well-being of those in your care.

Shortly after you start with us in September, you will have a week-long induction. Your induction will include a number of themed events that are designed to familiarise you with the content of the programme. In addition, you will have the opportunity to meet with key staff and also interact with your fellow peers.

Affiliation to a union body is also recommended, for example:

Royal College of Nursing
UNISON