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Nursing Associate FdSc

UCAS code: B745

Study care for diverse patients and hone your skills with a broad range of practical experiences. Complete our foundation nursing associate course and you’ll gain eligibility to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Overview

Course length: 2 years full-time
Start dates: September 2024
September 2025
Location: Edge Hill University
Example offers: EE (A Level) or PPP (BTEC) View full entry criteria
Subject(s): Nursing
Faculty: Health, Social Care and Medicine
Department: Nursing and Midwifery
A student nursing associate examines a drip while using the clinical skills facilities.

The role of nursing associate is a new position in the nursing team, approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Developed by Health Education England and a number of universities from across the country, including Edge Hill, it improves access to professional nursing healthcare across the UK.

People are living longer, often with complex medical needs. The support of nursing associates gives registered nurses confidence that another group of professionals can step in to care for those with less complicated conditions, as they develop their knowledge and skills.

As a nursing associate you’ll deliver compassionate and safe care in all four fields of nursing – adult, child, learning disabilities and mental health. You’ll work alongside healthcare workers and registered nurses.

During this foundation nursing associate programme you’ll learn how to assess, plan, practice and evaluate the care needs of patients in a variety of healthcare settings. You’ll work with patients’ families and carers to encourage, educate and improve their health.

You’ll study how to carry out duties such as clinical observation, and supporting individuals and their families and carers. This will build your transferable skills in communication, teamwork, digital literacy, and role modelling.

Learn to effectively discuss and share patient information. Explore how to monitor behaviour, activity and responses, while ensuring privacy, dignity and safety. Cover safeguarding issues for vulnerable children and adults.

Nursing & Midwifery Council Logo

Course features

  • Professional accreditation

  • Professional practice placements

What you'll study

This two-year foundation degree is delivered within a supportive learning environment. It offers perspectives on health, ill health, health promotion and protection, life sciences and nursing practice in a range of settings. It comprises approximately 50% theory and 50% practice.

You will have the opportunity to achieve national proficiencies relating to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates. This will enable you to become an accountable professional, promote health and prevent ill health, provide and monitor care, work as part of a team, improve safety and the quality of care, and contribute to integrated care.

This course adheres closely to the six core values of the NHS. These values, enshrined within the NHS Constitution, have been developed by patients, the public and staff to inspire passion in the NHS, guide it in the 21st century, and provide common ground for cooperation in achieving shared aspirations.

During Year 1 of the Nursing Associate FdSC, we’ll introduce the foundations for nursing associate practice. Develop your knowledge of the principles that underpin professional practice and patient care. You’ll study the approaches that will help you hone your critical thinking and assessment skills. Understand the value of becoming an evidence-based nursing associate who provides holistic care to patients of all ages.

Compulsory modules:

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The Foundations of Nursing Associate Practice

Prepare yourself for life after graduation and study the role of a nursing associate. Gain the experience and skills needed to become a partner in care with your patients and members of the multidisciplinary team. You’ll graduate with a deeper knowledge of biology, psychology and sociology. Brush up on your communication skills and understand what it means to give person-centred care in a range of settings.

Compulsory modules:

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Preparing for the Role of the Nursing Associate

How you'll study

You will be taught through a combination of seminars, lectures, tutorials and technology enhanced learning. The theory part of the programme typically involves attendance at university on two days per week. While the majority of classes will take place at Edge Hill University, some sessions may involve studying at other sites where you will be responsible for travel and parking costs.

You will spend a substantial amount of time in practice. Placements are undertaken on a full-time basis in hospitals, community settings and people’s homes. You will be supported by a practice placement supervisor, a practice education lecturer and a practice assessor.

Placements include weekend, early morning, evening and night work to ensure access to a full range of practice experiences across 24-hour care. You will be responsible for travel and parking costs while on placement. There is also an opportunity to undertake a diversity practice learning experience either within the United Kingdom or internationally.

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

How you'll be assessed

Assessment in both theory and practice is continuous, assessed against Nursing and Midwifery Council competencies, where students are required to demonstrate evidence of their achievement. A range of assessments includes assignments, time-limited assessments, clinical reasoning and simulated practice exams. You will also be assessed in practice.

Who will be teaching you

All lectures are delivered by professionals within the field of nursing as well as specialists in other areas. The programme team represent a range of qualified, research-active professionals with extensive experience of working within the health and/or social care sector. Most importantly service users, carers and their families will be involved in facilitating your learning so that you gain an understanding of the impact care has on individual groups.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Typical offer 32 UCAS Tariff points. No specific subjects are required.

You must also have GCSE English Language and GCSE Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent).

An interview forms part of the selection process.

If you accept an offer from Edge Hill you will need to satisfy the requirements of the Nursing & Midwifery Council in respect of physical and mental fitness and will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure indicating that you meet the mandatory criteria of ‘Clearance to Work with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults’. Further information will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.

Example offers

Qualification Requirement
A Level EE.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) Pass, Pass, Pass (PPP).
T Level Overall grade of Pass (E or above on the core).
International Baccalaureate (IB) We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points.
Access to Higher Education Diploma 45 credits at Level 3.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

How to apply

Apply full-time

Apply online through UCAS

Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.

International

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, are eligible to apply for this course.

Please note this course is not available to other international students. Please see our A-Z of courses for alternative options.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Did you know?

If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.

Discover our accommodation

Facilities

Exterior of the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine building. The reflection of the building is on the surface of the lake with the lake reeds framing the building.

The Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine offers outstanding facilities for the education and training of health and social care professionals.

The contemporary teaching and learning resources include leading edge clinical skills facilities, an 860-seat lecture theatre, and a variety of teaching rooms and social learning spaces.

Where you'll study

Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre

Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine

Learning resources

The Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre offers a variety of simulated environments from home, through primary and emergency care, to secondary care and beyond. The flexible and adaptable facilities include a ward environment, operating theatre, an anatomy and ultrasound resource centre, a ‘Better at Home’ suite, clinical skills area and consultation rooms.

You will benefit from access to a wide variety of healthcare equipment, as well as a range of full-body patient simulators that can breathe, talk, have pulses and can simulate a wide range of symptoms and clinical conditions. This will enable you to undertake practical scenarios in realistic settings, providing ideal preparation for professional practice placements and future employment.

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£6,165

a year

The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Please note that this information relates to the self-funded or Student Finance route for this course. Nursing Associate Apprenticeships are not eligible for Student Finance funding.

Please note that currently the NHS Learner Support Fund is not available for this course.

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional maintenance loan funding to help with living costs. Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students, together with details of how to apply for potential funding.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please see our EU student finance page for further details.

Your future career

After graduating from our nursing associate degree, you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a qualified nursing associate, ready to join this growing profession.

This foundation course prepares you for becoming a nursing associate, able to work in many different settings within healthcare such as:

  • GP surgeries
  • NHS trusts
  • nursing homes
  • health centres
  • prisons

Previous students have gone on to find rewarding employment in organisations such as:

  • Liverpool University Hospital Trusts
  • Mersey Care Foundation Trust
  • St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Trust
  • The Walton Centre
  • Southport and Ormskirk Trust

Graduates may also want to continue their studies, applying for one of our BSc (Hons) Nursing courses to top up their qualification and train in a specialist field of nursing.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

Discover Uni: Full-Time Study

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