BSc (Hons) Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) with Integrated Nurse Prescribing

Are you seeking to train as a health visitor and build the knowledge and skills to achieve your career ambitions? Our BSc (Hons) SCPHN (Health Visiting) programme is NMC approved and delivered by our expert academic team working in partnership with a number of local practice organisations.

Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) with  Integrated Nurse Prescribing

Key information

Award:

BSc (Hons)

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

52 weeks

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

25/09/2023

Course Details

The BSc (Hons) Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) (Health Visiting) course from the University of Bolton is designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the health visiting profession, with the aim of equipping you with both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to succeed in your career. Our programme was the first in the country to be accredited by the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, which recognises programmes that support mothers in effective breastfeeding. We also provide training in the Solihull Parenting Approach, which supports practitioners in promoting emotional health and well-being in children and families.

Studying a course curriculum developed in line with the professional standards of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), you’ll cover subjects like leading health promotion practice, collaborative working for health improvement, safeguarding children, young people and families, early intervention, critical evaluation for evidence-based practice and V100. You’ll also have the opportunity to get hands-on and build your practical skills in partnership with our practice learning partners.

On successful completion of this course, you’ll be awarded the BSc (Hons) in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) and have your name registered on part 3 of the NMC's professional register.

Highlights
  • We’ve successfully delivered healthcare programmes for decades – our health visiting course has a longstanding, excellent reputation.
  • Our dedicated academic team has a wealth of experience working in NHS settings and are engaging in relevant research, bringing their expertise and passion for service excellence to their teaching.
  • Our students have the opportunity to benefit from supportive learning opportunities in partnership with our practice learning partners.
Key Features
  • This course is designed to take account of the changing healthcare climate with a curriculum that combines flexible learning with the knowledge and insight to respond to industry developments.
  • Our teaching team has many years of experience working in healthcare and NHS settings, particularly in the fields of child care law, public health and safeguarding.
  • The course curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure that contemporary theories are adopted.
  • We offer a supportive learning environment that includes small group lessons, one-to-one sessions and access to IT facilities and WiFi across campus.
Professional recognition

The University of Bolton’s BSc (Hons) Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) programme is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

After successful completion of the course, you’ll have your name registered on part 3 of the NMC's professional register.


  • Partner organisations sponsor places on this course. Our partner NHS Trusts usually advertise available health visitor training opportunities in-house. They may also advertise them on the NHS Jobs website at https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/. Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.
  • You must have an active entry on Part 1 or Part 2 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Professional Register (or have applied for the same).
  • You’ll be required to produce satisfactory professional and academic references and pass occupational health screening.
  • You’ll also be required to successfully complete an online numeracy test unless you already have a current Nursing and Midwifery Council recorded prescribing qualification.
  • The Nursing and Midwifery Council also requires self-declaration of good health and good character for the programme.
  • This course involves regulated activity so you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online (Normally your sponsoring organisation will organise this.) Please note that your DBS must have been completed within three years of the course start date.Update Service
  • You’ll be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
  • Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.


This BSc (Hons) Specialist Community Public Health Nursing course is designed to prepare practitioners for the role of health visitor. If you’re a nurse or midwife and wish to further develop your career through working with children, young people, families and communities to improve health it should be of interest to you.

Health visiting consists of developing, leading and managing activities that aim to promote health and social well-being, prevent health breakdown and improve ill-health through working with individuals, families and communities. Health visitors seek to help individuals and families take control of their lives and protect vulnerable members of society by promoting social inclusion and reducing inequalities.

The course aims to help you gain a wide range of skills and supporting knowledge, including leadership, communication, enquiry, advocacy, critical reflection and analysis skills. We’ll support you as you learn how to think, read and write critically around contemporary issues, in order to become a flexible, autonomous and highly-skilled practitioner.

What can I do with this qualification?

This course is designed to support the development of future health visitors. As a successful graduate, you’ll have your name registered on part 3 of the NMC's professional register.

Health visitors are employed mainly by the NHS. Health visitors undertake home visits and see children, young people and families in clinic settings. The role may also involve organising and attending clinics and sessions in community and children's centres.

Universities and other academic institutions employ experienced health visitors to work as lecturers or tutors. Some health visitors decide to go into clinical academic research, which is a fast-growing career pathway for healthcare workers. Types of clinical research programmes include master's in clinical research, clinical doctoral research fellowships and clinical lectureships.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

  • Children and families social work
  • Teaching and education
  • Research
  • Journalism
  • School nursing
  • Voluntary sector
  • Health promotion
  • Health service management
  • Community development
  • Counselling
  • Mental health
  • Probation

Course fees

Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £8,315 for the academic year 2023/24.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2022-2023 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2022-2023 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2022-2023 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.


For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

This programme is only open to applicants from the institutions or organisations that are listed in the entry requirements. Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.

This programme is only open to applicants from the institutions or organisations that are listed in the entry requirements. Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.

This programme is only open to applicants from the institutions or organisations that are listed in the entry requirements. Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.


In keeping with the NMC’s Standards for Proficiency, this course is split equally in terms of theoretical and practical learning. You’ll be expected to attend timetabled lectures, where concepts and principles will be explored through presentations, discussions and group work. We’ll help you build on this core content in workshops and studio sessions, and you’ll also be expected to complete self-directed learning, such as background reading and preparation for lessons. Our virtual learning environment is another learning tool you can use to your full advantage – resources are available 24/7.

You’ll also attend seminars, where you’ll have the opportunity to engage in group discussions and debates – occasionally, you may be asked to lead the discussion or prepare a presentation. Group and one-to-one tutorials may also be arranged. These sessions can be used to discuss your development and any issues you may have.

Several assessment strategies are used to measure your progress and ensure you’re meeting the expected learning outcomes. These techniques include essays, practice-based assessments, portfolio entries, observed structured clinical examinations (OCSEs), time-constrained examinations, and a viva voce. At the beginning of the course, you’ll be given access to a module handbook where you can find out more about the assessments specific to each module.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Professional Practice (Public Health Nursing)
  • Critical Evaluation for Evidence Based Practice
  • Exploring Public Health
  • Community Nurse Prescribing (V100)
  • Early Intervention for Working with Children, Young People and Families
  • Safeguarding Children, Young People and Families
Assessment methods
LevelAssesment method
Level oneCoursework 50%, Practical exams 25%, Written exams 25%
Learning activities
LevelLearning activity
Level oneGuided independent study 25%, Placement/study abroad 50%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 25%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

Meet the team

The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.

Programme Contacts

Nursing and Midwifery Team
Email Enquiries

nursing@bolton.ac.uk

Sheryl Sheen
Programme Lead

s.sheen@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903846

Enquiry Team
University of Bolton

enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903903

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