BSc (Hons) Nursing- Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (Mental Health)

• Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3, but health and social care related subjects are preferred.
• Applicants should also have at least five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English Language, Mathematics and, preferably, a science subject. Please contact us for a list of acceptable GCSE equivalents.
• Qualifications gained outside England and Wales will be assessed on an individual basis according to guidance by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
• The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) route may be used for entry. If your apprentice has already successfully completed an FdSc Nursing Associate programme approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council or an FdA Health and Social Care (Assistant Practitioner) qualification, then they may be eligible to apply for exemptions towards the BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health). If they apply to join the degree at Level 2 (HE5), they may make a claim for recognition of prior learning (RPL) up to a maximum of 50% of the programme. Please note that they will be required to produce a portfolio of evidence towards this RPL claim. Please contact us for further details.
• Each candidate will be considered and selected on an individual basis by both the employer and academic staff.
• After successful short-listing, applicants will be invited to take part in our values-based recruitment process. The interview process will involve face-to-face interviews with academic staff, practice staff and service users. Applicants will also assessed on their values, behaviours, communication and problem solving skills, and undertake a numeracy and literacy assessment. We’re seeking apprentices who can demonstrate commitment to a nursing career, who have excellent communication skills and who are caring, compassionate and courageous.
• Applicants who are successful at the interview stage, will be asked to undergo occupational health screening and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check by their employing organisation.
• Applicants must demonstrate that they are of good health and good character and satisfactorily pass occupational health screening.
• Apprentices will need to demonstrate that they are of good health and good character prior to enrolment and on an on-going basis throughout their studies and career.
• This course involves regulated activity so applicants must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting their studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
• Admission to this programme is only available to candidates who meet the following criteria. 1) They are employed full-time in a role relevant to the apprenticeship. 2) They have the right to live and work in the UK. 3) Their employer is participating in the Degree Apprenticeship scheme. 4) Their employer is willing to sponsor them to attend the University full-time (times and dates to be determined). Please note that an apprentice cannot be self-employed.
• An applicant must have GCSEs in English and Mathematics at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9, or hold an equivalent such as Functional Skills Level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy, and they will be asked to complete initial assessments for English and mathematics. The results of these assessments will determine whether they are accepted on to the apprenticeship with their current qualifications, or a recommendation of delayed entry is made so they can undertake studies enabling them to achieve the required level of English and mathematics prior to commencing the apprenticeship.
• If English isn’t the applicant's first language, they will also need IELTS 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
• To be eligible for tuition fee funding through the Apprenticeship Levy, candidates should not normally have already completed a qualification at the same level as the proposed apprenticeship, unless that qualification was gained in a completely unrelated discipline.
• 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.

The BSc (Hons) Nurse (Mental Health) Degree Apprenticeship is designed to meet the Degree Apprenticeship Standard for Registered Nurse (ST0781). Developed by employers, the standard underpins a highly relevant qualification and professional development pathway that educates nurses to provide nursing care for people who could have complex and concurrent mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural care needs.

On successful completion of the nursing degree apprenticeship, graduates will possess the knowledge and skills needed to perform as independent, highly competent, compassionate nurses. Employers can expect them to possess a wide range of transferable skills, such as the ability to work independently, adapt to changing circumstances, work in teams and groups, and listen and respond to customers and their needs. They will be adept at forward planning and time management, rational decision making, critical thinking, physical assessment and possess excellent communication skills.

Our BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) Degree Apprenticeship programme also offers a well-recognised pathway of career advancement for qualified nursing associates and assistant practitioners. It may be possible for employees who already hold an appropriate foundation degree to top-up their qualification and become a mental health nurse in two years or less (the maximum possible exemption is 50% of the programme). This proven route recognises their prior learning and experience and allows them to take on full nursing responsibilities more quickly.

What can I do with this qualification?

Graduate apprentices from this programme should prove valuable to employers across the spectrum of healthcare environments. Within the mental health field, they will be ready to take on roles across a range of acute, community and specialist services. Graduate apprentices from this programme should prove valuable to employers across the spectrum of healthcare environments. Within the mental health field, they will be ready to take on roles across a range of acute, community and specialist services.

On successful completion of the end point assessment after completion of the course, apprentices will be well prepared for a career in nursing and to work their way up to positions of greater responsibility in the sector.

Apprentices will need to be employed by your organisation for a minimum of 30 hours per week. Your organisation will also need to commit to sponsoring apprentices to complete this qualification.

For further information on how your organisation can access funds to support apprentices, please e-mail connected@bolton.ac.uk.

Whether you’re an employer, employee or school leaver, please visit our Apprenticeship web page for support and advice regarding apprenticeships.

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

Useful information

Apprentices will not be expected to pay tuition fees towards this programme. If your organisation has a wage bill of more than £3 million per annum, then it may be able to fund this Degree Apprenticeship through its Apprenticeship Levy contributions. If your organisation does not pay the levy, it may be eligible for government support to fund apprenticeships. This support, called co-investment, covers 95% of the apprenticeship’s tuition fees with your organisation funding the remaining 5% of the fees.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021-2022 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 eligibility 2021-2022 policy 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.

Additional costs

There may be some additional or optional costs associated with this course. These will be published after approval of the programme.

Modern healthcare professionals require a range of skills and values and our tutors will work with your organisation to ensure your apprentices gain experience of a range of scenarios designed to develop their skills in a safe and supportive environment. Learning focuses on your workplace environment and builds the transferable body of knowledge and skills demanded to achieve professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a mental health nurse, and apply this expertise within your organisation. Your apprentices will be supernumerary throughout the programme to enable them to achieve the NMC requirements to enter the register and fulfil the required level of off-the-job training specified for apprenticeships by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

The course explores the concepts of mental health within the population, and the key sciences in nursing, including the biosciences, psychology and sociology. Topics such as assessment, care planning, law, ethics and the importance of communication with service users and healthcare colleagues are covered. Apprentices will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of research and how its application in healthcare can transform the lives of patients and their carers, along with how to access and assess the latest research, and how to incorporate their findings into care plans and intervention strategies.

We’ll work to help your apprentices gain key transferable skills including the ability to work independently, adapt to changing circumstances, work in teams and groups, and listen and respond to customers and their needs. We’ll also encourage them to develop forward planning and time management, rational decision making, critical thinking, physical assessment and communication skills during their studies. We aim for your apprentices to develop into practitioners who are compassionate, kind and empathetic, who respect and support the patient’s privacy, dignity and individuality, and who make safe and effective clinical decisions.

To complement lectures that introduce the course content, seminars and group-based activities allow apprentices to explore subjects in greater detail. Tutorials give them the opportunity to clarify their understanding of the topics we cover in lectures and seminars. We use case studies and practical scenarios to help apprentices apply their newly acquired academic knowledge to their nursing practice, and gain valuable insights into contemporary healthcare. Apprentices will also be expected to undertake considerable guided independent study; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for seminar and tutorial activities and working on assignments.

To help support your apprentices’ learning, the University offers additional study skills sessions, such as essay writing, library skills and electronic searching, and numeracy. Inter-professional practitioners from the field of health and social care will also contribute as guest speakers offering your apprentices the chance to further develop their knowledge and understanding.

A range of assessment methods will be used, including essays, reports, presentations, portfolios, set exercises via multiple-choice questions, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), traditional examinations, and assessment of practice within the practice setting. Some assessments contribute to their final module marks, while others are designed to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses, and where they need to seek extra support from course tutors.

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.