Child Nursing (Hons) University of Dundee

Overview

In the BSc  Child Nursing (Hons)  from University of Dundee  you will learn how to communicate effectively with children, many of whom will have varied and complex care needs. For the BSc (Hons) version of this course you will complete an honours project on a topic of your choosing.

Supported by our specialist team, you will develop and evaluate plans of care for conditions affecting children's physical and mental health and well-being, reflecting the complexity of care received.

You will spend 50% of your time learning on our City Campus and the other 50% on placements in hospitals and community settings. Placements can include acute environments such as children's wards and neonatal intensive care units. Children can also be cared for by nurses in their own homes and specialist community centres, and you will be able to undertake placements in these areas too.

Placements are located across NHS Tayside, Fife, Forth Valley, and Highland, giving you the opportunity to experience a wide range of different geographical and organisational placements. These placements will help you develop the hands-on skills needed to work in healthcare.

We hold workshops and interactive sessions at the Clinical Skills Centre, in Ninewells Hospital. You will build your confidence by participating in patient scenarios using actors which take place in our simulated hospital ward.

Completing this course gives you both an academic and professional qualification that leads to you becoming a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Teaching

Because hospitals run 24/7, so do nurses and this is reflected in our teaching.

We expect you to work shifts in your hospital and community placements and you will work 37.5 hours a week. You might have to travel a significant distance to get to some placements. If you are entitled to the SAAS student nurse bursary, you will be able to claim back travel expenses subject to conditions. If you are not entitled to the bursary, you are expected to pay for your own travel.

The academic year for nurses is longer than other courses. It is 45 weeks long, meaning you get seven weeks of annual leave which is fixed for the duration of your course.

A typical week is made up of time spent in lectures, clinical skills laboratory, small tutorials and private study.

You will work together with students from all three fields of nursing and learn through a variety of methods including case-based learning, evidence-based learning, inter-professional education and clinical skills simulation.

Careers

Qualified nurses can work in a diverse range of environments and develop their careers in clinical practice, education, research, management and education. Nurses can work in hospital settings or in the community either with the NHS or in the independent sector.