Master of Science - Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting)

This Nursing and Midwifery Council-approved course leads to registration on Part 3 of the register as a specialist community public health nurse (health visiting) and be recorded as a community prescriber, and for academic development at master’s level. Students develop public health practice knowledge and skills in order to work effectively with individuals, families and communities along with public health leadership skills, to enable students to contribute to the contemporary health visiting agenda.

Leadership is a key element, and they focus on quality improvement and how leadership skills and qualities can influence achievement of sustained change within SCPHN practice, and develop as a responsive, resilient and flexible practitioner who can respond to the changing health and social care environment. Students investigate the health needs, protection and surveillance of the child and family in a health visiting context, and prescribe from the community practitioners formulary.

This is a practice-centred course with 50% taught theory and 50% practice. Students require a contract and agreement with a health trust, local authority or employer to provide a clinical placement. Students are allocated a practice assessor by Their sponsoring organisation – they facilitate your learning in practice and are responsible for assessing your competence in practice.

They explore evidence appraisal, to understand the evidence which underpins and supports practice. There practice experience enables students to link your theoretical knowledge base to practice. Students learn alongside students from a range of local partners, as well as students on postgraduate courses which encourages different perspectives and ideas.

Their dissertation is an opportunity for students to consolidate and develop further skills and knowledge from previous modules in a specific area of interest to apply their research-related knowledge to identify a researchable problem, plan and execute a study.

Top reasons to study this course include:

• Our strong links with local social care services, the NHS trusts, private and charitable organisations, and service users ensure the course content is relevant and current

• Become an independent, resilient, dynamic, practitioner, who can promote a critical enquiry of specialist community public health nursing practice

• Students learn with students from a range of backgrounds in an inclusive, diverse and supportive environment, which will enrich their learning experience.

• Experienced, dedicated and enthusiastic teaching team have a strong focus on evidence-base practice

• Varied and unique career prospects across all areas of health and social care