I worked across a wide range of clinical settings. The support I got was wonderful, and it really offered massive insight into patient care and into the type of team work and team ethos that is required to establish a good service for people who need it.
The Mental Health Nursing programme will encourage you to utilise your strengths and skills in order to facilitate recovery and personal development. At the University of Surrey, you will develop an extensive range of skills to enable you to do this, including interpersonal communication, effective assessment and intervention, and collaborative working with both service users and their families.
As a student nurse at Surrey, you will have all the benefits of studying in one of the UK’s leading universities, as well as those which result from joining one of our local NHS Trusts for your practice experience. Our vision for our students is that they will become highly competent, confident, caring and compassionate nurses, with the ability to deliver and lead care across a range of healthcare settings. You will develop the knowledge and skills to respond to the diverse needs of patients, families and carers within a variety of settings.
The Nursing programmes are 50 per cent theory and 50 per cent practice. Our programmes will provide you with a solid grounding in all the key areas necessary for successful completion of your chosen field of nursing. You will be introduced to the key sciences in nursing (biosciences, sociology and psychology), as well as topics such as assessment, care planning, communication, law and ethics. A key aspect of the programme is the opportunity to participate in simulated practice learning. You will work with practice partners within the simulation suite to enable the development of skills in a safe environment related to assessment, engagement and communication, as well as the chance to rehearse a range of clinical scenarios.
There is an emphasis on understanding the experience of the users of mental health services and those who work with them, including families, friends and carers, as well as an academic exploration of the philosophical, sociological and psychological aspects of mental healthcare within current clinical contexts. You will be expected to consider your practice during clinical placements, whilst in the University and through the use of online learning tools which support the clinical experience and aid reflective practice.
Additional study skills are available to help support your learning, such as library skills and electronic searching, essay writing and numeracy.
Successful completion of the programme will make you eligible to apply for professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
You will be allocated to a specific locality in Surrey, West Sussex or North Hampshire where you will undertake your practice experience. You will be prepared for this at the beginning of the programme by time spent in the safe environment of our simulation suite, only going out to nurse patients and clients when you have satisfactorily completed instruction in essential clinical skills.
You will gain experience in a range of clinical environments whilst on placement. These include child and adolescent mental health services, older people’s services, community mental health teams, crisis and home treatment teams, assertive outreach services and acute ward settings. Each of these areas will enable further development of interpersonal advanced communication and collaborative working across service structures.
In addition, there is the option of accessing specialist clinical placements in areas such as prison services, in-reach mental health services, community drug and alcohol teams, learning disability services and eating disorder teams. You will work alongside practice colleagues, both in the NHS and in non-statutory organisations, observing experienced and highly skilled practitioners in the delivery of exemplary care.
As you progress through the programme and your skills and confidence develop, you will be encouraged to perform increasingly complex activities in practice, until you are considered by your mentors and teachers to be competent for registration at the end of your third year.
Additional opportunities exist for a four-week period of elective practice, either in the UK or abroad, or a twelve-week placement as part of the Erasmus exchange programme.
We use a variety of methods to assess you during the programme. As well as written work, there are student presentations, examinations, case-study work and assessed simulated learning experiences. Within the practice learning environments, your knowledge, skills and professional behaviour will be assessed and graded by your mentors. Under the guidance of your personal tutor, you will also complete a portfolio recording your achievements and reflecting upon your fitness to practise.
Nursing is the largest healthcare profession in the country and nurses play a role in the delivery of most healthcare services. Although many qualified nurses work in hospitals, they can also work in general practice surgeries, community settings, home healthcare, outpatient day surgeries, nursing homes, schools, mental health agencies, hospices, the military and industry.
Many of our graduates are initially employed by the NHS Trust in which they had their practice experience, before going on to further studies and employment opportunities. Some nurses develop careers in education or research, promoting advances in many areas of healthcare and health promotion practice. For more information about careers, visit: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
Our Nursing graduates have excellent prospects of employment after programme completion.
An accelerated degree programme may be possible for graduates of relevant disciplines (for example, biosciences or psychology), subject to Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL). This programme requires evidence of approximately four months' caring practice experience (preferably as a health care assistant) prior to course entry.For more information, please contact the undergraduate enquiries team.
The programmes run over 43 weeks each year, with nine weeks’ holiday during Christmas, Easter and the summer. The length of the programme year and the holiday entitlement are requirements of the professional regulation for nurse education.
If you are a registered practitioner looking for an undergraduate programme to further your learning, please visit our Continuing Professional Development page.
Come to one of our Open Days, when you can tour the campus, speak to students and academic staff, see our student accommodation and ask as many questions as you like. In the meantime, order a personal prospectus – tailored to only include the subjects that interest you.
GCSE English Language, Mathematics and Science at grade C or above (or equivalent). A relevant science A-level is desirable.
Shortlisting
Admissions staff will review the information provided within the personal statement and reference to assess applications for evidence of academic ability, insight and motivation. Relevant experience in a care setting and/or evidence of other involvement in the community (for example school, voluntary or charity responsibilities) is normally required. Personal statements should be comprehensive, with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview and selection day.
Interview and selection day
Interviews are conducted jointly by University academics assisted by staff from clinical practice areas. As part of the selection process, candidates are required to complete literacy and numeracy exercises; satisfactory levels of achievement in these exercises is a requirement for entry to the programmes.
Admission to this programme is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) Section 4 (2) (Exemptions) Order 1975 and DHSS Circular HC (88)9 guidelines regarding police checks and child protection. Offers are conditional upon satisfactory health and fitness for practice screening, references and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance, or equivalent.Candidates must also meet national requirements to work with vulnerable adults and children.
Admission is also subject to NHS eligibility for the programme. Further information on eligibility is available at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students. Proof of eligibility is normally required prior to interview.
Candidates should have the ability to follow a shift pattern covering 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and be able to meet travel requirements. Candidates are encouraged to gain practical work experience in a care setting prior to undertaking the programme. All programmes and places are subject to commissioned numbers. All applicants should be able to demonstrate evidence of study within the last five years.
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 7.0 or above, with a minimum of 7.0 in each sub-skill (or equivalent).
We offer intensive English language pre-sessional courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
| Award | Course Length | Professional Training | UCAS code | KIS code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSc (Hons) | 3 years | B760 | View KIS data set |
We offer a range of bursaries, scholarships and other financial support.
See course information for students applying to start in September 2013.
Phone: +44 (0)1483 681 681
