Nursing - Adult with Foundation Year - BSc (Hons) - 2024/25 Entry (2024)

The Foundation Year option gives you extra time and support to help you build your knowledge, skills and confidence before starting a full degree. It is designed to prepare you for a range of nursingcourses, not one particular BSc degree, so you will study a broad range of subjects to prepare you to continue on to successful BSc level study. You'll develop a range of practical and analytical skills that will prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in nursing.

Why choose a foundation year course?

On the Foundation Year in Nursing, you will study broad subject areas which then open up opportunities for you to specialise further in your next year – which would be the first year of a full degree programme.

You will study alongside people who are preparing to progress on to BSc courses in Nursing and Allied Health Professions.

This course is open to International students.

Our aim is to develop you into a graduate nurse who is able to work flexibly across a range of settings and meet the health needs of the whole person throughout their lifespan. We will work with you on your development to help you become a skilled, knowledgeable, emotionally intelligent nurse, able to lead and co-ordinate compassionate, evidence-based, person- and family-centred care while working as an integral member of interdisciplinary teams.

The university-based elements of the first two years of your course are integrated, with all fields of nursing working together. In your final year, the theory you learn will be specific to adultnursing.You will study five modules each year. In year one, you will complete a year-long practice module which will prepare and support you to develop your confidence and competence in practice as you work towards independently leading and co-ordinating care.

In your first year, you will gain theoretical and practice knowledge to develop a range of key skills. This will include: exploring the evidence that underpins person- and family-centred care; professional values; self-leadership; and the role of the registered nurse. Second year modules will further enhance your first-year learning and explore evidence-based complex care incorporating a wide range of research, skills, team leadership and principles of co-ordinating care. During your third year you will continue build on your previous learning and develop proficiency in adultnursing. The modules you study will develop you as a leader who uses research-informed critical thinking to co-ordinate care, supervise other health professionals and gain confidence in the safe management of medication. You will also have access to personal tuition throughout the course which will enrich your learning experiences and will enable to reflect meaningfully on your practice and the development of your individual field identity.

Your practice placements will be specific to your field, adultnursing, throughout the three years. To help you become a more rounded nurse, you will also have opportunities to learn across the four fields of nursing. Your placement learning experiences may be within community, hospital or home environment settings and at a location anywhere within the West Midlands and potentially into neighbouring counties. While on placement you will be supported, supervised and assessed by practice and academic staff to develop your knowledge and skills.

We are committed to providing excellent, innovative, learning, teaching and assessment experiences through the use of technology, which we use to enhance your learning, through lectures, seminars, skills simulation and virtual learning. Engaging with practice partners and service users is also integral to our approach.

Our BSc (Hons) Nursing course has been designed to comply with the new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards (2018) meaning that successful completion of this course makes you eligible to apply and be entered onto the NMC register in one of the four fields of nursing: Adult, Child, Learning Disabilities or Mental Health.

Why Choose Us?

• Experience quality work placements- build a network of invaluable contacts through our strong partnerships with the NHS and medical institutions
• You will study at our £41 million City South Campus, complete with real-life hospital environments and simulation equipment so that you are able to develop and practice your practical skills at all times – not just on placement
• We offer two intakes a year in January and September so that you can start at the right time for you. Contact our Admissions teamto find out more
• Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities outside of London, which will provide you with a wide variety of experience that will be valuable to take forward into your future career
• Opportunities to study abroad, if this is something you would like to explore during your time studying with us
• You will learn in a friendly, co-operative environment, where you’ll be supported by experienced staff to achieve your goals – you can take advantage of our well-established range of pastoral and study support teams to deliver this
• We provide outstanding support to our students and have received a Quality Mark from the British Dyslexia Association for our successful efforts
• Commended for achieving ‘good practice’ in a recent BSc course review for placement support, through our close links with NHS trusts

Similar Courses

• Midwifery with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)
• Nursing - Learning Disability with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)
• Nursing - Mental Health with a Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)

These entry requirements apply for entry in 2024/25.

All required qualifications/grades must have been achieved and evidenced at the earliest opportunity after accepting an offer to help confirm admission and allow for on-time enrolment. This can also include other requirements, like a fee status form and relevant documents. Applicants can track their application and outstanding information requests through their BCU mySRS account.

Essential requirements

Frequently asked questions

How will I know what has happened with my UCAS application when I have submitted it?

You'll be notified via UCAS if your application is unsuccessful. If your application is successful you'll be invited to attend an interview fromour Health Admissions department.

What will the interview consist of?

You'll undertake a literacy and numeracy test, and have a face-to-face interview from academic and clinical staff.

How will I know the outcome of my interview?

You'll be notified via UCAS track.

If I'm not offered a place, can I have some feedback?

Yes, you can request feedback from NMSW.Admissions@bcu.ac.uk

Course structure for BSc (Hons) Nursing - Adult

The courseis delivered using a modular approachwhich divides the content into manageable elements of study and practice learning opportunities.

The first year prepares you for further study and facilitates the understanding of the principles which underpin nursing. This is supported by two placement learning experiences of about 10 weeks' duration each.

In year two there is an increasing field-specific focus. Core modules help to contextualise nursing while Field Specific modules prepare you for the two placement experiences which follow each period of study.

In year three all modules are Field Specific but there are opportunities for shared learning with the other fields of nursing and you will again complete two placement experiences.

You'll experience a mixture of teaching, self-directed study and practice-based clinical placements, spending half of your time each year on placement.

Upon successful completion you'll graduate with a BSc (Hons) Nursing degree worth 360 credits and be eligible to apply for Registered Nurse status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Additional support

If you're dyslexic, or have a specific learning difference or disability, we have a Disability Tutor who can help and support you.

More on our disability tutor >>

We offer extratechnical and learning support.

Employment opportunities

Once qualified and registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council you can practice in the UK and many countries overseas. As a qualified nurse you could find yourself working within the NHS, the private sector, in the community, at GP surgeries, at schools, plus many more - the options are endless.

Placements

Placements take place across a range of settings. You may experience care in acute, critical care, long-term care and community settings which are related to your Field. During your second year there will also be the opportunity to undertake a placement learning experience elsewhere in the UK or abroad (subject to selection criteria).

A placement is your chance to be a part of the working world of health and social care as it really is: your first taste of your career. For most of our courses, it's a compulsory part of your training; it's that important.

Placements help you with your confidence, by putting theory from the classroom into practice. We make sure you get a quality experience and that you are fully supported by a workplace mentor on hand throughout your placement.

More about our placement opportunities

Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

• Details of the entry requirements for our courses
• Some of the good reasons why you should study here
• How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
• Information relevant to applicants from your country
• Where to find financial support for your studies.

Our Facilities

Our School of Nursing and Midwifery is based at our City South campus in leafy Edgbaston.

We’ve spent £41million expanding our facilities at City South. These facilities offer hands-on practical experience, replicating the spaces you will come across in professional practice.

In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that you learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. Alongside physical spaces such as a mock operating theatre and wards, we also make use of online and virtual technology, such as our virtual ward and virtual case creator.

See more of our skills facilities at City South

Centre for Skills and Simulation

The Centre for Skills and Simulation offers a range of different spaces which replicate situations that you will encounter in practice. These include hospital wards, an operating theatre and a home environment room.

Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. The hospital wards can be adapted from low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.

The home environment room is the perfect space for teaching communications skills and allows us to simulate a community setting for our students. It is particularly useful for mental health nurses, learning disability nurses and midwives.

Simulation Manikins

We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and simulation babies (SIM babies) which are anatomically correct manikins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills. The manikins contain software which replicates real symptoms, and can manipulate indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM man can even ‘talk’ to the students as they are treating him, to add another dimension to learning.

Computer Facilities

The Seacole building has two open-access IT Suites which offer PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. There is also an IT Helpdesk for quick and easy help with your computing or internet issues.

Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:

• Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
• Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
• Microsoft Office software
• Research and statistical software
• Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home

Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

In addition to desktop PCs, we also offer a laptop loan facility, allowing students to borrow a laptop for up to six hours while on campus.

Our staff