1. health and fitness

Mental Health Nursing
BSc (Hons)
School
School of Health & Social Care
Location
Bournemouth University (Lansdowne Campus),
Duration
3 years (including mandatory placements)
Start Date
September
UCAS Code
B701
Entry Requirements
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Tariff points: 260 to 300 tariff points from 3 A-levels, or 3
A-levels and 1 AS-level, including 80 points from a
relevant subject
BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM - offers will be subject
and grade specific, particularly in the science subjects
Access course offers will be subject and grade specific,
particularly in the science subjects
International Baccalaureate: 31 points including 5 points
from each of the 3 Higher Level subjects
Relevant subjects
Biology, Psychology, Physical Education or Sociology
Recommended GCSEs
A minimum of 4 GCSEs grades A* - C including Maths and
English or appropriate Key Skills Level 2. A Science subject is
preferred
If English is not your first language:
IELTS (Academic) 7.0 with minimum 7.0 in each component or
equivalent
Accreditations
Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)
Key Facts
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98% of our students are working or studying six
months after finishing their degree
99% are in a managerial or professional role six
months after graduating
Our School of Health and Social Care courses aim to
help to make peoples’ lives better through excellence in
education, practice development and research. By
imbedding values of humanisation into our courses and
research our graduates have the theoretical knowledge,
skills and compassion to support individuals in
challenging life situations.
Course Overview
One in four people will, at some time in their life, need
help for mental health issues. This course has been
specifically designed to give you a solid grounding in the
theoretical and professional skills that are needed to
offer high-quality evidence-based nursing care that
meets the needs of clients, service users and their
families. Graduating from this course will enable you to
apply for professional registration with the Nursing &
Midwifery Council (NMC).
One of the primary roles of a mental health nurse is to
enable and educate, encouraging those experiencing
mental health issues to progress towards recovery. The
course prepares students to work in a variety of mental
health settings with a diverse range of people. You will
gain experience within inter-professional practice and
develop skills in mental health nursing across the
lifespan.
A key element of nurse education concerns an ability to
work alongside a broad range of health and social care
professionals. Throughout the course you will study
alongside others undertaking health related degrees
delivered by BU. This includes students studying other
fields of nursing, social work, midwifery, occupational
therapy and physiotherapy.
98% of our students are working or studying six
months after finishing their degree, and of those in
employment, 99% are in a professional or managerial
job.
Students who studied BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing
are now working within the NHS and private sector in
roles including mental health nurse, staff nurse,
community health nurse and substance misuse nurse,
benefiting from BU’s strong links with service users and
service providers.
Course content
This course is part of the School of Health and Social Care
Nursing Framework which offers BSc (Hons) Children and
Young People’s Nursing and BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
courses. Within the first year some units are common to all
courses in the Nursing Framework with shared lectures.
Our approach to interprofessional education means that
throughout the course you will take part in shared
workshops, lectures and learning events with other
students on health related courses.
Year 1
Identifying knowledge for nursing practice
This professional practice unit will provide you with a range
of practical experiences and opportunities that develop
your competence and achieve the identified Nursing and
Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010) skills and professional
behaviours.
Mental Health, Wellbeing and Humanised care in Later
Life: The unit will cover the potential impact of ageing on
the wellbeing of an individual, dementia and its meaning
for the individual and their carer, the care of people with
dementia and the ethical and legal issues surrounding
people with dementia.
Anatomy & Physiology during the lifespan
In this unit you will gain knowledge and understanding of
the essential principles of anatomy and physiology as it
applies to the individual. A lifespan approach will be taken
which will allow for field specific content to be introduced
alongside the normal anatomy and physiology. Links will
be made to clinical skills teaching as part of simulation
activity.
Fundamental Communication Skills
Communication is integral to professional practice for
health and social care professionals. Good personal and
interpersonal communications are central to collaboration,
the efficiency of group working and the resulting quality of
care. The aim of this unit is to facilitate the development of
effective and transferable anti-oppressive communication
skills that promote the valuing of diversity.
Origins & Expressions of Mental Health & Well Being
This unit aims to provide you with a general introduction to
a number of key issues in the mental health field, including
possible explanations for changes in a person’s mental
health, the development and organisation of services for
people with mental health problems, and the role of the
mental health nurse in working collaboratively with service
users, carers, and fellow professionals.
Personal & professional development
This unit is designed for nursing students at the outset of
their academic and professional career and focuses on the
development of transferable academic and graduate skills.
It therefore aims to enable you to not only cope in
response to the many academic and professional
demands you will face in the first year of your higher
education programme, but to also do well and achieve
your full learning potential across a range of academic
units and professional experiences throughout your entire
undergraduate studies.
Year 2
Developing knowledge for practice
This professional practice unit will provide a range of
practical experiences and opportunities that you require
in order to develop your competence and achieve the
identified Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010)
skills and professional behaviours by the second
progression point.
Communication & therapeutic approaches in mental
health: This unit will allow you to explore a range of
communication strategies and therapeutic approaches
within mental health care. The unit will cover the effect of
personal values, attitudes, individual difference and
diversity on communication with others while analysing
the range of therapeutic approaches within mental health.
Physical care in mental health settings
You will discuss ways in which the physical health of
clients might be assessed and monitored, identify the key
presenting features of a range of common physical
illnesses and demonstrate an understanding of physical
care skills required in mental health services.
The value base of mental health nursing
This unit will allow you to reflect on the contemporary
nature of mental health care and the values underpinning
nursing practice in this area.
Acute mental health – from crisis to wellbeing
The unit will provide you with the knowledge and skills to
work with people who are experiencing acute mental
health needs or problems. You will explore the interaction
between vulnerability, life events, chronic difficulties and
coping skills in acute mental health care; learn to identify
signs and symptoms of acute mental illness and analyse
the application of health promotional activities such as
relapse prevention, psycho education and medication
management in reducing the negative effects of mental
illness.
Exploring evidence to guide professional practice
This unit aims to raise your awareness of a range of
evidence and to consider how practice may be shaped
from research evidence including citizen and service user
perspectives. You will be facilitated to reflect upon how
professional and disciplinary practices can be enhanced
in ways that emphasize human sensitivity and individual
worth in accordance with value bases for professional
practice across disciplinary boundaries.
Year 3
Evaluating knowledge for practice
This professional practice unit will provide a range of
practical experiences and opportunities that you require in
order to demonstrate your competence to achieve the
identified Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010)
skills, knowledge, attitudes, values and technical abilities
for entry to the NMC register.
Service Improvement Project
The aim of the Service Improvement Project unit is to
enable you to develop the skills of working in small teams
to enhance the experiences of people who use services
and / or their carers. You will analyse the need for changes
that aim to improve a service or services offered to people
and/or communities, synthesise solutions to complex
challenges that address the need for change and
improvement, participate effectively in teams in
undertaking an innovation or improvement project and
reflect on the skills, values, attributes and knowledge
required to undertake a service improvement project.
Mental health nursing in specific setting
You will identify the socio-political context of service
development in Mental Health, critically examine the
therapeutic approaches used within the differing mental
health care services and evaluate the nature of
assessment and intervention within mental health care
provision.
Reviewing the literature to inform practice
This unit requires you to undertake a critical evaluation of a
specific area of interest relating to your field of nursing and
builds upon your understanding of research appraisal,
literature reviewing and academic writing skills.
Communication, leadership & management in mental
health: This unit will allow you to develop your
understanding of how mental health services are
organised, and explore appropriate leadership and
management skills. You will critically appraise approaches
to the commissioning of mental health services, analyse
the legal and ethical dimension of registered practice,
critically review approaches to clinical supervision, assess
theories of change and change management and critically
evaluate approaches to risk management in mental health
settings.
Supporting the recovery journey
This unit aims to develop practical skills as well as an
understanding of the underlying principles of care for
people with serious mental illness. It will integrate practice,
theory and service user experience in the drive to enhance
recovery. The role of multi-professional and multi-agency
working will be examined as well as abilities to critically
evaluate evidence enhanced.
Placements
Placements are organised by geographical areas,
however occasionally, to ensure best practice
experience, placements may also be in other areas. Our
placement locations are:
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Dorset- within the Dorset Healthcare University
Foundation Trust
South Wiltshire- within the Avon and Wiltshire
Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, primarily
across the Salisbury area
Hampshire- within the Southern Health NHS
Foundation Trust
Somerset- within the Somerset Partnership NHS
Trust
Selection Criteria
We are looking for applicants who:
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have an interest in Mental Health Nursing as well as
the motivation and commitment to undertake the
course
have undertaken relevant work experience
have a clear understanding of the profession
can demonstrate personal skills and qualities relevant
to the course
It is recommended that you have some care experience,
preferably in a mental health setting. If you do not have
any relevant experience, you will be required to
demonstrate at interview that you have a clear insight into
the nature of the profession that you will be training to
enter.
Selection Methods
We’ll use the UCAS applications to create a shortlist of
candidates that we would like to find out more about.
Please note that interviews are part of our selection
process and you must be able to demonstrate at
interview that you show the necessary insight into
nursing, as well as the motivation and commitment to
become a nurse.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
All successful applicants will be subject to an Enhanced
Disclosure and Barred List check; this will be a condition
of offer and will need to be completed prior to
commencing the course. Please see the DBS website for
the most up to date information at
www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check/overview
These checks were previously known as Criminal
Records Bureau (CRB) checks.
Occupational Health Checks
Nursing is physically and mentally demanding and we
need to be sure you are fit and well and able to withstand
the rigours of the course and the occupation. We will
always make an offer of a place subject to passing an
Occupational Health check, and this will be out at our
contracted Occupational Health provider. There are some
medical conditions that might cause a problem; examples
are: deafness, blindness, eczema (or other dermatological
allergic reactions) on exposed areas, epilepsy, severe
back problems, or mental health conditions. If you have
one of these conditions, or some other condition or
disability which you believe may affect your ability to
complete the course, you can contact us for more
guidance.
Nursing students are also required to undergo Hepatitis B
immunisation, or provide evidence of immunity. You will be
required to be tested for, or provide a record of their
immunity status for Chickenpox, Diphtheria, Tetanus,
Polio, Rubella, TB and Hepatitis C. You may also be asked
to provide records of other immunisation programmes,
such as Polio, Diphtheria, etc. You will need to ask your
GP for details of your past immunisation records. Further
advice will be given by the Occupational Health
Department as part of your Occupational Health clearance.
Please note that you cannot commence practice without
undergoing testing for Hepatitis B immunity.
Career Opportunities
As a graduate, you may wish to work as a registered nurse
within the NHS or within the private sector. Career
progression may lead to:
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Nurse in In-Patient Environment: Acute Admissions
Unit, Elderly Care, Rehabilitation
Community Health Nurse
Specialist Nurse: Eating Disorders, Addictions,
Forensic Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,
Psychological Therapist.
Contact us
askBU Enquiry Service:
Tel: + 44 (0)1202 961916
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/askBU
How to apply: www.ucas.com
Open days: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/opendays
For more course information:
www.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses/BSMNF
Please note:
All statistics shown are taken from Unistats: Higher Education
Statistics Agency (HESA), the Data Service, universities and
colleges and Ipsos MORI (National Student Survey) unless
otherwise stated.
The University reserves the right to introduce changes to the
information given, including the addition, withdrawal, re-location
or restructuring of courses.
Last updated: April 2015