• MSc PGDip in primary care
• Routes
  • Primary care
  • District nurse
  • Nurse practitioner
• Module information
• Timetable
• Application information

Primary Care Route: district nurse

Aimed at post-registration nurses wishing to undertake training as a District Nurse.

Nursing in primary care is undergoing rapid change which is being driven by government legislation as set out in a variety of documents. Those which are particularly significant for Primary Care Nursing include “Liberating the talents: helping Primary Care Trusts and Nurses to deliver the NHS Plan” (DOH 2002) and “Supporting people with long term conditions” (DH 2005). Existing programmes within the university do not sufficiently address the demands of this legislation. As the political arena is changing at a rapid pace, the demand for flexible programmes of preparation is increasing. Sponsors of students attending such programmes will require them to attain the theoretical knowledge which will support their learning in practice and enable them to lead developments in practice once they have gained their qualification. For this reason it is proposed that each student will be assigned an academic mentor in addition to the specialist practice teacher who will supervise their practice and assess their progress in meeting the NMC Specialist Practice Learning Outcomes. A tri-partite working relationship between the student, academic mentor, and Specialist Practice Teacher will enable the student’s personal development to be facilitated utilising the flexibility of optional modules. In this way the needs of the student and the service requirements will be addressed.

Educational Aims

The aims of the programme routes are to enable nursing professionals from a wide range of backgrounds to develop the skills and knowledge to become competent leaders in specialist practice in primary care nursing through:

• The acquisition of primary care professional and technical skills and knowledge.
• Critical insight into primary care policy structures and processes.
• The development of primary care orientated leadership skills.
• Critical analysis and synthesis of management skills, including: implementation management; work management; and staff management. 
• Critical analysis of social and cultural perspectives of health and disease and their implications for care decision-making and practice development
• Critical analysis and synthesis of primary care and public health knowledge provided by a variety of disciplines.  
• Multi-agency and multi-sectoral primary care practice
• Critical analysis and synthesis of specialist primary care nursing knowledge, policy and practice 

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

• Demonstrate an ability to critically analyse the health care needs of a client group
• Provide leadership and organisation for the assessment and health related needs of patients, their families and other carers and identify and initiate appropriate interventions for individuals and groups

Values and Attitudes

• Promote and participate in the establishment of health alliances and participatory strategies to promote such alliances

Cognitive/Intellectual Skills

• Demonstrate the ability to analyse and synthesise clinical evidence, data and research findings
• Demonstrate an advanced level of research and evaluative skills through a sustained enquiry into an aspect of specialist primary care nursing practice.

Subject-specific/professional skills

• Work in an autonomous manner in an inter-professional arena
• Learn to operate in the primary care arena using a flexible approach demonstrating the ability to undertake a proactive role in health care delivery
• Critically analyse the determinants of health and need
• Identify and interpret research evidence concerning primary care need and practice
• Assess, plan, provide and evaluate specialist nursing care
• Critically analyse and apply research evidence to the production of evidence-based practice for national and local initiatives.

Transferable/Key Skills:

• Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge to lead the development of primary care policy and practice within a multi-professional and multi-agency context

Core Modules

• Clinical Assessment In Primary Care
• Clinical Effectiveness
• Clinical Excellence and Leadership
• Integrated Public Health
• Philosophy and Politics of Primary Health Care
• Physical Assessment 2
• Practice Based Module
• Research Methods 1

Option Modules

• Foundations of Palliative Care
• International Perspectives of Health and Social Care
• Long Term Conditions
• Pain & Symptom Management In Palliative Care