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Learn from an enthusiastic team of skilled nursing professionals. Regularly meet and work with patients and carers. Graduate with the qualifications needed to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a registered adult nurse.
Are you passionate about helping people? Do you want to develop your clinical skills and embark on a thriving career in nursing? Our BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing Practice degree could be for you.
Adult nursing involves delivering care to a wide range of patients with various health conditions, from minor injuries to long-term illnesses. We've developed the course in collaboration with regional NHS Trusts and you'll be taught by expert practitioners with first-hand experience of nursing. Your learning will take place both on-campus in our interactive mock hospital wards and alongside our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants, and out on placement where you'll gain real-life experience.
On successful completion of the Adult Nursing course, you'll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a registered adult nurse.
During your first year on the Adult Nursing degree, you'll be introduced to the requirements of becoming a registered adult nurse through studying and completing modules in professional practice and nursing practice. This, combined with learning about physical and human science, will prepare you for your first clinical placements which will be held in local NHS Trusts.
50% of your time over the duration of the Adult Nursing course will be in clinical practice under the supervision of registered practitioners, in a range of clinical settings, in and out of hospital. A key aspect of our course is patient involvement and patient centred care, and you'll have regular contact with our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) members throughout the course, who all have experience and expertise as patients or carers.
As a nurse, you'll need to demonstrate compassionate and caring approaches to patients and interprofessional working in the healthcare workforce, and the Adult Nursing course provides you with opportunities to learn and work alongside other students and staff from a range of disciplines, as part of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Learn more about our unique Living Lab and Helen McArdle House, which are home to a range of advanced sector simulation equipment.
Find out how Living Lab allows you to experience a range of health, medical and care events in simulated environments
Nursing is the UK’s most employable type of degree with 94% of students getting a job within six months of completing their course. Find out more about what you can do with a nursing degree.
Explore the career paths available in nursing
Are you considering a career as an adult nurse? Here, we’re exploring all the great reasons why you should study adult nursing and why choosing an adult nursing degree at Sunderland will help you get there.
Learn more about adult nursing
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1250/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 3 subjects) ACT (score of 30+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
Please note, we don't accept General Studies AS or A-Level and you must show evidence of recent academic study within the last five years at entry level.
Your completed application form will be reviewed by our Admissions team to ensure that you have the required entry qualifications. If you meet these requirements, your application will be individually assessed by the Adult Nursing Practice Admissions Tutor and, if successful, you'll be shortlisted for interview.
The selection process will include an individual interview and a group activity which will assess you on your values, problem solving, and communication skills.
This is available to applicants who meet the course specific APL requirements. It may apply to applicants who wish to transfer their NMC approved nursing studies from another university where they've achieved 120 credits at Level 4. The APL entry route is also available to Nursing Associates who are aiming to become a registered nurse.
If you're interested in the APL route, please contact the admissions tutors for further information: Shelly Rowell at shelly.rowell@sunderland.ac.uk / 07976215092 or Helen Robinson at helen.robinson@sunderland.ac.uk / 07977451156.
We'd be looking for a combination of merit and distinctions in your level 3 units which should preferably include some units in a health or science-related subject.
Medical assessments of your mental and physical health and disclosure of criminal convictions apply to all nursing courses and are based on current NMC requirements. Nurses are registered healthcare professionals and the ability to practise safely, effectively and professionally is essential, so all applicants are required to follow our fitness to practise procedures. This means you're required to complete the following:
Instructions on how you complete these checks will be sent to you once you hold a conditional firm offer with us. These forms are then reviewed alongside your application, and you must meet both the academic and fitness to practise requirements before you'll be given an unconditional offer. If you're successful, you'll also need to complete an annual declaration form to confirm you're fit and there are no changes to your DBS.
We require international applicants to meet the equivalent UK entry requirements and IELTS with a minimum of 6.5 in each element with an overall score of 7. To be eligible for an interview, you must currently have attained an overall IELTS score of at least 7 with 6.5 in each element.
Students studying a health or social care course that has a placement within the NHS or any other Care Quality Commission establishment are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Find out more in our Help and Advice article.
September 2024 fees:
*The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.
A non-repayable grant of £5,000 and extra payments worth up to £3,000 is available to eligible home students for each year of study. Read more about the Training Grant on The NHS Business Services Authority website.
If you currently serve (or have recently served) within the Armed Forces, then the Ministry of Defence's ELCAS scheme may be able to help cover your funding for this course. Read more about funding for Armed Forces personnel.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Adult nursing is a rewarding and challenging career where you have a real chance to make a difference to people's lives. Nursing degrees make you highly employable, with 94% of graduates securing a job within six months of completing their course. Job opportunities are flexible, both within the NHS and community settings, and in the UK and overseas.
Find out more about where a career in nursing could take you.
Adult nurses are key workers and make up the largest part of the NHS workforce. In the future, more adult nursing jobs will be based in the community rather than hospitals as more care is delivered outside of acute settings, including hospital wards, outpatient units or specialist departments, the community or nursing homes, and the prison service.
Adult nurses are a key part of the multidisciplinary teams that look after patients. You'll be at the centre of teams that can include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, radiographers and healthcare assistants. You'll also work closely with patients' families and carers.
Start your adult nursing career at the University of Sunderland and develop lifelong, transferable nursing skills in a collaborative and supportive environment. Many career opportunities are available post-qualification and with additional qualifications, adult nurses have the potential of earning a salary of £40k plus.
At all levels of the Adult Nursing course, you'll undertake unpaid clinical placements in hospitals and the community. These occur in blocks of varying duration:
Your first placement will take place in the first term, after ten weeks of teaching.
Placements can take place at any of our partner Trusts in the North East: South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Harrogate, and District NHS Foundation Trust.
During your adult nursing placements, you'll be assigned Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors who'll directly assess and supervise you, as well as act as a means of support and guidance.
As you may be expected to travel long distances, start your shift in the early hours, or finish your shift late at night, you could be entitled to Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses (TDAE) which allows you to make a retrospective claim for excess travel costs and/or expenses for temporary accommodation near to the location of your placement. Find out more about the NHS Learning Support Fund.
The confidence I gained from studying at Sunderland has been life changing.
I really enjoy the practical simulations as they help me feel more prepared for practice.
The facilities were so the state-of-the-art that they helped prepare you for the real world.
I enjoyed university more than I ever thought I would and have made some amazing friends.
The nursing facilities allow us to learn in a setting that accurately mimics clinical practice.
It has been a challenging, exciting and educational adventure.
It has always been about making a difference. Nurses make a difference every day.
My time at Sunderland has been challenging, rewarding, and I've gained a real sense of achievement.
Do I need work experience?
We appreciate that it is not possible to obtain work experience in the health or caring environment. As an alternative we would recommend that you investigate the field of nursing you are interested in through online resources, professional body websites and healthcare organisations so you can demonstrate a clear understanding of the role.
What should I include in my personal statement?
Your personal statement provides a unique opportunity to express your personal qualities and attributes related to a rewarding career in nursing. The statement should include a clear articulation of:
For more advice on your personal statement please read our article on how to write a personal statement when you have no work experience.
What does a nursing interview involve?
Our interviews consist of an individual interview and group activity. For advice on how to prepare, please read our article on how to prepare for interviews for healthcare degrees. Interviews start in late November and will run until the summer.
How many weeks' holiday is there each year?
You will have seven weeks of holiday per year, with two weeks off at Christmas. The remaining five weeks is spread across the rest of the academic year. The timings of the holidays will vary over the three years and we do try, where possible, to align some of these to the school holidays. You are unable to take holiday outside of these set times, but you will be provided with a three year plan on enrolment.
How far will I have to travel for my placements?
As part of the interview process, you'll be asked to rank your three preferred Trusts, and your Trust will be confirmed once you start the course. Please note it is not possible to guarantee your first choice. We would recommend that prior to your interview, you consider your preferred trust. All your placements will then take place in various locations within that trust, so the travel distance will vary.
How long are the placement shifts?
Your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours on a shift pattern which can include nights, early starts, evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Shifts can be anywhere between 7-12 hours and the pattern can vary between trusts. Your shifts will be confirmed four weeks prior to starting your placement. It's not possible to fit placements around school hours and holidays. You'll be expected to undertake shift work in which you will be assigned a Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor, who will directly supervise you and act as a means of support and guidance. A Clinical Link Tutor from the University will also support you during your practice placements.