Registered Nursing Associate FdSc

Learn from an enthusiastic team of skilled professionals. Regularly meet and work with patients and carers. Graduate with the qualifications needed to become a Registered Nursing Associate.

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Overview

The Registered Nursing Associate course is a new direct-entry course that will cover the six platforms of care for nursing associates as outlined in the Nursing Associates Proficiency Standards.

The Nursing Associate is a registrable qualification with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This foundation degree is suitable for either those who are new to healthcare, or experienced healthcare workers looking for a recognised qualification. On completion of the course, you may wish to register as a nursing associate or undertake further education to become a qualified nurse. This degree is a natural progression from the T Level in Health as well as traditional entry routes from Health and Social Care courses.

Your study time will be split 50/50 between theory and clinical practice. You'll be exposed to simulation with the use of our state-of-the-art facilities, where you'll learn clinical skills in a safe environment with highly experienced staff and our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants.

Why us?

In collaboration with local Trusts, this exciting and innovative undergraduate pre-registration nursing course supports the growth of nursing in the region
Undertake a range of clinical placements with your selected partner Trust
On successful completion of the course, you can register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Nursing Associate
A distinctive partnership with 251 Medical Squadron, the local military base, provides you with innovative experiences to develop your skills via simulated trauma days and team-building events

Opportunities to collaborate in an interprofessional learning capacity with other healthcare courses including Pharmacy, Paramedic Science, Medicine, Biomedical Science, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
Benefit from superb facilities; our Living Lab supports interactive simulation and the development of tomorrow’s nurses
We have a unique relationship with our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement participants who take part in a variety of activities to support learning

Course structure

You'll be taught using a variety of methods on the Registered Nursing Associate course. There will be a hybrid model in place which will allow some flexibility to study. Teaching methods will include various types of simulation, seminars, problem-based learning, synchronous and asynchronous online lessons, as well as on-campus teaching with highly skilled staff.

Assessments methods include:

The Practice Assessment Document to assess clinical skills during placements
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations, which will assess clinical skills in the university setting
Essays related to practice and reflection
Exams to test numeracy for drug administration, anatomy and physiology
Professional discussions, which encompass all aspects of the course

Course modules

Year 1 (national level 4):

Professional Values and Parameters of Practice (30 credits)

Enhance your knowledge of professional standards and the value base in health care, complementing the regulatory standards and guidance published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and other health and social care regulators with whom you’ll be working with during your degree.

Holistic Nursing Practice (30 credits)

Explore a systems-based approach to anatomy, physiology, psychology, and microbiology while in the workplace using patient journeys as illustrations. Gain an understanding of how to apply theoretical knowledge to nursing practice at the front line of patient care. Meet patients in the context of interactive workshops and practise articulating complex scientific terminology in relation to specific human anatomical and physiological function.

Delivering Care as a Nursing Associate (60 credits)

Gain an introduction to models of reflective practice and an overview of interprofessional working, including an opportunity to acquire insight into lived patience experience. Explore the three core elements that reflect the competence, professionalism and underpinning knowledge which characterise a high-quality nursing workforce. Join a series of interactive workshops where critical engagement with the need to translate theoretical learning into practical application supports the front line of patient care. Use simulated experience to learn about the consequences of error and negligence in a risk-free environment in preparation for the workplace.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Research and Quality Improvement (30 credits)

Develop an understanding of the key issues related to healthcare practice, informed by the best available evidence to support shared decision making.

Delivering Care through Teamwork and Leadership (30 credits)

Expand on your knowledge of major pathological and physiological changes in the human body, occurring as a result of common disease processes and biopsychosocial processes. Explore the manifestations, impacts of illness, and interventions to facilitate recovery and wellbeing through inquiry-based learning. Learn about recovery-focused nursing care and management strategies within the context of current and ethical legal frameworks. Engage in clinical practice to progress your knowledge and skills in evidence-based nursing interventions including practical clinical skills and use of medical devices.

Person Centred Care within the Code of Practice (60 credits)

Enhance your knowledge and application of nursing practice interventions, enabling the provision of evidence-based, safe, and compassionate physical and psychological care. Develop your skills and knowledge in order to formulate a nursing plan of care and undertake observations and clinical interventions with less direct supervision. Use your understanding and skills of reflection, clinical supervision, and feedback to use practice learning safely and effectively.

More about FdSc Registered Nursing Associate at Sunderland

Discover more articles

Helen McArdle House is based on our City Campus and has benefitted from a multi-million pound investment in modern facilities in recent years.

Many of our healthcare courses are taught here, including Nursing, Paramedic Science, and Healthcare Sciences.

The building is made up of a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including mock hospital wards, OSCE suites, the Patient Diagnostic Suite, Mental Health and Wellbeing Suite, and seminar and IT classrooms.

A lot of academic staff offices are based here, with an open-door policy in place.

View our AccessAble accessibility guide for Helen McArdle House.
Helen McArdle House
The Living Lab boasts a unique immersive simulation room, that allows participants to experience a range of simulated scenarios in a safe environment. The space is designed to make scenarios feel as close to reality as possible, to enable students to practise their clinical skills safely. An adjacent debrief room allows groups to observe the scenario in the immersive suite through a live stream (projected onto TV screens) and provide peer feedback and group discussion following the completion of the scenario.

View our AccessAble accessibility guide for Fleming Building.
Immersive Suite
Immersive Suite 360
The University boasts a collection of more than 430,000 books in total, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. There are nearly 9,000 journal titles, mostly in electronic format. Each year the University invests around £1 million in new resources. As a student, you will have access to a huge range of online databases such as:

British National Formulary:
Compiled with the advice of clinical experts, the British National Formulary (BNF) provides up-to-date guidance on prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines.

The British Pharmacopoeia:
The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) is the authoritative collection of quality standards for UK medicines and is an essential reference for anyone involved in pharmaceutical R&D, manufacture, testing and regulation.

CINAHL:
CINAHL with Full Text is the world’s most comprehensive source of full text for nursing and allied health journals, providing full text for more than 600 journals indexed in CINAHL.

The Cochrane Library:
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.

PubMed Central:
PubMed Central is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 25 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles and includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

ScienceDirect:
ScienceDirect is a leading full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters covering physical sciences, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities.
Library Services - pharmacy, health and wellbeing
The Mental Health Ward is designed to feel like a real Mental Health Ward, with bedrooms, a day room, seclusion room and treatment room, and is suitable to run a range of mental health scenarios.

View our AccessAble accessibility guides for Helen McArdle House.
Mental Health Ward
Mental Health Ward 360
OSCE Suite 360
There are a range of simulation manikins used across most of our healthcare courses, giving you the opportunity to apply your training in a realistic, yet safe, setting.

Our manikins range from various SimMan patient simulators (SimMan 3G, SimMan ALS, Sim Junior and Sim Baby to name a few) to CAE Apollo and Caesar manikins, to anatomically realistic SimBodies and lower-fidelity simulation manikins.

SimMan and Apollo manikins can demonstrate realistic physiological behaviour, including blood pressure, a pulse, drug recognition technology (in SimMan 3G), and each model can be pre-programmed with various medical scenarios.
Simulation Technology
The John Dawson Sciences Complex is based on our City Campus. It has benefitted from a multi-million-pound investment in modern facilities in recent years and continues to develop as our health sciences offer grows.

It is the central hub for many of our health sciences courses and is made up of a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including labs, problem-based learning classrooms, and facilities that encourage interprofessional learning. A lot of academic staff offices are based here, with an open-door policy in place.
The John Dawson Sciences Complex
Map and directions

Facilities

The University of Sunderland offers modern and well-equipped facilities at our Sciences Complex.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

We require GCSE maths and English language at grade C/4 or above, or level 2 functional skills in numeracy and literacy.

Members of the Armed Forces will also require maths and English; however, the Level 3 qualification can be replaced with evidence of relevant clinical experience and in-house training.

The selection process will include an individual interview, which will assess you on your values, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Fitness to practise

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:

A health declaration form. Here, you must demonstrate that you're of good health, good character, and can satisfactorily pass occupational health screening. In addition, you'll be required to attend an Occupational Health Assessment with an NHS Trust. The University will, taking into account current NMC regulations, make any reasonable adjustments if required. Please refer to the HEOPS nursing student fitness standards.
A self-declaration form about your conduct
Obtain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost of the DBS check is covered by the University.

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.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

Annual fees:

£9,535 if you're from the UK*

Please note, applications are currently closed to international students.

*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

Nursing is a rewarding and challenging career where you'll make a significant impact on people's lives. Upon successful completion of this course, you'll be able to register with the NMC as a nursing associate and you may have the opportunity to undertake a shortened nursing degree leading to registration as a nurse.

In March 2024, there were 10,881 nursing associates on the NMC register. This is a growing workforce and because this course isn't field specific, registered nursing associates will be prepared to work in any of the four fields of nursing practice: adult, mental health, learning disability, or child/adolescent. They work with healthcare support workers and registered nurses to deliver care for patients and the public.

Find out more about the role of a nursing associate.

Placements

As a trainee nursing associate, you'll undertake 1,150 hours of practice placements in hospitals and the community. Your first placement will take place in the first term, after ten weeks of teaching.

You will undertake your placements at one of our partner Trusts: The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

During your placements, you will be assigned Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors who will directly assess and supervise you, as well as act as a means of support and guidance.

Nursing FAQs

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:

Rationale for your choice of career
How your personality lends itself to a career as a nurse
Evidence of investigation of nursing as a career that demonstrates insight of the role
What attracts you to the profession
Personal qualities and transferable skills that may contribute to success in the course and profession
What sports/activities you enjoy and what skills you have developed

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?
This information is still to be confirmed.

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.

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.

Page last updated: 12 November 2025

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.