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If you are applying for this course from outside the UK, click apply now (Please note you must have an IELTS 7.0 with 6.5 in each element before applying)
Course starts: 25 April 2022Apply now
If you are applying for this course from within the UK, click apply now.
Course starts: 25 April 2022Apply now
Learn from an enthusiastic team of skilled 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 Nurse (Adult).
Watch our Nursing webcastWe have developed this exciting degree in collaboration with Sunderland CARE Academy partner organisations including South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, along with Clinical Commissioning Groups and our Patient, Carer and Public Involvement (PCPI) participants.
On successful completion of the course, you will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nurse (Adult).
During your first year, you will be introduced to the requirements of becoming a registered 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.
Fifty percent of your time over the duration of the 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 will 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 will need to demonstrate compassionate and caring approaches to patients and interprofessional working in the healthcare workforce and the programme 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.
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.
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, then your application will be individually assessed by the Adult Nursing Practice Admissions Tutor and if successful you will 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.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
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 have achieved 120 credits at Level 4.
If you are interested in the APL route, please contact the admissions tutor for further information: Yvonne Hindmarsh at yvonne.hindmarsh@sunderland.ac.uk or on 0191 515 2890.
Access
We would be looking for a combination of merit and distinctions in your level 3 units which should preferably include some units in a Health or a Science related subject. We also require a minimum of grade C in maths and English language or equivalent. If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above.
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 health care 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 are 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 will be given an unconditional offer. If you are successful, you will also need to complete an annual declaration form to confirm you are 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.
Annual fees for April 2022 intake:
*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals are classed as international, however 21/22 entrants will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the (undergraduate) home tuition fee rate of £9,250 for the duration of their studies. 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. For more information, see our Funding for Armed Forces personnel page.
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
Use our scholarships calculator to see what you may be entitled to.
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. The completion of this course will lead to registration with the NMC as a qualified adult nurse.
Adult nurses are key workers and make up the largest part of the NHS workforce with over 176,000 working in just acute settings. 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 will 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 nursing career at the University of Sunderland with one of our partner Trusts and develop life-long nursing skills in a collaborative and supportive environment. Many career opportunities are available post-qualification and with additional qualifications, nurses have the potential of earning £40K plus.
At all levels of the course, you will undertake unpaid clinical placements in hospitals and the community. The placements occur in blocks of varying duration:
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: 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 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 acting 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.
I have always felt valued at the University, and the support was always there.
The facilities are so the state of the art that they really help prepare you for the real world.
The friendly nature of the staff and students here at the University of Sunderland is amazing.
It has been a challenging, exciting and educational adventure
You learn so much, the lecturers are brilliant – they'll give you any amount of time that you need.
It has always been about making a difference. Nurses make a difference every day.
The academics' unique skills help you progress in your learning
Do I need work experience?
Given the current Covid-19 pandemic 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 are currently taking place online via Microsoft Teams. They will consist of an individual interview and group activity. For advice on how to prepare please read our article on how to prepare for online 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 a year, with two weeks 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 you will be asked to rank your three preferred Trusts. 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. During the three years 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 between 7- 12 hours and the shift pattern can vary between Trusts. Your shifts will be confirmed four weeks prior to starting your placement. It is not possible to fit placements around school hours and holidays.
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