BSc Hons Mental Health Nursing at University of Abertay Dundee United Kingdom
Introduction
Key Features
• Over 30 years of expertise in delivering pre-registration nursing
• Teaching grounded in research
• Strong emphasis on clinical practice
• Registration as a Mental Health Nurse
• Gain both an academic and a professional qualification
• Opportunity to gain clinical practice experience outside Scotland in year 3
• Opportunity for extended clinical practice in community settings in year 4
• Opportunity to work towards an accredited Certificate in Counselling Skills
The University has offered undergraduate degree level, pre-registration nurse education courses for over 30 years. This course offers you the opportunity to draw on the wealth of experience and expertise that we have developed over these years, and to gain both a University degree and professional registration while doing so.
The overall programme of study is designed to equip you with the clinical, personal and professional skills and theoretical knowledge required to practice as a nurse. To this end we place equal weight on classroom teaching and on teaching and learning in clinical practice.
The first year of the degree offers a basic introduction to health and nursing. On successful completion of year three of the programme, students are eligible to apply for registration as Mental Health Nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on part 1 RN3, RNMH of the professional register.
The Honours year is a particularly rewarding experience and is avaliable in both full and part-time modes. Students are encouraged to engage at an advanced level in a wide range of topics including clinical psychology, critical perspectives on mental health, issues in public health, and key issues in forensic mental health. Students may also opt to do an additional community mental health practice placement as an alternative to the research project.
Core Themes
What you study
The early Years of the programme are focused on helping students to understand the experience of mental distress and the different ways of responding to, and caring for people with mental health needs. Students are also introduced to core skills for mental health work. These are developed throughout the course and there is a particular emphasis on the use of psychosocial approaches and on the development of interpersonal and counselling skills. The course is recovery-oriented and, with this in mind, significant attention is given to the importance of a partnership approach to working with people who have experience of mental health problems.
Throughout the course, there is a strong collaborative input from specialised health areas at Abertay, as well as from practising health professionals. The aim of this is to provide students with the experience of multi-professional, collaborative teamwork. Subject specialists in mental health, counselling, psychology, physiology and research all provide input to the degree.
The development of clinical competence is a key aim of this course. During your time with us you will be expected to work alongside other healthcare professionals in a range of settings, including a variety of community facilities and hospital placements. You will gain experience of working with individuals, their families and carers.
How you learn
Our aim is to provide you with the knowledge and expertise that are required for work in the ever-changing healthcare environment. We will help you to develop your critical thinking and problem solving abilities as well as your practical clinical skills.
A significant amount of learning takes place in clinical practice and you will be supported by a Practice Mentor and clinical staff from Abertay. You will also be taught in the University, where you will be able to take advantage of our state-of-the-art library, clinical skills teaching facility, and information technology facilities as well as the knowledge and expertise of subject specialists. The University has an established programme of research in mental health and in counselling. Both of these areas will inform your learning experience.
During the theoretical part of the course, you will typically spend around eighteen hours per week attending classes and will undertake approximately twenty hours of private study.
The total practice component of the course is made up of over seventy weeks of clinical practice, based on a 37.5-hour working week. You will be expected to complete approximately twenty weeks of practice in each of the first three years of the programme, with the option of an additional sixteen weeks in year four. All students are provided with experience of working in a variety of clinical placements. While we make evey effort to find placements near to your term-time address, students may be expected to travel across Tayside, Fife, Angus and Perth and Kinross when on placement.
How you are assessed
Assessment involves a variety of strategies including clinical assessment, essays, case studies, examinations and class tests. These are designed to assess clinical competence and theoretical understanding as it develops across the programme.
Career Opportunities:
Graduates from this programme go on to work in a range of settings including the NHS, the private and voluntary sectors. Career opportunities for graduate nurses include clinical practice, teaching, research and management. The University also offers opportunities for students to go on to study at both masters and doctoral levels.