Nursing (Adult) University of Hertfordshire

Overview

The Nursing (Adult) programme from University of Hertfordshire offers a myriad of exciting and rewarding experiences that will build on your current knowledge and life experiences and help you to make the most of the opportunities available to you as a student and eventually a registered adult nurse.

As a student on this programme, your learning will help you to make a difference not only to the individual service user and his/ her family but to the whole health care team and organisation.

The programme offers students the chance to develop knowledge associated with altered anatomy and physiology as well as manage the complex challenges associated with the psychology and sociology of health and ill-health.

This scientific understanding will be combined with opportunities to learn how to develop human relationships effectively with a diverse range of people, many of whom are vulnerable and need support that is unique to them.

Students will develop critical thinking skills and will be able to appraise and apply complex evidence to their learning in order to make rational decisions relating to patient care and professional judgement.

Careers

Once you have completed the programme and registered with the NMC, most people get some experience as a staff nurse, usually within community or in-patient organisations operating within the NHS, voluntary and independent sectors of health. The opportunities are endless but some ‘typical’ career options are presented below.

• Some people are keen to remain working directly with service users in clinical areas and seek promotion to senior staff nurse or ward sister / manager roles where their expertise is used to lead care given by a team of nurses. Some adult nurses develop particular clinical skills and knowledge that will allow them to become specialist nurses in a given area of care (e.g. district nurse, clinical nurse specialist or nurse consultant).
• These clinical grades co-exist within a wider career framework incorporating management roles such as Modern Matron all the way through to very senior board level roles such as Director of Nursing in an NHS Primary Care or Acute Trust. These roles involve managing multi-million pound budgets and directly leading/ managing a large number of staff as well as strategically influencing how the NHS responds to new developments.
• Some nurses develop interest in research and education and opt to pursue educationally focussed careers within the NHS or in further and higher education institutions such as the University of Hertfordshire. They still retain their professional registration and unique identity as an Adult Nurse but are involved in advancing nursing knowledge and influence through research and education.

Wherever your career takes you, as an Adult Nurse you will never stop learning and will undertake a variety of training and education throughout your career. This might be formal education such as specialist clinical courses or PhD studies or essential skills training associated with professional practice.