Postgraduate Diploma Public Health (Specialist Community Public Health Nursing)

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

During the course you'll gain experience in a range of different settings and areas of professional practice through collaborative working and inter-professional learning.

You'll cover the following areas:

• In settings and with age groups that are central to the responsibilities for the defined area of practice, health visiting, school nursing or occupational health nursing.
• Working with diverse populations, individuals and families facing multiple disadvantages, health inequalities and factors that contribute to health and wellbeing.
• Working with age groups considered as either important or that may be a potential area of responsibility even if not central to the areas of responsibility.
• Completing 60 days of consolidated practice within your defined area of practice to be completed over 12 weeks.

The practice element of the course is divided into two parts, taught and consolidated.

The taught practice element includes 15 days alternative practice experience, where students get the opportunity to gain an insight and understanding of services provided in settings or with population groups that would not be central to their pathway.

A period of consolidation provides an opportunity for you to focus on your specific profession, building on the previous experiences developed through the course and in practice. This period allows time to prioritise your workload and development your proficiency, as well as fitness to practise as a safe, accountable, and effective practitioner.

The course is 50% theory and 50% practice with designated time at the University in directed study, as well as time in practice with an allocated practice assessor who will co-ordinate and support your learning.

You will study the following modules:

• Principles of Evidence-b Based Public Health
• Public Health and Health Promotion
• Professional Perspectives in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing
• Leadership and Enterprise.

Plus, one of the following optional modules:

• V100 Prescribing Practice
• Promoting the Health of School-aged Children in the Community
• Workplace, Health and Wellbeing.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we'll inform you.

Learning and Teaching

We use a range of teaching and learning methods including formal lectures, small group seminars, enquiry-based and online learning, project work, individual self-directed study, and assignment preparation. Students are encouraged to draw on their own and colleagues' existing experience in the learning process. We provide learning materials and experiences which offer diverse viewpoints, and challenge students to reflect on how their values and opinions impact on their professional practice. We strive to cultivate an inclusive, compassionate learning environment on the course and work closely with our partner organisations to support you.

For more details see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.

To facilitate learning in practice, you'll be allocated an assessor who is qualified in your chosen practice area: health visiting, school nursing, sexual health, or occupational health.

Core study themes include:

• critical reflection on practice and learning
• self-awareness and compassionate communication
• self-evaluation and professional development planning
• leading teams and managing change
• multi-disciplinary team working
• inter-professional and inter-agency working
• needs assessment, planning and evaluation of practice
• equitable service development
• group working and teaching
• critical evaluation and utilisation of research in practice
• critical evaluation of policy and its implementation in practice.

IT skills are vital for your academic studies. At UWE Bristol, IT is an integral part of your course - all of your learning materials are available online via the Blackboard virtual learning environment, lectures and seminars may occur virtually, and all modules will require you to use information technology to help you undertake and present your work.

You'll benefit from fantastic IT facilities on all of our campuses. On our main, Frenchay Campus we have 24/7 computing facilities, and the Department provides support throughout your course. Before you start your course, you may find it helpful to familiarise yourself with some basic IT skills, including:

• basic word processing
• storing and finding files
• communicating via email and video conferencing
• searching the web for information, e.g. online shopping, booking a holiday.

We also have a range of information and resources, including interactive exercises to support study skills available via our library.

Assessment

We assess our modules by a range of methods including case studies, oral presentations, project work, professional practice portfolios, written assignments and exams.

For more detail see our full glossary of assessment terms.