BSc(Hons) Nursing (Mental Health)

In this module, you'll build your understanding of the essential principles and values that underpin nursing practice. You'll typically explore the NMC Code, professionalism, personal wellbeing, reflective practice, communication and evidence-based decision-making. You'll learn how to recognise and respond to vulnerability, advocate for person and family-centred care, and consider diverse values and cultural characteristics. You'll also develop your understanding of ethical practice, safeguarding and collaborative care, while learning how personal wellbeing, reflective practice and effective communication support safe, compassionate and high-quality care.

In this module, you'll build your knowledge and skills to enhance and sustain health and wellbeing and address health inequalities. You'll typically explore health promotion and prevention, public health, epidemiology, health inequalities, immunisation, lifestyle choices and the wider determinants of health. You'll consider how social, economic, environmental and early-life factors can influence health outcomes, alongside the importance of inclusive, person and family-centred care. You'll also develop your understanding of health literacy, shared decision-making, consent and self-management, learning how to support people to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing

In this module, you'll build your confidence and proficiency in providing safe, effective, person and family-centred care through practice placements and simulated practice learning. You'll develop key nursing skills, including personal care, basic observations, aseptic non-touch technique and injection techniques, alongside medication dosage calculations. You'll also develop your skills through mandatory preparation for practice, including basic life support and moving and handling. As a guided participant in care, you'll learn to apply your knowledge and skills with increasing confidence, work within professional, ethical and legal frameworks, and further develop your reflective practice skills.

In this module, you'll build your understanding of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology and how this knowledge applies to nursing practice across the lifespan. You'll typically explore human body systems and homeostasis, biology and genomics, nutrition and excretion, disease development and immune function, growth and development, and mental and physical health. You'll also develop your knowledge of pharmacology, including pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug actions and the therapeutic use of medicines. Through these areas, you'll learn how anatomical, physiological and pharmacological knowledge relates to health and wellbeing across the lifespan, and underpins the care you will deliver to your patients.

This module explores how evidence supports high-quality nursing care and continuous improvement in healthcare services. You'll examine evidence-based practice through the integration of research findings, clinical expertise and people's values and preferences. Topics include research methods, ethics, service evaluation, audit, critical thinking and quality improvement methodologies. The module also considers how to monitor outcomes, evaluate care and use evidence to inform decision-making. By developing skills in analysing and applying research, you'll strengthen your ability to contribute to service improvement and improved experiences for people using healthcare services.

This module will help you build a strong understanding of pharmacology and the principles that underpin safe and effective medicines management. You'll explore pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, polypharmacy, prescribing processes and the legal and professional frameworks that govern medication use. The module also examines allergies, contraindications, side effects, adverse reactions and prescribing errors, alongside issues of consent and capacity. Through the application of pharmacological knowledge to practice scenarios, you'll develop the confidence to support informed decision-making and contribute to safe, person-centred care.

In this module, you'll develop holistic assessment and clinical decision-making skills for mental health nursing. You'll explore how physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs inform person-centred care, working collaboratively with individuals, families, carers and multidisciplinary teams. The syllabus typically covers communication, reasonable adjustments, health inequalities, cultural competence, safeguarding, mental capacity, vulnerability, risk and record keeping. By applying critical thinking to assessment information, you'll learn to identify priorities, plan evidence-informed interventions and evaluate care safely across diverse settings.

This module will develop your understanding of complex and integrated care within mental health nursing. You'll examine how to coordinate support across organisations and professions while maintaining continuity for individuals, families and carers. Typical themes include professional and ethical frameworks, vulnerability, co-morbidities, end-of-life care, consent, capacity, risk management and evidence-informed decisions. The module also considers health determinants, behaviour change, digital technologies, policy, leadership and advocacy, helping you provide holistic and equitable care in complex settings.

Through placements and simulated learning, this module will develop your confidence and proficiency in mental health nursing practice. You'll build clinical skills, professional behaviours and medication dosage knowledge while providing safe, effective and person-centred care for people with diverse physical, psychological, social and emotional needs. Indicative content aligns with professional nursing standards and practice documentation. Supported by supervisors and assessors, you'll apply theory with increasing independence, complete preparation for practice and strengthen inclusive care across varied environments.

In this module, you'll develop your leadership, teamwork and supervision skills for nursing practice. You'll typically explore leadership principles and models, professional accountability, team management, delegation and supervision, resilience, emotional intelligence and human factors. You'll learn to critically evaluate how leadership and management practices can influence nursing care and patient outcomes, and develop evidence-based approaches to role modelling and supporting others' professional development. You'll also build your understanding of quality improvement, risk management, digital technologies, organisational change and public policy, and how these can influence nursing practice and the wider healthcare environment.

In this module, you'll develop your critical thinking and research skills in the context of evidence-based nursing practice, applying these practices to an area of nursing practice which holds particular interest for you. You'll typically explore quantitative and qualitative research methods, research designs, sources of evidence, evaluating quality of care and applying research findings to practice. You'll learn to critically appraise research methods and consider ethical issues relevant to nursing, while using national and international evidence to inform clinical decision-making. You'll also develop your ability to identify gaps in current knowledge, propose areas for improvement and communicate research findings clearly and effectively.

In this module, you'll further develop your knowledge and skills as you prepare to transition into professional mental health nursing practice. You'll typically explore professional and ethical frameworks, evidence-based decision-making, person and family-centred care, interdisciplinary working, safeguarding, risk management and medication management. You'll develop your ability to assess individual care needs, justify nursing interventions using critical thinking and communicate effectively when prioritising and handing over care. You'll also build your knowledge and proficiency in medication calculations, while developing your understanding of care planning, health promotion and discharge and transition planning.

In this module, you'll further develop your confidence and proficiency in providing safe, effective, person and family-centred care through practice learning. You'll develop your ability to lead and coordinate care, working independently with minimal supervision across a broad range of situations. Your practice learning may include international or elective placement opportunities and may be supplemented by simulated practice learning. You'll also develop clinical skills relevant to mental health nursing, learn to work within professional, ethical and legal frameworks, and build your ability to critically reflect on your nursing practice as you prepare for qualification.