Foundation Degree in Healthcare: Nursing Associate (Direct Entry)

Certificate of Higher Education

Foundation Degree

Certificate of Higher Education, Foundation Degree

USHNAD

Six core modules totalling 120 credits. You will need to successfully complete Programme Stage 1 to progress to Programme Stage 2.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Foundation Structure

The Foundation Degree in Healthcare: Nursing Associate (Direct Entry) is underpinned by the philosophy of ‘Person-Centred Care’. As a Nursing Associate student, you will learn how to care holistically for a diverse range of people in a variety of health and care settings, across the lifespan. By placing the person at the centre of care you will be able to form effective relationships with people, and work with them when delivering and monitoring care, with consideration to the person’s values, beliefs, lifestyle, individual circumstances, language requirements, their family and carers to ensure that their needs are met. This will enable you to support and care for individuals at home, within the community or hospitals or different health care settings and be proactive within the nursing and multi-disciplinary team. 
 
Your programme has been designed to equip you with the appropriate underpinning knowledge and skills to make evidence-based decisions and solve problems, and recognise and demonstrate the professional values expected of you when delivering care within your scope of practice. This programme values and nurtures a commitment to reflective practice and to support your professional development and future aspirations as a nursing associate.    
 
The dynamic and innovative programme has been designed to enable you to obtain a Foundation Degree in Healthcare and to meet the Nursing and Midwifery (NMC) Standards for Pre-Registration Nursing Associate Programmes (2018). You will achieve specific learning outcomes, which will be assessed throughout your programme. This will enable you to be eligible to join the new nursing associate part of the NMC Register. 
 
On successful completion of this programme, you will be expected to be able to: 
 
<ul><li>Treat people with dignity, respecting individual&#39;s diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences  </li></ul>
<ul><li>Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice  </li><li>Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness </li></ul>
 
This programme has been developed in accordance with the QAA Subject Benchmark for nursing.

This course is recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. On successful completion of this programme, you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to join the new nursing associate part of the NMC Register. You will have 5 years from completion of the programme to be eligible to register your qualification with the NMC. If you do not register within the five-year period, you will be required to undertake additional education and training or appropriate experience in line with the NMC Standards. 

 

See: http://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/ for more information.  

Work in partnership with people to encourage shared decision making to manage their own care.  

Skills

Discuss the principles of health and safety legislation, regulations, local and national frameworks, recognising the use of risk assessments, and the need to escalate potential hazards.  

Knowledge

Act as an ambassador for their profession to promote public confidence.  

Values and attitudes

Discuss the processes to facilitate independence, avoiding unnecessary interventions and disruptions in life style.  

Demonstrate the skills to provide person-centred end of life care, and consider end of life decisions and orders.  

Explain the roles of other healthcare professionals and staff in managing a major incident and your role within this.  

Discuss the influence of policy and political drivers that impact health and care provision. 

Provide accurate information that meets their needs of people, families and carers before, during and after interventions.  

Explain the roles, responsibilities and scope of practice of all members of the nursing and multidisciplinary team, and your role within the team.  

Communicate effectively using a range of skills and strategies with colleagues and with different groups of people, in different situations.  

Supervise and support to nursing associate students, health care support workers and others new to the care roles, offering constructive feedback and promote reflective practice.  

Explain and apply the principles of health promotion, prevention of ill-health and health screening. 

Discuss how a person’s capacity affects their ability to make decisions about their own care and to give or withhold consent, and know where and how to seek guidance and support from others when capacity changes to ensure the best interests of those receiving care are upheld.  

Act in accordance with the required professional standards of practice and behaviours expected of a nursing associate to fulfil the registration requirements.  

Describe the principles of infection, prevention and control, communicable disease surveillance and anti-microbial resistance.  

Identify when people need help to ensure equal access to care and support. 

Explain the complexities of providing care needs to people across a wide range of settings and demonstrate your role and contribution when involved in the care of a person who is undergoing discharge or a transition of care between professionals, settings or services.  

Keep complete, clear and accurate records at all times.  

Apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice.

Recognise people at risk of harm, escalate concerns and provide adequate safeguarding for vulnerable people.  

Apply, and where appropriate advocate for non-discriminatory and non-judgemental person-centred care at all times, taking account of any reasonable adjustments, and report any situations, behaviours or errors that may result in poor outcomes.  

Explain the professional responsibility for adopting a healthy lifestyle and maintain a level of personal fitness and well-being.  

Discuss the principles of human and environmental factors when working in teams.  

Demonstrate the ability to support people who are experiencing pain, discomfort, anxiety and confusion.  

Discuss strategies to develop resilience and how to deal with different situations.  

Exercise responsibility for self-reflection and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills.  

Explain the relationship between safe staffing levels and the impact on the quality of safe care, and how to escalate concerns.

Explain how social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, health behaviours and lifestyle choices contribute to health outcomes, for different groups of people, and the support required to enable people to make informed choices.  

Apply knowledge of commonly encountered mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health conditions when delivering safe and effective person-centred care.  

Demonstrate how to prioritise and manage your own workload and examine when aspects of care can safely be delegated to colleagues, family and carers.  

Recognise signs of deterioration or improvement in individuals, record, respond and escalate where necessary.  

Discuss the meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on your ability to provide person-centred care.  

Demonstrate the skills to develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationship with people, families and colleagues.  

Recognise co-morbidities and the demands of meeting people’s nursing and social care needs when prioritising care.  

Explain the roles of different providers of healthcare and work with others from different agencies within the interdisciplinary team.  

Demonstrate evidence-based practice in relation to privacy, dignity, sleep, nutrition, hydration, elimination, mobility, personal hygiene, oral care, wound care, skin integrity to meet people’s needs.  

Recognise signs of vulnerability in yourself or your colleagues and identify actions to minimise risks to health.  

Consider the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the impact on life choices.  

Monitor the effectiveness of care with people, families and carers and document outcomes.  

Explain the principles of research, and how the findings inform best nursing practice.  

Participate in audit activity and contribute to quality improvement.  

Discuss how to support, motivate and interact confidently with other members of the care team.  

Perform all required nursing procedures and effectively manage devices to meet people’s needs.  

Demonstrate the principles of safe and effective optimisation and administration of medicines in accordance with local and national policies including proficiency and accuracy when calculating dosages of prescribed medicines.  

Explain the principles of human development and biopsychosocial sciences when delivering nursing care.  

Describe the principles of epidemiology, demography and genomics and their influence on health and well-being).  

Demonstrate the use of literacy skills (including digital and technological) and numeracy skills to ensure safe nursing practice. 

Undertake routine investigations, interpreting and sharing findings as appropriate and take prompt action when required, including escalating to other professionals.  

USHNAD - Foundation Degree in Healthcare: Nursing Associate (Direct Entry)

Context of the programme 
 
The Standards for Pre-Registration Nursing Associate Programmes (NMC, 2018) and the NMC Standards of Proficiency for Nursing Associates inform this programme. 
The NMC proficiencies are grouped under six platforms that reflect the requirements and expectations of a new nursing associate. These are: 
 
Platform 1: Being an accountable professional 
<ul>
<li>Act in the best interest of the patients. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Act professionally at all times, using their knowledge and experience to make evidence-based decisions and solve problems. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Work within their limits of competence and take responsibility for their actions.  </li>
</ul>
 
Platform 2: Promoting health and preventing ill-health 
<ul>
<li>Play a role in improving and maintaining the mental, physical and behavioural health and well-being of people, families, and communities. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Be actively involved in the prevention of and protection against health and ill health and engage in public health, community development, and in the reduction of health inequalities. </li>
</ul>
 
Platform 3: Provide and monitor care 
<ul>
<li>Provide compassionate, safe and effective care and support people in a range of health and care settings. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Monitor the condition and healthcare needs of people and continually work in partnership with people, families and carers.  </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Contribute to the ongoing assessment of people’s care and know when to refer to others for reassessment.  </li>
</ul>
 
Platform 4: Working in teams 
<ul>
<li>Play an active role within the interdisciplinary team, collaborating and communicating effectively with nurses and different healthcare colleagues and carers. </li>
</ul>
 
Platform 5: Improving safety and quality of care 
<ul>
<li>Make a contribution to the continuous monitoring of people’s experience of care. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Identify risks to safety or experience and take appropriate action, putting the best interests, needs and preferences of people first. </li>
</ul>
 
Platform 6: Contributing to integrated care 
<ul>
<li>Contribute to the provision of care for people, including complex needs, across a range of organisations and settings, at any stage of their lives. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Work with other professionals and carers who are involved in the care of the person, their families and carers, from a range of organisations and settings, through an awareness of their roles and responsibilities.  </li>
</ul>
 
Safe Practice and Raising Concerns 
The nursing programme is regulated by the professional and statutory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Robust processes are in place to manage non-academic concerns relating to student performance in the clinical placement area.
 
The university and placement partners work in close collaboration to ensure your learning in both theory and practice is facilitated.
 
The School of Health &amp; Medical Sciences is required to monitor your progress and take appropriate action if any issues related to good health or good character arise. In the event of poor or unsafe performance being identified in practice, the School has a Reflection and Development Plan process and Fitness to Practise Policy. This process enables robust actions to be put in place to support and monitor your development. If it becomes necessary for a formal investigation to be undertaken, this is underpinned by the School’s Fitness to Practise Policy.
 
The full School of Health &amp; Medical Sciences’ Fitness to Practise Policy is published in your programme handbook.
 
Declaration of Good Health and Good Character 
It is an NMC requirement that nursing associate students confirm good health and good character at the end of each year of the programme, before progressing into the subsequent year of the programme. In addition, there is also a requirement for students to declare immediately to their Programme Director if any cautions, convictions, and/ or health issues arise whilst on the programme. The Fitness to Practise process will be initiated if you do not complete the self- declaration or inform your Programme Director immediately of any cautions, convictions and/or health issues.
 
On successful completion of both theory and practice elements of the programme, and following ratification of results by the Assessment Board the Programme Director (or nominee) is required to sign a Declaration confirming your good health and good character. This is a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirement which must take place prior to application for registration to the NMC Nursing Associate Register.
 
During the programme, it is expected that you will remain in employment with your Trust. If you move to another Trust whilst undertaking this programme you will be able to continue so long as your new employing Trust agrees to fund and support you for the remaining time on the programme and including meeting the requirements of the programme hours. If your employment ceases you will be withdrawn from the programme.
 
As a Nursing Associate student, you will only be able to gain recognition for prior learning credit for this programme if you move from one practice area to another, and remain in employment within your Trust.

The programme uses a blended approach encompassing both face to face and online learning and teaching strategies. It makes full use of available learning technologies whilst recognising the value of face to face interaction and facilitation, enabling a ‘flipped classroom’ approach. The variety of methods used will develop your strengths and preferred learning styles, but will also help you to experience and develop further educational strategies to meet the required outcomes of the programme. The learning strategies will require you to engage in increasingly more challenging work as the programme progresses from Certificate to Diploma level learning.  
 
A range of methods will be used throughout the programme, including:  
 
<ul>
<li>Lectures – Most modules will use lectures as a learning strategy. A lecture enables information to be presented in a logical manner to larger groups of students. This is a useful method for presenting an overview of new materials and in stimulating you to read further around the subject area. Lectures may be in ‘real time’ and/or recorded so that you can re-visit the taught content. A lecture can help you to feel secure in the foundational knowledge required for your field of practice and point you to significant areas for further study.  </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Seminar groups – You will be allocated to a seminar group for the duration of the programme and the learning within these small groups will encourage you to apply theory to practice and extend the depth and breadth of your knowledge. They encourage team working and can be motivating, enhance communication skills and challenge powers of reasoning. Small group work may entail you giving a presentation to demonstrate achievement of a set task; engaging in practical sessions to develop your clinical skills; or debates to engage you in group discussions around contemporary issues or to pursue specific lines of enquiry.  </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Laboratory Practical – These will enable you to consolidate material taught in the lectures, facilitate the acquisition of manual and team skills and provide opportunities for you to use conceptual knowledge and cognitive processes. You will be involved in laboratory sessions within the biology modules.   </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) – this enables the introduction of a ‘trigger’ or situation so that you can embark on a journey of enquiry related to the issues(s) raised. EBL helps you to develop a questioning problem solving approach whilst helping you to understand group dynamics.  </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Practice Experience – The aim of practice experience is for you to observe, participate and practise your skills in a variety of real life contexts. The experience enables you to purposely relate theory to the practice of caring and enables your skills and knowledge to develop through supervised practice. Your practice experience will take place within a range of practice settings so that you work consistently within an established team of health and social care professionals. Your placements will take place in a variety of settings such as specialist units, hospital wards and primary care settings such as Health Centres and people’s homes. </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Simulated Practice (SimPrac) – This enables you to be placed into situations which simulate real life clinical scenarios. Simulation enables you to practise skills within a safe environment and assists with the transfer of these skills to the ‘real life’ setting. A range of technologies are used to facilitate learning e.g. high/ middle and low fidelity simulation models; video feedback and analysis for debriefing. Simulated practice is underpinned by the theory modules allowing for reinforcement and application of knowledge obtained.  </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Guided Independent Study – During the programme you will have periods of time that are set aside for you to undertake prescribed activities individually or in study groups within the modules. These activities may form part of the formative assessment strategy to help you to complete the summative assessment or may be set tasks which you should complete prior to attendance at a taught session and supplement the face to face teaching.  </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Guided Learning – During the programme you will have time allocated for you to undertake planned, facilitated activities and projects. Additionally, this time may be used to support the development of your summative assessments. These activities are designed to enhance your learning, explore a range of contemporary issues and aspects around the practice of nursing, whilst working independently or in groups. This time counts towards the theoretical hours for the programme, and will include formative assessment.  </li>
</ul>
 
<ul>
<li>Online Learning - Online learning uses computer and internet based technologies and resources. These technologies will be used to facilitate, distribute and enhance learning. The portal to online learning at City St George’s is situated within a virtual learning platform named Moodle. You will be given access rights to Moodle and other appropriate online resources such as Elsevier Clinical Skills. Specific guidance will be detailed on the module sites as to online activities to be completed prior to attendance at a taught session </li>
</ul>
You will have also have access to University student support facilities from Learning Success. Learning support at City St George’s is provided by the three teams within Learning Success: Disability Support, Neurodiversity Support and Academic Learning Support. More information can be found at: 
<a href="https://www.city.ac.uk/lead/learning-success">https://www.city.ac.uk/lead/learning-success</a> 
In addition there is a Student Counselling and Mental Health Service and more information about these can be found at: <a href="https://www.city.ac.uk/study/student-support/counselling-and-mental-health-support">https://www.city.ac.uk/study/student-support/counselling-and-mental-health-support</a>

Curriculum Catalogue

Foundation Degree in Healthcare: Nursing Associate (Direct Entry) - Foundation

USHNAD