Nursing - Public Health Nursing

Course Outline
Our Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing is a Level 9 programme that aims to develop informed and skilled public health nurses. On successful completion of the programme, participants can apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) for registration as a Public Health Nurse (RPHN).

This is a one-year, full-time programme, usually running from September to June inclusive each year. Students undertake nine modules to the value of 60 credits. There are four blocks of placement with a registered public health nurse in the sponsoring HSE area. If your name is not registered in the Midwives Division of the NMBI Register, you will complete an NMBI approved module or unit of study on maternal and child health as part of the course. Maternity placement of five weeks as part of this module will be in Cork University Maternity Hospital. Total clinical placement accounts for over 23 weeks during the year.

Modules
Students take modules to the value of 60 credits incorporating 300 hours of structured contact time and clinical practicum. Students take 60 credits as follows:

NU6041 Public Health Nursing: Principles and Professional Issues (10 credits)
NU6042 Children, Young People and Families (10 credits)
NU6043 Adults and Older People in the Community (5 credits)
NU6044 Health and Health Promotion: Concepts and Principles (5 credits)
NU6005 Evidence-Based Practice for Healthcare Professionals (10 credits)
NU6047 Clinical Placement: Public Health Nursing (5 credits)
NU6054 Maternal and Child Health Nursing (10 credits)
SS6000 Public Health, Social Services and Community (5 credits)

Please consult the University Academic Calendar (Diploma in Public Health Nursing) for further information on course and module content.

Fitness to Practice This programme is subject to the University's Fitness to Practise Policy - full details may be found here.

Requirements
This programme is open to Registered General Nurses, currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). Candidates must have a NQF level 8 qualification or demonstrate equivalence using an APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) as detailed on application materials.

The recruitment and sponsorship of student public health nurses is a national joint application process between the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and the HSE. Current applicants are required to be registered in the General Nursing Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered AND have a minimum of 3 years post-registration general nursing experience.

Or

Applicants should be registered in the General Nursing Division and another Division of the Register, including Registered Midwife (RM), Registered Children's Nurse (RCN), Registered Nurse Intellectual Disability (RNID) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) Divisions of the Register of Nurses and Midwives maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered; AND have a minimum of 18 months post-registration general nursing experience as an RGN, and 18 months post-registration experience as an RM or RCN or RNID or RPN.

In addition, it is necessary to have an academic level 8 (Honours Degree or Higher Diploma) course completed or provide evidence that you can perform at this level as directed on the application form. If English is not your first language, fluency must be demonstrated (IELTS 7 or higher). Admission to the course will be subject to a joint HSE/Higher Education Institution (HEI) application process.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements available here.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, please find our grades comparison by country here.

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

The campaign is advertised on http://www.hse.ie or simply copy and paste the following url into the address bar on the internet http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/Jobs/Job_Search/Nursing/PHNSponsorship/

For further information about the PGDip Public Health Nursing at UCC please go to https://www.ucc.ie/en/ckw01/.

You can contact the programme coordinator Mr Lloyd Philpott at lloyd.philpott@ucc.ie

A variety of assessment methods are used including continuous assessment, written examinations, presentations and completion of portfolios and clinical workbooks.

1 year full-time

Start Date September 2020