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.

Course Practicalities
Lectures take place Monday to Friday throughout the year. A typical day would contain 4 to 6 hours of lectures but it is expected that students would spend the remainder of the day in reading around the topic and self-directed learning. Where workshops are scheduled these may run from 9am to 5pm. Field trips and self-directed tasks in the community setting are also scheduled.

Modules (60 credits)

Module Title Credits
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
Consult the University Calendar (Diploma in Public Health Nursing) for further information on course and module content.

Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

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

For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure 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.

Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please see the following link for important information regarding the application and recruitment sponsorship scheme for student public health nurses (http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/Jobs/Job_Search/Nursing/PHNSponsorship/)

Candidates must apply for sponsorship online through www.pac.ie.

For further queries on the HSE recruitment please email Mary Hinds, HSE at recruitment.phnsponsorship@hse.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