Education for Nurses & Midwives

Top

Education for Nurses & Midwives

Overview
Preparing professional educators for practice.

Summary
The PGCert in Education will enable you to become a teacher of Nursing and/or Midwifery in Higher Education and clinical practice. The course explores how people learn and equips you to be an effective educator to facilitate learning in the classroom and at the bedside. This course will equip you with a range of skills that are applicable to practice in a variety of contexts and will enable you to teach students from undergraduate novices to postgraduate/post registration experts.

This course represents great value for money and not only will provide you with a postgraduate certificate from Ulster University but will also allow you to record your qualification as a teacher with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC). On top of this, you will be able to be recognised as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

About
The PGCert in Education will enable you to become a teacher of Nursing and/or Midwifery in Higher Education and clinical practice. The course will enable you to discover how people learn and what you can do as an effective educator to facilitate the production of professional knowledge.

The guiding documents used to write the course content were developed from the Standards to Support Assessment and Learning in Practice (NMC 2008) and the UKPSF published by the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

This course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC) and has been accredited at D2 by the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Work placement / study abroad
Whilst there is no placement as such it is recognised that a vital component of nurse education takes place in the clinical area. Therefore you will be expected to accumulate a specified number of teaching hours in the workplace.

Entry requirements

Entry conditions
We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University's General Entrance Requirements. For general entrance requirements go to:
https://www.ulster.ac.uk/apply/entrance-requirements

Entry Requirements
Applicants must hold a degree in Nursing or Midwifery.

Applicants must have gained

(i) an Honours or non-Honours degree from a university of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, from the Council for National Academic Awards, the National Council for Educational Awards, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council or from an institution of another country which is recognised as being of an equivalent standard; or

(ii) an equivalent standard in a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification; [and]

(b) provide evidence of competence in written or spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent);

or as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b):

(c) in exceptional circumstances, where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.

Specific Requirements for admission are detailed below

Applicants must have current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council

English Language Requirements
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 7.0 with no band score less than 7.0.

Exemptions and transferability
Accreditation of previous learning is an important concept in the School of Nursing. If you have any queries about this you should contact the Course Director directly.

Duration

Attendance
Attendance usually consists of one face to face session per week in the University. This is supported by an online presence and as such this is a blended learning course. In addition to attendance in class students are expected to accumulate teaching experience in higher education and in clinical practice. This is set by the NMC at 360 hours across the calendar year. This means that you will need to be released from your workplace for more than one day per week.

Careers or further progression

Career options
The course continues to be an attractive option for those wishing to develop their career. The primary function of the course is to ensure that upon qualification students can become recorded teachers with the NMC. This is a requirement for those wishing to teach substantively on NMC approved courses. In addition there are colleagues who practice in areas that have a substantial educational component and have found that having a qualification as a teacher at a postgraduate level has been very beneficial.

This is a versatile course and it continues to enjoy approval from the University, the NMC and the Higher Education Academy

Professional recognition
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 
Accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery council (NMC) to record the qualification of teacher (TCH)

Higher Education Academy (HEA) 
Accredited by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) for the purpose of professional recognition as Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Further enquiries

Course Director: Mr Brian McGowan
T: +44 (0)28 9036 6492
E: brian.mcgowan@ulster.ac.uk

Subjects taught

Taught Modules
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Year one
Teaching Practice Experience
Year: 1
The practice learning experience in all nursing programmes forms an integral part of the curriculum delivered that has several key functions for students. All theoretical instruction needs to be grounded in the context of its professional practice and this module provides that context in both the clinical and higher education environment.

Principles of Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Nursing & Midwifery
Year: 1
The purpose of this module is to enable you to become a lecturer/practice educator and record your award with the NMC. The module will provide you with a sound knowledge of the fundamental principles of learning, teaching and assessing in higher education so that you can apply this to professional education and practice. The module is provided as part fulfilment of the requirements for Lecturer/Practice Educator described by stage 4 of the Nursing & Midwifery Council Standards for Supporting Learning and Assessment in Practice (2008). The module also reflects the principles outlined at descriptor 2 of the UKPSF. This is a national framework that benchmarks education practice in higher education.

Facilitating learning, teaching and assessing in healthcare practice
Year: 1
Status: C
The purpose of this module is to build upon the ideas and concepts introduced in NUR776 to provide students with a complete view of the elements that combine to make learning, teaching and assessment effective in higher education and clinical practice.

Comment

Academic profile
The Course Director is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is an experienced educator in Nursing. The staff who contribute to the course are also experienced educators in Nursing and Midwifery and have Fellowship of the HEA, (at least) and have recorded teaching qualifications with the NMC.

Assessment method

Teaching and learning assessment
As you might imagine on a course about learning and teaching a variety of methods are used. This gives students the opportunity to experience different approaches and reflect on them. One of the key skills to be developed in this course though is the extent to which you will be able to self-assess.

Similarly a variety of assessment techniques are used such as essays, observation and simulation.