University College Cork

Nursing - Practice Nursing

Course Outline
The Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing will be delivered in blended learning format over two academic years. The aim of this programme is to challenge nurses to think critically and creatively about practice nursing and to enable students to develop their knowledge and skills in order to keep pace with developments in the field of primary care. On completion of this programme students will be equipped with the necessary theory, practical and policy knowledge required for the professional development of the practice nurse in primary care. This Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing offers healthcare professionals a flexible option to study while they continue to work and validate their professional experience. Students who enrol in the Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing will do so for their career progression, research capacity building, higher specialist training, and general interest in practice nursing.

The overall aim of this blended learning Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing is to offer professionals a flexible option to study while they continue to work and in many cases to validate their professional experience. This postgraduate diploma will be delivered in blended learning format over two academic years, with 30 credits being delivered each year. All students commencing will be required to comply with the Fitness to Practise Policy and meet the relevant Fitness to Practise standards in order to progress to the next year of their programme.

Why Choose This Course
This Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing offers healthcare professionals a flexible option to study while they continue to work and validate their professional experience. Students who enrol in the Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing will do so for their career progression, research capacity building, higher specialist training, and general interest in practice nursing.

Entry requirements

Requirements
Applicants must be Registered General Nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI);

Applicants must have a minimum of twelve months post-registration experience (excluding courses);

Applicants must be currently working in general practice or provide written evidence that they have identified a general practitioner (GP) practice where they can undertake clinical placement.

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.

For more information please contact the International Office.

Duration

2 years Part-time.

Additional Teaching Mode Information
Blended learning over 2 academic years.

Careers or further progression

Skills and Careers Information
What can I do after i Graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing?
The postgraduate programme prepares nurses to critically review their practice to increase effectiveness in patient-centred care in primary care. On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

Enhance clinical nursing practice through the application of well-assimilated policy, theoretical, and practical knowledge.

Critically appraise and evaluate current research evidence and best practice for practice nursing and its implications for practice.

Exercise accountability within the clinical, ethical and professional boundaries of the role of practice nursing.

Evaluate the effectiveness of individual outcomes against specialist intervention plans for individuals and their families in primary care.

Synthesise health related issues for the development of intervention/service responses appropriate to the needs of individuals and their families in primary care.

Contribute as a learned member of the multidisciplinary team in the delivery of quality healthcare for individuals and families within the context of practice nursing.

Act as a means of professional support, educator and role model for the provision of lifelong learning to ensure on-going professional development.

Occupations associated with Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Nursing

Private General Practice- Practice Nurse/ Clinical Nurse Manager

Health Service Executive- Advanced Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Specialist/Community Nurse

What are our graduates doing?
Postgraduate students from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC have positions in the private and public health sector working as:
Advanced Nurse Practitioners,
Clinical Nurse Specialists,
Clinical Nurse Managers,
Public Health Nurses,
Community Nurses,
Specialist Nurses in Oncology, Orthopaedics, Emergency, Gerontology, and Intensive Care.

Further enquiries

Serena Fitzgerald
serena.fitzgerald@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 4901516
https://www.ucc.ie/en/med-health/

Sheila Hedderman
s.hedderman@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21-490-1560

Subjects taught

PG Diploma in Practice Nursing Core Modules (Year 1)
Students complete modules to the value of 30 credits
GP6003 Principles & Context Of Primary Care And General Practice (5 Credits)
Nu6155 Clinical General Practice Nursing 1 (5 Credits)
NU6157 Child Growth & Development (5 Credits)
NU6070 Practice Enhancement For Nursing And Midwifery (10 Credits)

+ One elective module to be chosen to the value of 5 credits.

Elective options (Year 1, Semester 1):
NU6053 Ethics For Specialist Practice (5 Credits)
GP6005 Women's Health In General Practice (5 Credits)
NU5087 Practice And Principles Of Health Promotion (5 Credits)

PG Diploma in Practice Nursing Core Modules (Year 2)

Students complete modules to the value of 30 credits
NU6005 Research Methods (10 Credits)
NU6156 Clinical General Practice Nursing 2 (5 Credits)
GP6004 Chronic Disease Management In General Practice (5 Credits)

+ Two elective modules to be chosen to a total value of 10 credits i.e. 2 x 5 credit or 1 x 10 credits

Elective options (Year 2, Semester 2):
NU6085 Wound Care For Health Professionals (5 Credits)
NU6158 Evidence-Based Cervical Screening (10 Credits)
NU5077 Diabetes Management (5 Credits)
GP5100 Diabetes In Primary Care (10 Credits)
MH5085 Obesity Management & Prevention Training For Healthcare Professionals (5 Credits)

There will be a choice of elective modules to choose from in the area of:
wound care
health promotion
women's health
ethics
cervical screening
diabetes
obesity management and prevention.

Students will be closely supported by the programme coordinator, staff involved in each module, and the online learning technologist within the School of Nursing. Academic writing skills, Blackboard training, and library tours will also be made available to all students. Each student will have a clinical preceptor who will receive training from the School of Nursing and Midwifery to support their clinical experience.

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.

Comment

Course Practicalities
For each 10 credit blended learning module there is an estimated 200 hours student workload. The breakdown of these hours is:

184 hours distance online and technology learning, and 16 hours of face-to-face contact in University College Cork (lectures, workshops).

The breakdown for 5 credit theory modules will be half the hours stated above for 10 credit modules.

Who teaches this course
Staff, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of General Practice, Health Service Executive and CervicalCheck–The National Cervical Screening Programme.

Assessment method

A blended approach to assessment will involve both e-tivities and traditional approaches. Each assessment is alignment to the module learning outcomes. A range of continuous assessments are used across the modules. These may include a literature review, academic essays, case studies, online presentations, poster presentation, online discussion forums, quizzes, accumulative report writing, reflective journals, clinical workbook and clinical visits. Modules will be delivered by staff from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Department of General Practice, and CervicalCheck – The National Cervical Screening Programme.

Application date

Applications for academic year 2020/2021 are open.

EU Applicants: UCC operates a rounds closing date system for the majority of postgraduate taught courses, which means offers are made four times a year on a rolling basis. Some courses have one specific closing date, please check your course prospectus page for this information.

The UCC rounds closing dates for postgraduate taught courses are below. Applicants are advised to apply as soon as possible.

Deadline for receipt of full applications:
For all completed applications received by January 10th 2020
Offers will be made by January 24th 2020

For all completed applications received by March 2nd 2020
Offers will be made by March 16th 2020

For all completed applications received by May 1st 2020
Offers will be made by May 15th 2020

For all completed applications received by July 1st 2020
Offer will be made by July 15th 2020

Late applications may be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for any courses that have remaining capacity.

Non-EU Closing Date: 15 June
Non-EU Applicants: Information for Non-EU applicants may be found on the International Office Website https://www.ucc.ie/en/international/