Person-Centred Practice: Health Visiting (PgDip)

This course will provide the specialist training required for nurses who wish to work in the community as a health visitor.

Teaching and learning on this course is innovative and interactive, emphasising application of theory to your practice context. It will enable you to critically engage with, evaluate and synthesise the evidence and research to promote the development and enhancement of person-centred culture and practice. This develops a pro-active, transformative and reflective approach to meeting the health and social needs of individuals, families, groups and populations and specifically as a Health Visitor contributing to the health and wellbeing of children, young people, families, communities and populations.

On completion of the course you will be able to exercise higher levels of judgement discretion and decision making’ and meet the following core and specialist outcomes required by the NMC: clinical nursing practice, care and pathway management; clinical practice leadership; clinical practice development.

The course outcomes have been developed with the requirements of the NMC Standards of Specialist Education and Practice (NMC 2001), and on successful completion of the course you will be entered onto part 3 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register as a Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting).

Structure and exit awards

You can exit with a PgCert (60 credits) or PgDip (120 credits). You must complete the full PgDip to achieve the NMC Specialist Practitioner Qualification, and on successful completion you will be entered onto part 3 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register as a Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting).

A PgCert is awarded to learners who achieve at least 60 credits, but do not complete the full course.

On successful completion of the course you will be entered onto part 3 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register as a Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting).

You can also register as an associate student to complete a single module for CPD. On completion of a single module, you may wish to complete further modules and progress your studies to a named award. You can apply to study the module Making Judgements and Decisions in Practice. Contact Contact Lisa Luhanga for more information on single module study.

Teaching, learning and assessment

The course delivers theoretical and practical learning opportunities with a strong emphasis on self-directed learning.

Our teaching, learning and assessment strategy is framed by our core philosophical concepts of personhood, person-centredness, human valuing, healthful relations, human potential and development, and supportive and enabling environments.
You will be supported to challenge your thinking, values and beliefs, through the posing of complex activities and questions, and develop resilient and sustainable approaches to your learning and practice in response to these. Assessment strategies will encourage application to practice. This will be achieved through the use of varied strategies that draw on the student’s own areas of practice such as portfolio development, practice proposals, annotated bibliographies, simulation events, games, seminar presentations and self-determined contextual assignment topics. Tutor, peer and self-assessment, including within virtual environments (eg HUB@QMU), will be an important component of approaches to formative and summative assessment.

Placement

The course is 50% practice-based and requires placement in an approved practice. To support learners in their practice learning environment they will be assigned to a Practice Supervisor and a Practice Assessor. Placement will be negotiated with your supporting NHS area.

Teaching hours and attendance

The PgDip Person-Centred Practice (Health Visiting) is an NMC validated course leading to the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Qualification, and therefore the hours for theory and practice are stipulated by the NMC. It is a full time course over 52 weeks. Holidays are set by the University and spread throughout the year.

In semester one for the first 6 weeks you will be full-time in University (either face-to-face teaching, online session or self-study). From week 7 you will be in practice placement for two days a week alongside university study days. Semester two will be full-time in practice placement along with university study days. Semester three is a 10-week period of practice consolidation where you will be full time for 50 consecutive days in practice placement.  

Class sizes

Class sizes will vary.

Teaching staff

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

• Theory and Practice of Person-centred Health and Wellbeing (20 credits): This module facilitates learners’ explorations of some of the concepts, principles and theories underpinning person-centred practice in a variety of care settings and from a variety of perspectives: the prevention of ill-health, anticipatory care, and the promotion of health and well-being. By undertaking this module, learners will develop expertise in understanding and responding to the needs of person, families and communities in a way that is consistent with the theoretical underpinnings and the values of person-centredness throughout the lifespan.
• Leading Child and Family-Centred Practice for Health and Wellbeing (20 credits): The learner will gain a wider understanding of how different sources of evidence and knowledge contribute to the development, delivery and evaluation of innovative health and wellbeing practice when working with the person, as child or young person, families and communities, and of contemporary research consistent with the values of person-centredness. There will be a focus on leadership and collaborative ways of working, evidence generation and implementation of health and wellbeing approaches for healthful cultures.
• Working with Children and Young People in Times of Vulnerability (40 credits): This module facilitates your exploration and understanding of concepts, theories and research underpinning person-centred practice within the context of the child and young person at times of vulnerability in a variety of settings and from a variety of perspectives: the child and young person within contemporary society; public sociology theories and perspectives of the child and family; child protection in its historical and social context; safeguarding legislation, policy, research and practice; judgement and decision-making; leadership and facilitation; strengths based frameworks; ethical, professional and legal issues; professional roles and responsibilities; impact of adversities on the child and young person e.g. for example, disability and disabling environments, substance misuse, mental health; neglect and maltreatment; application and critical analysis of risk assessment and parental capacity; contemporary issues increasing vulnerability such as online safety and cyber abuse, child sexual exploitation (CSE), trafficking, female genital mutilation (FGM); working with children and young people experiencing care and corporate parenting; interpersonal skills for escalating concerns when working interprofessionally and collaboratively with children, young people and their families/carers; relationship building, working in partnership with families, professionals and voluntary services; recognising diversity and equality issues; strategies for the promotion of wellbeing and early intervention; public health approaches.
• The Developing Child and Young Person (20 credits): Understanding of the developing child and young person through the process of brain development from utero to childhood and teenage years, the application of childhood development theories to explain, aid assessment and analyse stages of development and milestones. The importance of relationship building within nurturing and safe environments that enable optimal growth and development and support child mental health and wellbeing. Play and parenting. Reciprocity and mutuality. Assessment of childhood development and the wider influences of health and wellbeing. Times of transition. Adverse Childhood Experiences. Ethical issues. Wider global health and public health issues impacting to the developing child and young person eg living in poverty. Health promotion/education/protection. Epidemiology and social determinants of health.
• Making Judgements and Decisions in Practice (20 credits): The focus of this module is on examining and evaluating judgements and decisions in practice, drawing on relevant sources of robust evidence, contemporary ethics and grounded in the real world of practice.
• An Overarching Portfolio of Learning (non-credit bearing)

NB The modules listed are correct at time of posting (October 2022) but are subject to change. In the event that modules change, QMU will seek to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on students.

Graduates have taken up Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visiting) roles within their health board areas.

Entry requirements

All applicants for Health Visiting need to be on either part 1 of the NMC register and/or registered midwife.

It is recommended that applicants have:

• completed a period of experience of sufficient length to have consolidated pre-registration outcomes and to have gained a deeper understanding in relevant professional practice
• a degree and access to practice placement and Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor

International: You will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 with no individual component score less than 6.0.

Interview: Interviews will take place in collaboration with partner Health Boards.

Other requirements

Criminal Records Check: A satisfactory criminal records check will be required. Compliance with the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and mental health legislation for clinical placement and employability in statutory services, for work with children and in other sensitive areas of employment.

Applying for this course

Applications are made to the NHS Board and are jointly shortlisted with the lecturers from the course. Monitor the NHS Jobs website or contact the relevant manager at your Health Board for more information.

Joint interviews are normally held between partner Health Boards and QMU. You will be required to submit an application to your NHS Health Board and on successful interview an application is made to QMU.

Application deadline

Health boards advertise locally and therefore application deadlines vary.

Start dates

There are intakes in September and January each year. Partner NHS Health Boards normally advertise their recruitment opportunities around March – April for the September intakes, and Aug – Sept for the January intakes.

Terms and Conditions

The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions set out in our 2023/24 Entry - Terms and Conditions (Postgraduate).

Contact Lisa Luhanga (Programme Leader) or contact Admissions 

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