MSc
Nursing (Pre-registration - Child)

Key Information


Duration

2 years

Start Date

January 2025

Typical Offer

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Campus

Brayford Pool

Academic Year

Course Overview

Children's nurses are part of multidisciplinary teams that care for children of all ages. They play an essential role in assessing a child's needs and supporting children's families.

This Master's degree enables graduates from a range of backgrounds the opportunity to transfer their skills to become a registered nurse (child). The course is aimed at graduates of relevant degrees who aspire to qualify for eligibility to apply to the NMC Register.

The course is underpinned by the Nursing and Midwifery Councils's (NMC) core values and aims to promotes critical thinking skills and the spirit of inquiry.

Over the past few decades the nurse's role has developed due to the changing context of health and social care, resulting in a wide range of new roles and services. Registered nurses (child) hold a significant role in terms of leading and coordinating care provision for people across the lifespan; aware of complex mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural care needs of those they look after.

This Master's degree aims to develop registered nurses (child) who prioritise people by providing safe and effective care, educating those in their care through the use of technology, promoting health literacy to prevent ill health, and supporting healthy choices and lifestyles. The course has been developed to raise the professional values and social conscience of students to prepare them for future healthcare roles.

Nurses translate evidence-based knowledge to improve healthcare delivery while maintaining and emphasising the ethics of person centred care. Modules on this course have been designed with this in mind and aim to stimulate innovation, improve quality, manage risk, and identify areas for productive change.

The University of Lincoln, together with our practice partners, share a vision to prepare students to become dynamic nurses that are fit for practice in rapidly changing and challenging care environments.

Why Choose Lincoln

Delivered by experienced practitioners

Modern clinical suites to apply theory

Placements in a range of settings

Study abroad opportunities

YouTube video for Why Choose Lincoln

How You Study

Collaboration is a key part of this Master's degree and students are encouraged to learn with and from other healthcare professionals. Students can work in collaboration and partnership with academics, practitioners, service users, and other students. The course aims to empower students to become nurses that are resilient, caring, reflective, and lifelong learners to facilitate knowledge of other roles and services, inter-agency cooperation, and the confidence to work across professional boundaries.

Student as Producer

Research-engaged and evidence-based learning and teaching is at the core of the student learning experience on this course. Student as Producer is a model of teaching and learning that encourages academics and undergraduate students to collaborate on research activities. It is a programme committed to learning through doing.

The principles of Student as Producer are discovery, collaboration, engagement, and production.

Discovery

Students can learn through their own research. Independent learning is promoted on each module through both directed and self-directed study, enabling students to contextualise the taught content to their field of practice and promoting independent study as a process students can use throughout their professional career.

Collaboration

Interprofessional working is an important part of the course. Students can work together to develop their knowledge and understanding and students can collaborate amongst professional peer groups and staff. Students are seen as partners in the production and dissemination of knowledge.

Engagement

Students can develop their confidence and identity as a member of a professional community. Students can transfer and apply their learning to nursing practice, fully engaging with reflection, and the proactive identification of their own learning needs.

Production

The course focuses on the production of professionally relevant and innovative learning outputs that can be applied and implemented within nursing practice, as well as focusing on the achievement of academic learning outcomes. 

By the end of the programme students must be able to demonstrate competence against the Future nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses. These include being an accountable professional, Promoting health and preventing ill health, assessing needs and planning care, providing and evaluating care, leading and managing nursing care and working in teams, improving safety and quality of care and, coordinating care.

Study Abroad

In the second year, you may have the opportunity to undertake an elective placement either overseas or in the UK. Placements can enable you to focus on an alternative healthcare context and offer the opportunity to gain an insight into, and experience of, working alongside colleagues from a range of disciplines. You are responsible for your own travel, accommodation, and general living costs while studying abroad.

Modules


† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.

Assessing needs, planning and coordinating care (L7) 2024-25NUR9038MLevel 72024-25This module is designed to develop the knowledge and skills needed to undertake a detailed clinical history within a variety of settings within students' chosen fields. By the end of this module students should be able to interpret a number of investigations and assessments, document and communicate their findings, and apply their knowledge of pathophysiology, signs and symptoms and interventions recommend a person-centred evidence based plan of care. Students will be supported to develop the skills necessary to communicate the plan of care. Students can how to coordinate the delivery of care for people with a range of physical and mental health needs, and people with learning disabilities across the lifespan.CoreBeing an Accountable Professional Registered Nurse (Child) (L7) 2026-27NUR9043MLevel 72026-27This module will help you to focus on the transition from student nurse to a Registered Children’s Nurse in your chosen field of practice. You will be supported to develop the skills you will need to become more resilient and able to deal with the difficult decisions you will have to make in every day care situations, particularly in light of political and economic constraints. You will have the opportunity to reflect on your learning and develop a portfolio that will help you towards meeting the requirements of registration and revalidation, and identify your future career goals. The learning outcomes in this module reflect The Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2015, updated 2018).CoreEssential Interprofessional Practice 2024-25HEA9432MLevel 72024-25This module has been designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop essential knowledge and understanding about the structure and function of health and social care in the UK. The module will support students in making the transition to Master's level study and assist them in the development of key skills such as critical evaluation, reflection, and using evidence to underpin practice.CoreImproving Population Health and Wellbeing 2025-26HEA9431MLevel 72025-26Population health and a population health approach aims to improve the health and wellbeing of a population, this could be at a local, regional or national level. It is about improving both mental and physical health outcomes, wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. It includes action to reduce ill health, ensure appropriate health and care services are provided and the wider determinants of health. It requires working with communities and partner agencies (Holmes, 2022). Lifestyle choices are increasing the risk of preventable diseases and affecting individual's wellbeing. People are living longer with more multiple long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma and the health inequality gap in increasing. Population health is one of the core strategic aims of integrated care systems (ICSs); to improve physical and mental health outcomes, promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across an entire population, focusing on the wider determinants of health (NHS England, 2023).CoreLeadership and Supervision in Nursing Practice 2024-25NUR9041MLevel 72024-25This module explores aspects of leadership and management in healthcare, alongside practical skills for facilitating practice learning and supervising students in a range of learning environments. Students can gain an understanding of management and leadership theory and how human factors can impact upon organisational culture, service delivery, and clinical practice. Students can learn how to function effectively as a member of a team, motivating and supporting their colleagues. Students can collectively explore the skills required for critical and constructive reflection as a registered professional, preparing for lifelong personal and professional development. This will include practicing coaching and mentorship techniques, to support and facilitate the development of others on the programme; reflecting the culmination of their engagement in peer to peer education and buddying throughout the programme.CoreManaging complex care (L7) 2025-26NUR9042MLevel 72025-26Care is becoming more multifaceted with increasing co-morbidities and an increase in the health and care complexities experience by some people, and whilst there are advances in treatments and technologies, there is a need to prioritise the care we provide in an increasingly complex care environment. The aim of this second year module is to help students explore the needs of people with complex health needs across the lifespan, including coping with long-term illness and disability. Students will be expected to explore care delivery for individuals and groups of people, and building on the leadership theories learnt in year one to employ the skills of decision-making and delegation within a team or organisation. This is synonymous with the ability to make clinically sound decisions based on best evidence within complex and rapidly changing clinical environments. It is intended that by the end of this module students will have developed their confidence to lead and manage these complex care situations and decisions.CoreProviding and evaluating care (L7) 2024-25NUR9040MLevel 72024-25This first year module aims to help further develop the skills and knowledge in order to provide holistic care and evaluate the care that nurses and their teams provide to people to meet their health and wellbeing needs. By the end of this module students should be able to document and evaluate the effectiveness of care provided to people requiring treatment for physical and/or mental health conditions. This includes re-establishing treatment goals and prioritising the provision of care; facilitating shared decision-making on discharge or transition to other services. Students can also develop their skills to safely judge the use of medicines for people in their care, including therapeutic uses, effects, and modes of action, and students should be able to calculate medicines correctly.CoreService Evaluation for Clinical Practice 2025-26HEA9433MLevel 72025-26This module provides the learner with a knowledge and skills of appropriate quality improvement tools to systematically evaluate an area of service delivery within their field of practice. The module will support students to critically examine current research and audit practices in order to systematically reviewing the literature to find alternative ways of working to improve patient outcomes. Students will be expected to prepare a business case proposal for change within their professional area.CoreService Transformation 2025-26HEA9434MLevel 72025-26This second year module provides the students with the chance to develop the knowledge and skills required to systematically propose a service transformation project in order to improve service delivery and patient safety within their area of professional practice. This module aims to enhance the students’ underpinning knowledge, project management, leadership, and problem solving skills in order to undertake a process of service improvement within the delivery of health and social care. The main focus of the taught content is to ensure that care standards, quality assurance mechanisms, improvement methodologies, process and strategies are fully considered and incorporated into the project.Core

What You Need to Know

We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, contact hours, and our return to face-to-face teaching.

Nursing and Midwifery Council Logo

Nursing and Midwifery Council 2018 Future Nurse Standards

The programme is validated to the NMC 2018 Future Nurse standards, as such, we co-teach across the adult, child, and mental health nursing pre-registration programmes.

Facilities

The University has invested £19 million in the Sarah Swift Building, a dedicated facility for the School of Health and Social Care. The course is delivered in well-equipped clinical suites for simulated practice, with separate teaching and observation areas.

YouTube video for Facilities

Placements

You can undertake work placements which are designed help you contextualise your knowledge and prepare you to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing clinical environment, whether this be a hospital, GP surgery, or community healthcare setting. Placements are a compulsory element to the programme and will be undertaken with a range of partner sites and departments across the county of Lincolnshire. Travel to placements will be expected and you will be responsible for all related travel costs. 

How you are assessed

Students are assessed both formally and informally throughout the course to develop learning and autonomy. Assessments can take place both within the University and practice placement environments. Practice-based learning will be assessed as either a pass or fail. Academic work contributes towards their final grade.

Some of the assessment on the course is led by tutors, however students are encouraged to engage in peer and self-assessment to help develop the skills of reflection and evaluation which are essential for lifelong learning and continued professional development, following registration as a nurse.

Some of the assessments focus on theoretical knowledge and the application of theory, and others on the practical performance of technical skills and patient management.

Assessments throughout the programme have been designed to be relevant to professional working practices. 

The course has been well structured with lectures, seminars, and clinical skills sessions teaching knowledge and skills that are directly relevant to the practice placements you undertake. These placements have helped me to develop personally and professionally.

Career Development

Postgraduate study is an investment in yourself and your future. It can help you to further or completely change your career, develop your knowledge, enhance your salary, or even prepare you to start your own business. Our nursing students have gone on to work in a wide range of healthcare settings in both community and acute services within Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and further afield in posts such as community staff nurse, GP practice nurse, and nurses in accident and emergency departments.

Why Postgraduate Study?

How to Apply

Postgraduate Application Support

Applying for a postgraduate programme at Lincoln is easy. Find out more about the application process and what you'll need to complete on our How to Apply page. Here, you'll also be able to find out more about the entry requirements we accept and how to contact us for dedicated support during the process.

How to Apply
A student listening in a seminar

Entry Requirements 2024-25

Entry Requirements

- Applicants should hold an honours degree at 2.2 classification or above.

- Normally 3 GCSEs at grade 4 (C) including English, Maths and Science, or equivalent qualifications. These GCSEs must be obtained prior to submitting an application. Applicants who completed an Access to HE in Health and Social Care will be required to provide evidence of undertaking science units at level 3.

- Evidence of experience in a practice setting to include 650 hours of care related practice experience should be completed prior to application and discussed within your personal statement. Documentation will need to be provided and verified within one month of interview (if successful). Please see below for more information.

Certificates and degree transcripts of all previous qualifications will need to be provided before any offers are confirmed.

- IELTS 7.0 with no element below 6.5.

- Successful performance at an interview.

- Knowledge of contemporary health and social care issues, and the role of the Child Nurse in providing healthcare.

- Understanding of written material and can communicate clearly and accurately in written and spoken English.

- "Settled residential status" in the United Kingdom in line with the requirements of the 1971 Immigration Act (International students only).

- Resident in the United Kingdom for at least three years (International students only).

- All students will be required to sign the subject-specific Fitness to Practise Code of Conduct on entry, details of which will be forwarded with an offer letter.

- Satisfactory completion of an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). International applicants need to obtain a recent criminal record certificate from their home country and ensure this is still valid by the date of enrolment.

- Entry on to the course is subject to meeting the requirements of a profession specific occupational health screening.

Evidence of Experience in a Practice Setting:

This section of the portfolio relates to the evidence you need to provide to show that you have undertaken 650 hours of care related practice experience. This will ensure that you are able to meet the required 2300 hours of practice at the end of your programme which is a stipulation of the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council).

What do we mean by care related practice?

For the purpose of recognition of prior experiential learning (RPEL), practice can be defined as:

'A place of work that specialises in providing services to people requiring physical or psychological support or care'.

Experience can be in the following:

- A hospital, care home, or community setting and can include people of any age;
- Undertaken on a paid or voluntary basis
- Within an NHS, private or voluntary organisation.

A practice supervisor will be required to verify practice hours completion, but if you have already completed 650 hours of practice, for example as a healthcare assistant, you will not have to complete an additional 650 hours. However, you will still have to ask a practice supervisor to verify that you have completed the required number of practice hours.

You are responsible for ensuring all sections of this document are completed and signed by a practice supervisor. Examples of appropriate supervisors may include the following:

- Line manager
- Registered health or social care practitioner
- Voluntary work coordinator/leader.

Applicants with Disabilities

We take seriously our obligation to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all students with disabilities can successfully complete their studies. All applicants will be assessed on the basis of the criteria outlined here regardless of any disability. If you declare a disability we will invite you to work with us to explore how best we can support your studies.

Other information:

You must declare all spent and unspent criminal convictions including (but not limited to) cautions, reprimands, final warnings, bind over orders or similar and details of any minor offences, fixed penalty notices, penalty notices for disorder, ASBO's or VOO's.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service

I am a qualified nurse in my home country. Can I apply for this programme?

You could apply if you were considering changing your field of registration, we could potentially consider this, but we have a limited number of places. This is not a post-registration Master's degree and you could make contact with the Nursing and Midwifery Council should you wish to register as a nurse to work in the UK.

If you would like further information about entry requirements, or would like to discuss whether the qualifications you are currently studying are acceptable, please contact the admissions team on 01522 886097, or email admissions@lincoln.ac.uk.

Course Fees

You will need to have funding in place for your studies before you arrive at the University. Our fees vary depending on the course, mode of study, and whether you are a UK or international student. You can view the breakdown of fees for this programme below.

Course Fees

The University offers a range of merit-based, subject-specific, and country-focused scholarships for UK and international students. To help support students from outside of the UK, we offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.

Course -Specific Funding and Bursaries

From September 2023, pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare students can apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF).

If eligible, you will receive:
- A training grant of £5,000 GBP per academic year.
- Increased parental support of £2,000 GBP, if you have at least one dependent child under 15 years, or under 17 years if registered with special educational needs.
- Increased money back for excess travel and temporary accommodation costs (Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses) while you're on your practice placement.
- Students experiencing financial hardship (Exceptional Support Fund).

For more information and to see your eligibility, visit: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund-lsf

Please note, this government bursary is available to Home students only. Details on scholarships and bursaries available to Overseas and EU students can be found online: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/scholarshipsandbursaries/

Please note that International students will not be eligible for support for travel and accommodation.

Course -Specific Additional Costs

Students are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and general living costs relating to placements.

Placement expenses for travel, and accommodation may be reimbursed by NHS Bursaries where, for example, the requirement exceeds that of attending university; requires transport out of normal operating hours; or requires additional accommodation to that of the usual term time location. These expenses may need to be covered initially by the student before any applicable reimbursement is received.

The current rates for reimbursement can be found here: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-learning-support-fund-lsf/travel-and-dual-accommodation-expenses

Funding Your Study

Postgraduate Funding Options

Find out more about the optional available to support your postgraduate study, from Master's Loans to scholarship opportunities. You can also find out more about how to pay your fees and access support from our helpful advisors.

Explore Funding Options
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Academic Contact

For more information about this course, please contact the Programme Leader.

Nicola Deveaux
ndeveaux@lincoln.ac.uk

Postgraduate Events

To get a real feel for what it is like to study at the University of Lincoln, we hold a number of dedicated postgraduate events and activities throughout the year for you to take part in.

Upcoming Postgraduate Events
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The University intends to provide its courses as outlined in these pages, although the University may make changes in accordance with the Student Admissions Terms and Conditions.