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Registered Nurse (Mental Health) (Degree Apprenticeship) BSc(Hons)

2024-25 (also available for 2025-26)

Start date

16 September 2024

Duration

3 years full-time

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. You'll learn clinical skills, engage in simulation-based learning, learning in partnership with your employer and the University.
  2. Clinical practice provides the opportunity to apply and develop your skills in a range of statutory, private and voluntary services, in order to prepare you to pursue your career.
  3. You’ll hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group to enhance your learning.

This apprenticeship course has been designed to provide the opportunity to study whilst being employed in mental healthcare services. During this apprenticeship you’ll get the opportunity to develop the vital skills, values and confidence you need to work with people suffering from various mental health conditions across the lifespan, to offer help and support in dealing with the condition. This could include anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, psychosis and obsessive compulsive disorders.

  • The course is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and led by committed and passionate lecturers who are research active with experience across the mental health nursing spectrum.
  • Alongside building your theoretical knowledge in lectures and seminars, you’ll be able to focus on your practical skills through simulation and group work. Teaching and learning will involve a combination of face to face on campus learning as well as online teaching and resources.
  • You'll practice and develop your skills through clinical placements in a range of statutory, private and voluntary services, in order to prepare you to pursue your career.
  • You’ll have the opportunity to hear the experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group.
  • You’ll also learn how to respond to the physical, cognitive and mental health care needs of all patients and service users across their lifespan.

In line with the apprenticeship model, the course is designed to support a training in practice approach. Whilst undertaking the course you’ll remain employed by your host organisation. You’ll be a supernumerary student for the full duration of the course and as such will not work for your employer. Instead, your time will be split 50% in clinical practice and 50% in the University. The course is designed to be progressively demanding and once qualified you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and work as a Registered Nurse (Mental Health).

If you’re thinking of studying an apprenticeship course or are an employer looking for an apprenticeship for your employees, you’ll also find useful information on our Degree Apprenticeship webpages.

Course detail

Core modules:

Becoming a Professional - Mental Health Nursing

This module involves exploring your development as a professional, examining your personal and professional attitudes and beliefs, as well as relating these to your future professional role as a mental health nurse. You’ll gain an understanding about how you can develop as a learner and maintain your physical and mental health, so you are able to promote and support people who have mental health care needs with their health. You’ll also learn how to manage the transition to university and explore ethical and professional codes underpinning mental health nursing.

Introduction to Mental Health Nursing

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the fundamental knowledge and skills to care specifically for people with mental health care needs, as well as people of all ages from conception to end of life, with a range of physical, mental health and cognitive care needs. You’ll learn the principles of holistic assessment and management of well and sick people of all ages. You’ll gain an understanding of development through the lifespan by exploring the principles of anatomy and physiology. You’ll also be introduced to pharmacology and medicines administration.

Nursing Practice 1

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the fundamental skills of nursing practice including personal hygiene, infection control, undertaking observations and basic life support. You’ll complete a practice learning experience where you’ll put the theory you’ve learnt into practice.

Nursing Practice 2

This module provides you with a further opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of nursing practice including personal hygiene, infection control, undertaking observations and basic life support. You’ll complete a practice learning experience, where you’ll put the theory you’ve learnt into practice.

Understanding Knowledge and Evidence for Nursing

This module introduces you to the nature of knowledge and how it supports evidenced-based nursing practice. You’ll learn how to search for and read evidence to identify its value and relevance to nursing practice. You’ll explore how to evaluate published research and will be introduced to the concept of ethics within healthcare research. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop and use a variety of transferable skills including literature searching, critical appraisal of evidence and application of evidence to your own and the nursing practice of others.

Entry requirements

You must:

  • Be employed in healthcare and supported to undertake the course by your employer.
  • Have BBB at A Level. If you are studying a Science A Level, the endorsement for practical work is essential and a requirement for entry to our degree course, DDM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma, Merit at T Level, NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma/Level 3 Extended Diploma at grade B or a Pass in Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits 15 at Distinction, 30 at Merit.
  • In addition, you must have completed 12 years of general education and have GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum of IELTS 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Complete a Rehabilitation of Offenders form and have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check.

You may be eligible to gain accreditation for your prior learning towards this course. Please note that the course you are applying for is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which allows a maximum of 50% of credits for the award to be conferred through accreditation of prior learning.

If you have alternative qualifications, including the nursing associate foundation degree, you may wish to contact us for advice before applying. Please note places are limited and attainment of the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an interview or offer. You must include details of any previous study. Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

Placements


Nothing can really replicate working in the real-world, which is why practice placements are essential and a compulsory part of the course. The Nursing and Midwifery Council require you to complete the minimum of 2300 hours across the course in order to obtain registration.

You'll have the opportunity to complete your practice learning experiences in a diverse range of health and social care settings. These may be in private, voluntary, charitable or statutory settings and include forensic services, assessment teams, in-patient treatment units, rehabilitation centres, community teams, respite services, crisis and home based treatment, liaison services, child and adolescent mental health services and prisons. You'll be mentored throughout your practical experiences by qualified nurses, who will provide you with any required help and advice.

In order to provide you with the broadest professional experience possible, practice experiences are generally offered across West Yorkshire and beyond, covering 24 hour care including evening, weekend and occasional night shifts.

Whilst on placement you will be supported by trained supervisors and assessors, as well as by members of the academic team who will meet with you and your practice support team every 12 weeks.

Please note that you will be required to travel to and during your placements.

Your career


A career in mental health nursing can be varied and interesting with a wide range of satisfying career opportunities and could include working in local healthcare trusts, private hospitals and in the community.

Other career opportunities could include working in child and adolescent mental health services, forensic settings, substance misuse, accident and emergency liaison, self harm, criminal justice system, youth offending, management of violence and aggression, as well as specialist roles such as admiral nursing and nurse consultant.

After qualification further professional development opportunities are available in relation to enhancing knowledge relating to psychological therapies and intervention, medicines management and nurse prescribing, and becoming an approved mental health practitioner.

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

A wide range of resources are also offered within the School of Human and Health Sciences, which provides you with support in a variety of areas. These include:

Student Hub: a one stop shop for students, studying within the School. Their services include offering advice on extenuating circumstances, extension requests, course progression, suspension and welfare support, organising appointments with academic staff and signposting to other support networks.

Academic Skills Development Team: support students to develop their academic skills and build their confidence in order to improve their grades. The team provide support with academic skills including essay writing, being critical, reflective writing, numeracy, research skills, presentations and group work skills; as well as personal development for example time management.

Learning Technology Support Unit: helps students with any problems they experience with the University’s Brightspace Learning System, including logging on or difficulties experienced when accessing and using modules, and with the PebblePad platform, which is used by students when they go out on placements.

Support services will also be available from your employer.

Important information

When you enrol as an apprentice learner of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and our disciplinary procedure. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as an apprentice. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

Changes to a course you have applied for but not yet started

If we propose to make a major change to an apprenticeship course that you have applied for, then we will tell you and your employer as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Although we always try and run all the courses we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or delay your course start date if we consider this reasonably necessary, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you and your employer as soon as reasonably possible. In such instances, we will work with you and your employer to agree a deferred start date, or cancel your application and, if appropriate, provide information regarding other local apprenticeship providers.

Changes to your course after you enrol as an apprentice

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that materially changes the services available to you, or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days, classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the requirements of an updated version of the apprenticeship standard relevant to your course; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you and your employer as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered or claiming an interim award and exiting the University.

If a major change affects your course, we will notify you and your employer as soon as possible and will carry out suitable consultation with affected apprentices. If you and your employer reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment we will work with both of you to try to find an appropriate solution. Where one cannot be found we will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring your remaining apprenticeship learning to another training provider if you and your employer wish to do so.

Termination of employment

As your employer is funding your apprenticeship course, you must remain in relevant employment for the duration of the course until you have completed your end point assessment. Under the apprenticeship rules, if you are made redundant and you have completed 75% of the practical period or have less than 6 months left, then you may complete the course. Otherwise, unless you find alternative relevant employment within 12 weeks of the date you are made redundant, then you will be withdrawn from the course.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University. The ESFA is the principal regulator for your apprenticeship course.

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