Postgraduate MSc/PgDip/PgCert

General Practice Nursing

School of Health and Society

Attendance

Full-time

Part-time

Course

Two year

18 month

One year

Next enrolment

January 2024

Introduction

In a nutshell

The course has been specifically designed to advance the skills of registered nurses who work within a general practice setting.

The curriculum reflects the changing nature of the health and social care systems and supports the development of skills in interprofessional and multi-organisational working.

This course will equip you with the complex and specialised knowledge and skills required to plan, deliver and evaluate excellent person-centered care within the community setting.

With a number of pathways and optional modules to choose from, the course offers you the flexibility to adapt your learning based upon your own individual needs.

Studying with students from other pathways will help develop your skills in multidisciplinary team working.

Please note that the MSc / PgDip pathways are September start only. The PgCert is September or January start, depending on the modules selected. If you would like to study a single module, please see the individual module pages for intake information.

 

You will:

  • Gain specialist knowledge and skills required within a Practice Nurse role, underpinned by the RCGP framework (RCGP 2012) General Practice Nurse competencies
  • Enhance your professional role within a General Practice Nursing setting
  • Develop advanced leadership skills to help support service improvements
  • Develop skills in interprofessional and multi-organisational working

This is for you if...

1.

You want to progress and advance in your role as a Practice Nurse

2.

You want to develop the knowledge and skills needed to be a competent and confident General Practice Nurse

3.

Deliver patient-centered care, with an understanding of the wider influences and principles of population health

4.

Enhance your professional role, developing your skills in leadership and service improvement

5.

Develop skills in interprofessional and multi-organisational integrated working

Course details

All about the course

To attain a PGDip award, you will be required to complete 120 credits, from a combination of the core and optional modules. On completion of a further 60 credits obtained from a dissertation module in advancing integrated care, you will be able to exit with an MSc.  For a PGCert you will need to complete 60 credits, 30 of which are to be obtained from the Specialist- General Practice Nurse module and 30 from the optional modules. 

An example programme for might look like:

Year 1 (semester 1)- Principles and foundations of integrated care (15 credits)

Year1 (semester 2)-Quality improvement in integrated care (or any other 15 credit module)

Year 1 (semester 3)- Specialist Practice- General Practice Nursing (30 credits)
 

Year 2 (semester 1)-Developing healthy communities in integrated care (30 credits)

Year 2 (semester 2)- non-medical prescribing (30 credits)

Year 2 (semester 3)- Dissertation module (60 credits) (if undertaking the MSc)

Each module can be taken as a stand alone module.

Core modules

Principles and Foundations of Integrated Care

This module aims to support you to critically evaluate theories and strategies in integrated care and public health and then apply these theories into practice. You will have the opportunity to develop a local case study to explore the social, political, and historical factors shaping local, national, and international health care provision. The module will also enable the exploration of how integrated care is being applied within professional disciplines and the wider health and social care system.

You will be encouraged to explore your own professional perspective, but also work with colleagues from a range of disciplines to gain an understanding of how integrated is affecting practice and service delivery.

Single Module Principles and Foundations in Integrated Care (15 Credits, Level 7) | University of Salford

Developing Healthy Communities and Integrated Practice

Demand for health and social care has been rising consistently over the last few decades and there is now a realisation that there needs to be a much greater emphasis on prevention, self-care, and social care. This module explores co-morbidity and management of complex conditions at an individual, organisational and system level, giving students the opportunity to develop systems improvement using a quality improvement approach.

Specialist Practice - General Practice Nursing

This module will develop and advance the fundamental clinical skills and knowledge required within the Practice Nursing role. With a strong focus on clinical decision-making, consultation and assessment skills, successful completion of the module will equip you with specialist knowledge and enhance your clinical practice.

Through use of care planning, evidence-based practice, patient-centred care, patient education/self-management and teamwork, you will contribute to clinical effectiveness and safe innovative care delivery.

You will have the opportunity to explore practical application of the theory into the consultation room with opportunities to discuss complex cases and scenarios.

Topics covered:

Chronic disease management- asthma (including paediatric asthma), COPD, diabetes, CVD and hypertension. This will include history taking, clinical diagnosis and management of these conditions.

-Family planning and sexual health.

-Mental health.

-Multiple morbidity.

-Health promotion (including health screening), lifestyle change, including patient education and self-management.

-Respiratory workshop- introduction to spirometry, inhaler technique and choosing the right device, chest auscultation (this will be a face-to-face session).

Plus 45 credits from the following 15 credit modules.

Compassionate Digital Integrated Care

The use of technology is increasing all the time and is now a key tool in the delivery of health and social care. This module explores not only the technology in use, but importantly how it can be applied compassionately to enhance delivery of care and support prevention, independent living and self-care. This module provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop critical skills for analysis, synthesis, and discussion of research and policy in the use of technology in practice.

After gaining an understanding of the evidence base you will have the opportunity to identify appropriate methods for dealing with complex and ethical issues pertaining to the delivery and management of compassionate person-centred care through digital health solutions (including digital consultation and assessment/ Artificial Intelligence / health monitoring).  Finally, you will identify and critically assess how technology can support and enhance the health outcomes of individuals through integrated approaches, relating these approaches to your own practice.

Single Module Compassionate Digital Integrated Care (15 Credits, Level 7) | University of Salford

Leading, Developing and Designing Integrated Systems

Completing the Leading, Developing and Designing Integrated Systems module will enhance your skills in leading in systems at an individual, team and organisational level. This module focuses on development and advancement of co-production and co-design techniques to support leadership.

During this module you will learn to critically evaluate theories and strategies of leadership and co-production, to develop advanced level knowledge, skills, and behaviours to lead on patient and/or service improvements within your healthcare organisation.

You will have the opportunity to engage in activities and mentoring to critically evaluate self and others and critically reflect on techniques required to provide leadership in co-production and co-design of care. 

You will be encouraged to critically appraise your qualities as a leader and their impact in the development of healthy communities, including preventive, self-care and asset-based approaches to health and social care. Exploring how to use co-production and co-design in complex conditions management at a patient, family, and community level.

Single Module Leading, Developing and Designing Integrated Systems (LLD) (15 Credits, Level 7) | University of Salford

Non-medical Prescribing - Independent Prescribing Practice

This module will look at the practical elements of independent prescribing, accompanied by the theory module Non-medical Prescribing - Independent Prescribing Theory. 

This module is accredited by the NMC, HCPC and GPhC and upon successful completion, you will be able to add an annotation to your professional registration as an independent prescriber.

Non-medical Prescribing - Independent Prescribing Theory

This module will enable you to evaluate and challenge prescribing practice with reference to evidence based practice, equality and diversity and clinical governance.

This module is accredited by the NMC, HCPC and GPhC and upon successful completion, you will be able to add an annotation to your professional registration as an independent prescriber.

Quality Improvement in Integrated Care

In this module you will focus on the development and advancement of skills in evaluation and research in practice within an organisational setting.

The overall aim of this module is to demonstrate in depth knowledge and understanding of managing quality across integrated services including – Evaluation, Audit, Research, and developing an evidence base in community, primary and integrated care. 

Students will have the opportunity to practically apply quality improvement techniques through activities, critical evaluation of self and others, and critically reflect on techniques for evaluation of quality improvement. 

Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

This module is aimed at registered healthcare professionals who wish to develop their knowledge and competence in contraceptive and sexual health within a community setting.

Topics covered will included:

  • Anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system
  • History taking
  • STI’s-transmission, prevalence and treatment
  • Contraceptive methods and rationale for use
  • Contraceptive and sexual health needs in specific client groups
  • Legal and ethical issues in practice

Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.

What Will I Be Doing?

During this programme, there will be a range of teaching and learning strategies commensurate with level 7 study. Teaching will foster self-directed learning focusing on the acquisition of specialist knowledge and the development of creative and critical thinking.

Teaching may include: 

  • Student and practitioner-led seminars
  • Learning scenarios and case study presentations
  • Reflection on practice
  • Lecturers

 

Assessment may be via: 

  • Oral assessment
  • Written assignments
  • Literature reviews
  • Case studies
  • Presentation of data

The School of Health and Society

The School of Health and Society is a forward-thinking, dynamic school with a commitment to lifelong learning and real world impact.

We live in a rapidly changing world, and we’re keen to leave a productive legacy of helping people at all stages of their lives, improving their physical, psychological and social wellbeing.

Our staff

This course has been developed and is delivered by academics and specialists in the fields of general practice nursing, leadership, and education.

Lorna Kong is the lead for the General Practice Nursing pathway.

Lorna has over a decade of experience working within primary care and is passionate about the development of the Practice Nurse role.

 

Current position - Lecturer - Pre-Registration Adult Nursing & Postgraduate Adult Nursing

Teaching interests:

  • Leadership
  • Change management
  • General Practice nursing

Qualifications:

  • MSc Advanced Practice
  • MSc Practice Development
  • Bachelor of Nursing
  • BSc Psychology

Memberships

  • NMC
  • RCN

For further information regarding the programme and the various options for study please contact Lorna on L.K.Kong@salford.ac.uk

The programme leader for the Advancing Integrated Care Master's is Kirsty Marshall. 

Kirsty has over a decade of working within the field of integrated care. Firstly, as a project and program manager successfully delivering a wide range of programs including self-care, care coordination, integrated care, and delivery of system-wide transformation (health and social care). Secondly, as an academic, conducting doctoral research and service evaluations in the field of integrated care. Kirsty presents nationally and internationally on the development of integrated care and works alongside health and social care organisations to support service transformation.  

Recent publications:

Marshall, Kirsty, and Chris Easton. "The role of asset-based approaches in community nursing." Primary Health Care 28.5 (2018).

View Kirsty's full profile here

Service Users and Carers Group (SU&C)

Our Nursing Service Users and Carers Group (SU&C) is a collective group of service users, carers and parents who have past and current lived experience of engaging with local healthcare services and or providing care for family or friends. The group shares their breadth and wealth of expertise and diverse lived experiences in an open genuine, generous and frank manner with students to ensure that the voices of the public, patients and carers are fully heard and represented in the nursing curriculum.

Employment and stats

What about after uni?

On successful completion of this course, you will have the opportunity to apply for Senior Practice Nurse and leadership roles, become a Nurse Practitioner, a Nurse Prescriber. You could also move into education/teaching, management or research.

A taste of what you could become

General Practice Nurse

Requirements

What you need to know

Essential registration and professional experience

  1. Registration of an adult nurse on part one of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register (NMC)
  2. Employment of an appropriate nursing position with an appropriate organisation (working within community/primary care/ general practice)
  3. Have at least one years of experience to comply with the Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements for the V300 - Non-medical prescribing qualification (NMC 2018)
  4. Be practicing in, and have appropriate experience of, an environment where there is an identified need for the individual to regularly use independent, and/or supplementary prescribing (for example General Practice)
Standard entry requirements

GCSE

GCSE Level 4 (Grade C), or above, in English and Maths

Previous qualifications

One of the following: 

  • A minimum of a second-class honours degree (2:2) in a related discipline area.    
  • An equivalent academic or professional qualification from the UK or elsewhere i.e. incorporating study at least comparable to 120 credits at Honours level.
  • Professional qualification of equivalent status and associated work experience or an equivalent qualification deemed suitable by the course team. 
Alternative entry requirements

Accreditation of Prior Learning

We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/ traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully. 

The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course. 

Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

English Language Requirements

International applicants will be required to show a proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.5 (with no element below 5.5) is proof of this. If you need to improve your written and spoken English, you might be interested in our English language courses.

How much?

Please note - If you work within the NHS or are treating NHS patients, there are limited funded CPD places available for the non-medical prescribing module.  To find out more contact the Non-medical Prescribing lead within your workplace.

Type of study Year Fees
Part-time 2024/25 £1,670 per 30 credit module

Additional costs

You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.

Apply now

All set? Let's apply

Enrolment dates

January 2024

September 2024