Critically Exploring Professional Practice
Postgraduate
MSc
Nursing
School of Health and Society
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Course
One year
Three year
Next enrolment
September 2023
In a nutshell
International applicants: please check the international intakes page for the latest information and application dates.
This course equips you with the knowledge and skills to advance your career and develop an evidence-based, person-centred culture.
There are different pathways open to you, enabling you to enhance your personal, professional and academic development in one of these fields:
- Nursing (General),
- Nursing Education,
- Nursing Practice
- Nursing Practice (Gastro / Neuroscience / Tissue Viability)
- Nursing Research
You will:
- Learn how to influence future nursing practice, education and research for the benefit of patient care
- Have the opportunity to complete a clinical placement
- Develop a mastery of contemporary nursing knowledge and practice
Placement
options available
International
students accepted
This is for you if...
1.
You are a qualified nurse looking to advance your knowledge and critical awareness
2.
You have a desire to prepare for progression into senior roles
3.
You want to gain confidence in challenging and influencing practice
All about the course
The MSc Nursing will empower you to take forward your practice and patient care through critically exploring professional biography, the therapeutic relationship and embedding an evidence-based and person-centred approach to care.
International students can apply.
We also offer a MSc Nursing (Block and Blend) programme which is taught on a blended basis, meaning that whilst you study in Salford for semester one, the remainder of the course is taught via distance learning.
There are different pathways open to you as part of this programme, and your choice might depend on where you see your master's programme fitting into your career. The modules you select will vary depending on the pathway chosen (see details below).
For the PgCert, you will need to study Critically Exploring Professional Practice and one further optional module and for the PgDip you will need to study Critically Exploring Professional Practice and three further optional modules.
Please note all optional modules are listed in the MSc Nursing menu below.
The pathways you can choose to follow are:
MSc Nursing
You can choose to focus on the general award in order to keep your career options open. You will have an opportunity to critically examine your practice and services and develop an evidence-based approach to improve patient care.
In addition to the core modules, you will need to complete two optional modules for the MSc.
MSc Nursing: Education
This pathway is led and taught by experts in the field. This award allows you to concentrate on teaching and learning in both clinical practice and academic contexts. You will work alongside expert teachers who will support you to develop a thorough understanding of a range of learning and teaching strategies. This option may particularly suit those in new clinical teaching roles, or those seeking a future academic career.
In addition to the core modules, you will need to complete one optional module for the MSc.
MSc Nursing: Practice (Gastro)
This pathway aims to equip you with the specialist knowledge and skills to work collaboratively in the care of patients with gastrointestinal and/or hepatobiliary disorders and to deal with clinical situations systematically.
MSc Nursing: Practice (Neuroscience)
This pathway aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge to create and implement innovative approaches to neuroscience care delivery.
MSc Nursing: Practice (Tissue Viability)
This pathway will develop your professional knowledge and skills in the systematic assessment, definitive diagnosis and treatment in order to optimise patient outcomes in relation to leg ulcer and wound management.
MSc Nursing: Practice
This pathway is open to nurses practising in the UK only. It allows you to build on your current skills, plan, implement and evaluate patient care at an advanced level within the context of your own workplace. There is an emphasis on combining practical skills with sound theoretical principles.
In addition to the core modules, you will need to complete one optional module for the MSc.
MSc Nursing: Research
Using the evidence-base to improve patient care lies at the heart of this pathway. You will gain advanced knowledge and skills in all aspects of research and have access to international expertise from our research groups.
In addition to the core modules, you will need to complete one optional module for the MSc.
MSc Nursing
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
Optional modules
Diabetes Complications and Management in Marginalised Groups
This module will equip you with an in-depth knowledge of the complications associated with diabetes and its impact on the body. You will learn to identify the early signs and symptoms of these complications and educate people on how to recognise and report any of the identified problems at an early stage. This module will also enable you to understand the importance of managing diabetes among such marginalised groups of people as those with mental health issues, the elderly and those with a physical and learning disability.
Therapeutic Advances in Diabetes and Self-Care Management
This module will enhance your understanding of the recent pharmacological innovations in the management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. You will also be made aware of their activities and likely side-effects on the person with diabetes. It will also equip you with self-care models which will empower people to effectively manage their diabetes.
Diagnosis, Classification and Prevention of Diabetes
Within this module, you will be able to explore the definition of diabetes together, with its classificatory typologies. You will be able to critically discuss the contributing factors associated with diabetes together with the pathophysiology and clinical features of this condition. The recent diagnostic criteria for diabetes will be discussed together with the problems likely to be faced by clinicians when adopting this approach in the presence of other pathologies. You will discuss the importance of appropriate health education models likely to prevent the occurrence of diabetes.
Online Diagnosis, Classification and Prevention of Diabetes
Through completing this module you should be able to demonstrate a systematic understanding and critical awareness of a person-centred approach to diagnosis, classification and prevention of diabetes.
End of Life Care
The module is designed to help you to understand the concepts of palliative and end of life care across all fields of practice and disease boundaries as well looking at this area from a broad perspective whilst trying to provide an innovative approach to teaching and learning.
Non-Medical Prescribing - MSc M
This module allows midwives to study with other health care professionals to prescribe safely, appropriately and cost-effectively as an independent prescriber. It also allows you to critically evaluate and challenge prescribing practice with reference to evidence-based practice, equality, diversity and clinical governance.
Leading Education in Practice - MSc NE
To explore the evidence base for education in practice. You will consider the theoretical underpinning to practice-based learning and will then apply that learning in practice, teaching with support and supervision from an experienced educator. You will attend a range of theory sessions followed by four clinical teaching sessions.
Leading Education - MSc NE
You will consider teaching and learning in an academic context. You will have supported practice alongside an experienced lecturer.
Parkinson Diseases and Movement disorders - Advancing Practice - MSc N
This module is delivered in collaboration with the clinicians who are experts within the field and from one of the largest neuroscience centres in the UK.
Evidence Based Practice for Patient Care - MSc N
This module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand, participate in and apply evidence to your practice for the benefit of patient care.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Developing Clinical Skills for Nursing - MSc N
This module enables you to develop advanced skills relevant to your role.
Acute Neuroscience Care - Advancing Practice - MSc N
This module enables you to critically review and apply relevant concepts and knowledge of care that underpin excellence in care delivery within the neuroscience speciality.
Project Management and Methods of Inquiry - MSc ACP
This module helps you develop the skills needed in developing practice and policy. This module will develop your skills in different project management methodologies and methods of inquiry, enabling you to construct a business in relation to service improvement.
Multi-professional support of learning and assessment in practice (e-learning or face to face) (requires placement) - MSc M
This module develops your knowledge and skills in teaching, learning and assessment while preparing you to undertake the role of mentor and fulfil the requirements of your professional body. It is delivered entirely online meaning you can study at a time that suits you.
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
End of Life Care (Group A)
Develop your understanding of how to meet the end of life care needs of individuals and those close to them throughout the lifespan and across all disease boundaries.
Tissue Viability
You will learn to critically review and apply relevant concepts and knowledge of care that underpins excellence in care delivery within the specialism of tissue viability. You will build upon your knowledge and skills to a point where you can critically apply theory and practice int he management and care of patients in tissue viability.
Leg Ulcer Management - MSc N
This module will enable you to engage in the development of a systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical awareness of current practice issues within leg ulcer management. You will develop an advanced understanding of evidence-based leg ulcer management and advance your own professional knowledge and skills in the systematic assessment, definitive diagnosis and treatment in order to optimise patient outcomes in relation to leg ulcer management.
Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Disorders
Professional learning and critical evaluation in regard to caring for a patient with inflammatory bowel disease utilising up to date relevant supporting evidence.
Management of Liver Disorders - MSc N
You will critically review and apply the relevant concepts, knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to professionally care for a patient with liver disease, utilising relevant up-to-date evidence. You will evaluate your own knowledge and skills to enable a critical appraisal of issues related to liver disease.
Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders
Critical evaluation of the knowledge gained in caring for a patient with gastrointestinal disease, utilising relevant up-to-date evidence.
Theoretical Perspectives of Simulation Based Education - MSc N
This module aims to equip you with a systematic understanding of the range of theoretical perspectives used to develop Simulation-Based Education (SBE) and to promote a critical awareness of SBE as a pedagogical approach within discipline specific practice settings.
Therapeutic Relationships in Nursing
This module will encourage you to deepen your knowledge about the nurse-patient relationship.
Observational Clinical Experience and Simulated Practice
This module offers you will the opportunity to observe clinical practice and to stimulate bespoke clinical experiences in a supported experiential environment.
Independent Learning
Students develop their own area of interest within Nursing and Midwifery.
Work Based Learning
To enable a critical examination of the self and professional practice, through the development of a professional biography. To use the professional biography as a baseline for further personal and professional development and career planning.
Care of the Highly Dependent Child
To develop a flexible and pro-active practitioner who is able to integrate evidence based theory and research practice in order to meet the immediate and on-going care needs of children and young people requiring high dependency nursing care.
Developing Awareness of Dementia
To critically review and develop knowledge of dementia, examine evidence based developments to enhance the experience of living well with dementia and critically discuss the opportunities for inter-disciplinary collaboration to enhance the experience of living well with dementia.
Practical Application of Simulation Based Education
This module will equip you with a systematic understanding of the range of SBE applications used within a variety of practice settings, as well as advancing your knowledge and understanding, to enable the development of a range of skills required to design, deliver and evaluate SBE.
Theoretical Perspectives of Simulation Based Education
This module will equip you with a systematic understanding of the range of theoretical perspectives used to develop Simulation-Based Education (SBE).Additionally this module will promote a critical awareness of SBE as a pedagogical approach within discipline-specific practice settings.
MSc Nursing: Education
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Leading Education in Practice
To explore the evidence base for education in practice. You will consider the theoretical underpinning to practice-based learning and will then apply that learning in practice, teaching with support and supervision from an experienced educator. You will attend a range of theory sessions followed by four clinical teaching sessions.
Leading Education
You will consider teaching and learning in an academic context. You will have supported practice alongside an experienced lecturer.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
MSc Nursing: Practice (Gastro)
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Management of Liver Disorders
You will critically review and apply the relevant concepts, knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to professionally care for a patient with liver disease, utilising relevant up-to-date evidence. You will evaluate your own knowledge and skills to enable a critical appraisal of issues related to liver disease.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
The aim of this module is to critically review and apply the relevant concepts, knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to professionally care for a patient with an inflammatory bowel disease, utilising relevant up-to-date evidence.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
MSc Nursing: Practice (Neuroscience)
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Parkinson Diseases and Movement disorders - Advancing Practice
This module is delivered in collaboration with the clinicians who are experts within the field and from one of the largest neuroscience centres in the UK.
Acute Neuroscience Care - Advancing Practice
This module enables you to critically review and apply relevant concepts and knowledge of care that underpin excellence in care delivery within the neuroscience speciality.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
MSc Nursing: Practice (Tissue Viability)
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Leg Ulcer Management
This module will enable you to engage in the development of a systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical awareness of current practice issues within leg ulcer management. You will develop an advanced understanding of evidence-based leg ulcer management and advance your own professional knowledge and skills in the systematic assessment, definitive diagnosis and treatment in order to optimise patient outcomes in relation to leg ulcer management.
Tissue Viability
You will learn to critically review and apply relevant concepts and knowledge of care that underpins excellence in care delivery within the specialism of tissue viability. You will build upon your knowledge and skills to a point where you can critically apply theory and practice int he management and care of patients in tissue viability.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
MSc Nursing: Practice
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
Developing Clinical Skills for Nursing
This module enables you to develop advanced skills relevant to your role.
MSc Nursing: Research
Critically Exploring Professional Practice
This module focuses on your professional development as a nurse and is designed to support your critical analysis of yourself and professional practice.
Research Methods
This module explores various research methodologies, methods, ethics, critique and review of the literature and can help you to understand the significance of research to practice and how to plan a research proposal.
Evidence Based Practice for Patient Care
This module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand, participate in and apply evidence to your practice for the benefit of patient care.
Dissertation
This gives you the opportunity to implement a project in your own workplace.
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.
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.
Facilities
There are a variety of clinical ward areas in which healthcare students learn and practice essential clinical skills such as CPR, wound care, physiological observations and hand-washing.
Our state-of-the-art simulation suite is designed to replicate a real hospital environment. This facility includes the following: An adult and children’s ward, treatment room, nurse’s station, bathroom, day room, two side rooms, a midwifery home area and labour room. All of the bed spaces are equipped with oxygen delivery ports, suction points, nurse call button, emergency buzzer and bed lights, all of which mimic a real hospital environment.
There is a vast range of human patient simulators (HPS) including two fully portable wireless adults, a newborn, an infant, a child and a birthing mum.
The HPS can simulate breathing, blinking, bleeding and sweating and also have chest, heart and bowel sounds. Many different clinical procedures and scenarios can be practised using the simulators and experienced staff strive to ensure that health and social care students learn in a safe and supportive environment. Examples of simulated scenarios include cardiac arrest, psychosis, fitting, pulmonary embolism, post-partum haemorrhage, asthma and a fractured femur.
There are also soundproof control rooms where specialist technicians operate the reactions and voice of the HPS and coordinate the audio-visual requirements for the scenarios. In order to enhance the students learning there is a dedicated room for debriefing and streaming the scenarios into, which enable peer observation, learning and feedback.
Take a 360 tour of the facilities here.
Service User 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
What about after uni?
On graduation nurses will have achieved mastery of their chosen field and will be better equipped to influence the future of nursing based on current evidence. You will have the underpinning theoretical knowledge to support your innovative clinical practice.
Completing the Masters course will enable you to exercise more choice in your career and to consider applying for senior posts within your organisation with greater confidence. You will be able to move into clinical nurse specialist positions, practice education facilitator roles, research posts and management positions.
Students who have successfully completed the course have implemented practice-based innovations, which include the pioneering of a person-centred ward round within a mental health setting, which is being rolled out across the entire Trust; and the review of pharmaceutical waste within an acute medical ward, in order to make financial savings and improve systems and processes.
The MSc Nursing provides an opportunity for students to work alongside experienced lecturers and develop their research and evidence based skills. On completion of the MSc Nursing there is the opportunity to progress on to Doctoral courses, Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care, and traditional PhD routes.
Additional information for overseas students
For international students who want to stay in the UK and work in the NHS after graduation, you will need to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which requires passing an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Assessment.
We offer a short online preparatory course for overseas trained nurses/return to practice nurses, to help you pass the OSCE assessment.
The short OSCE preparatory course costs £700 and involves online training for one day per week for eight weeks. Find out more about the course.
What you need to know
English language requirements
If you are an international student and not from a majority English speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5. We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course.
International Students - Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
International Students are required by the Home Office and/or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate before they begin studying their course. You may need to obtain an ATAS Certificate before you come to the UK in order for you to comply with Home Office regulations. Please refer to your offer conditions.
You can find out if your programme requires an ATAS by checking the FCO website at https://www.gov.uk/academic-technology-approval-scheme with your JACS code which will be on your offer letter should you choose to make an application. If you cannot find it please contact International Conversion team atapplication@salford.ac.uk. If you have any queries relating directly to ATAS please contact the ATAS team on Salford-ATAS@salford.ac.uk.
You can apply for your ATAS Certificate at https://www.academic-technology-approval.service.gov.uk/
Standard entry requirements
Undergraduate degree
You must be a qualified nurse with a Bachelor’s degree with honours from a UK University or an equivalent academic or professional qualification from the UK or elsewhere, i.e. incorporating study at least comparable to 120 credits at level 6.
For admission onto the MSc Nursing: Practice (Neuroscience) pathway, applicants will need a professional qualification and be registered with a relevant professional body. Applicants need relevant prior or current experience of neuroscience care provision.
International Students
We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.
Alternative entry requirements
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
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).
How much?
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2023/24 | £8,550per year |
| Full-time international | 2023/24 | £15,750per year |
Additional costs
You should consider additional costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.
Scholarships for international students
If you are a high-achieving international student, you may be eligible for one of our scholarships.
Explore our International Scholarships.
All Set? Let's Apply
MSc (one year full-time or over two or three years part-time)
PgDip (nine months full-time or 18 months part-time)
PgCert (six months full-time or one year part-time)