Exploring Mental Health Field Specific Care Needs
Postgraduate
MA
Nursing (Mental Health)
School of Health and Society
Attendance
Full-time
Course
Two year
Next enrolment
January 2025
In a nutshell
International applicants: please check the international intakes page for the latest information and application dates.
At the University of Salford you will be welcomed into a relaxed and friendly environment, with access to facilities, support and opportunities that will enable you to succeed. On this course you will learn in our state-of-the-art simulation suites as part of a multidisciplinary team and prepare for a career as a Registered Nurse.
You can find full details of the entry requirements and application process in the 'What you need to know' section further down this page.
Programme review for 2024/25 entry
Our nursing programmes are currently undergoing their scheduled programme review, which may alter advertised modules for the 2024/25 academic year. Programme reviews are a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance. It means our courses are kept up-to-date to maintain high standards, enhance your student experience, and meet the requirements of our professional regulatory body - the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC).
Once the review is completed and approved by the NMC, the course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes. Approved changes will be communicated to applicants to the course starting in 2024/2025.
You will:
- Work towards the NMC (Nursing & Midwifery Council) registration via an accelerated route and while gaining a highly regarded master's qualification.
- Combine theoretical learning (50%) with practical clinical experience (50%).
- Study within an interprofessional learning environment.
- Have the opportunity to go on an international placement to experience care outside of the UK.
Placement
options available
International
students accepted
Course accreditations
All about the course
Our Nursing programmes embody a shared philosophy that represents the values and beliefs of key partners, including students, patients, service users and families, practice colleagues and university staff. Theoretical underpinnings of the philosophy include nursing ethics, personalised care, and a safety model ensuring the safety and protection of people of all ages and their carers and families.
Key concepts support the development of professional behaviours, inter-professional working, values and attitudes expected of a compassionate nurse, such as connectedness, emotional intelligence, moral responsibility and creativity.
You will work with staff and clinical partners as co-producers in your learning experience. A coaching approach to personal tutoring will unlock your potential and character development as a professional nurse. A wealth of facilities at the University are available to you, including formal teaching, group and one-to-one sessions, and a comfortable and enriching learning space with state-of-the-art clinical and immersive simulation suites.
50% of your studies will be spent across hospital and community settings, working alongside qualified assessors and supervisors. You will experience the realities of 24-hour service provision working night shifts and weekends. You will also have the opportunity to go on an international placement.
By the end of the programme, you will be able to evidence 2,300 hours of theoretical learning and 2,300 practice learning (4,600 hours in total) in order to be eligible to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse.
Year one
Bringing your existing experience to this first year module, you will explore the management of care for a range of patients within the mental health field of practice. This will be achieved through examining your role as a future mental health nurse in the delivery of care and the support of service users, carers and families within a multi-professional team. Using case examples and the participation in simulated scenarios, you will consider how to develop and apply your own professional identity within the context of an inter-professional and integrated health and social care environment.
Exploring Evidence-based Interventions in Nursing
A key component to ensuring that your future practice stays up to date is your understanding and interpretation of the best available evidence. During this module you will develop your ability to be able to critically engage with the discourse relating to the use of evidence within healthcare. Further to this you will also apply critical appraisal tools in the evaluation of different forms of evidence, including the evaluation of implementation and dissemination. You will be synthesise ideas related to the importance of personalised care within the context of applying evidence-based interventions.
Establishing Integrated Nursing Practice
On this 60 credit module, you will demonstrate the required NMC proficiencies commensurate with your stage of learning and development in year one in relation to your chosen field of practice and inter-professional practice (NMC part 1 and part 2 progression). This will include developing skills in self- awareness/assessment and personal and professional development planning. You will be able to critically articulate and evaluate how your own and others’ communication styles, values and belief systems impact on people, teams and inter-agency working from understanding of the major concepts and principles of communication.
Year two
Being a Judicious, Contemporary and Autonomous Mental Health Practitioner
You will develop the knowledge, skills and professional attitudes to facilitate the critical, systematic and contemporary application of the evidence base required to demonstrate autonomous nursing practice. This will be achieved through the completion of a systematised literature review. You will critically analyse the ability to utilise systems and processes that enable personalised care and support planning within a range of health and social care settings to facilitate service user empowerment. Further to this you will critically appraise transition theory and analyse strategies that will ease professional role transition.
Consolidation of Integrated Nursing Practice
You will demonstrate the required NMC proficiencies commensurate with your stage of learning and development in year two in relation to your field of practice and inter-professional practice (NMC part 3 progression). Your personal and professional development plan in year two will enable you to critically evaluate and reflect on your own and others understanding of the major theories, principles and concepts of inter professional, inter-agency and integrated working. You will demonstrate critical application of the evidence, knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, leadership qualities and self-awareness essential for the transition from student nurse to registered nurse.
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.
Our courses are informed by the latest research and we work closely with organisations from both the public and private sector to ensure our teaching is at the forefront of practice.
Facilities
The School of Health and Society is home to state-of-the-art Simulation Suites.
Our Clinical Practice Wards are also located in the Mary Seacole Building. There are four rooms designed to give the look and feel of a hospital environment. The rooms are furnished with patient beds, lockers, chairs, sinks and curtains as well as audio-visual equipment, internet and a teaching area.
We also have a number of clinical skills rooms that enhance student learning from taking blood pressure, to giving CPR and more complicated procedures. Along with nursing skills rooms where you can practice in a ward situation, there are basic skills rooms for sessions such as moving and handling.
Service Users and Carers Group
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?
As a graduate and qualified staff nurse in your chosen field of nursing practice, you will be able to apply for a job in either an acute setting such as a hospital or in the community. You may want to work within the NHS or in the public and private sectors for example, a ward, a health centre, a prison, a care home or a hospice.
Career Links
You will work alongside a practice supervisor and assessor in the clinical practice areas where you will experience a wide variety of caregiving settings.
You will be expected to work the same shift patterns as your practice supervisors (including weekends and night duty) and will need to be able to travel to and from clinical placements.
You will spend half of your time at the University and the other half working in a range of clinical areas including the NHS, Private, Independent and Voluntary organisations.
What you need to know
Applicant profile
As part of the direct application process to the University of Salford you will need to provide evidence of health and/or social care experiences within the last 5 years equivalent to 800 hours.
This health and/ or social care experience within the last 5 years could be in a variety of settings, for example experiences with: charity, educational, voluntary work, being a carer or service user, paid / unpaid work. You will need to describe how this experience has prepared you for your chosen field of nursing in relation to key programme objectives.
At this point in your application you do not need to evidence 800 hours of care experience. Following interview you will be asked for this evidence and a reference which explicitly supports the hours claimed. This will form part of your conditional offer.
If fully met, once you start your programme these 800 hours will count towards the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) requirement to complete a minimum of 4600 hours by the end of the programme.
English language requirements
Applicants must satisfy the University’s English Language requirements as per the University’s Admissions and Retention Policy.
For this programme there is a requirement from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that stipulates that IELTS minimum overall score must be at 7.0 with scores of 6.5 in writing (all other elements passed at 7.0).
Additional Criteria
Due to the nature of the work experience placements and exposure to vulnerable members of the public all places offered are subject the following:
- Subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check (Enhanced Disclosure).
- Subject to a satisfactory medical clearance.
UK Visas and Immigration Compliance
The programme is compliant with tier 4 of the UKVI and teaching will be delivered over a minimum of two and a half days per week.
Standard entry requirements
GCSE
GCSE Maths and English grade C/4 or above.
Undergraduate degree
2:1 or above in any discipline.
Please read the full 'What you need to know' section above for details of other requirements.
Pre-requisite 800 hours
As part of the direct application process to the University of Salford, you will need to provide evidence of health and/or social care experiences within the last 5 years equivalent to 800 hours.
This health and/ or social care experience within the last 5 years could be in a variety of settings, for example, experiences with: charity, educational, voluntary work, being a carer or service user, paid / unpaid work. You will need to describe how this experience has prepared you for your chosen field of nursing in relation to key programme objectives.
At this point in your application you do not need to evidence 800 hours of care experience. Following interview you will be asked for this evidence and a reference which explicitly supports the hours claimed. This will form part of your conditional offer.
If fully met, once you start your programme these 800 hours will count towards the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) requirement to complete a minimum of 4600 hours by the end of the programme.
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).
Already have a nursing degree?
If you have an existing Honours Degree or Masters in Nursing and would like to change your field of practice, you could be granted up to two thirds of credit value of the programme. Contact us to find out more about the Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process and accelerated course options for existing registrants.
How much?
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2024/25 | £9,250.00per year |
| Full-time international | 2024/25 | £16,380.00per year |
Additional costs
For more information about uniforms, DBS, Occupational Health clearance, and immunisations, visit our Information for Students page.
You should consider further costs which may include immunisations, books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.
Additional funding support for healthcare students
The NHS Learning Support Fund is available to students studying the following courses:
- Diagnostic Radiography
- Occupational Therapy (including pre-registration master's)
- Physiotherapy
- Podiatry (including pre-registration master's)
- Prosthetics and Orthotics
- Midwifery
- Nursing (adult, child, mental health, learning disability, joint nursing/social work; including pre-registration Master's)
Visit the NHSBSA website for further information.
All Set? Let's Apply
Still have some questions? Register for one of our Open Days or contact us:
By email: enquiries@salford.ac.uk
By phone: +44 (0)161 295 4545