Care of the Compromised Newborn (Level 6, 20 credits)
Part-time
One semester
September 2025
In a nutshell
This module will help you advance your practitioner skills and knowledge to enhance the care of infants and neonates that require additional care. It will foster a deeper understanding of the needs of the family within the context of changing health care provision.
You will:
- develop the skills necessary for decision making in complex and unpredictable circumstances
- understand a holistic approach to the care of the neonate and family
- enhance your career opportunities
This is for you if...
You are a registered professional
You are working within a midwifery or health and social care environment
You want to gain new knowledge in the area of neonatal care
All about the course
This module will enhance your knowledge and skills to care for infants and neonates that require additional nursing/midwifery care for example, infants who are pre-term and have difficulty in maintaining temperatures, jaundiced infants, those with feeding difficulties, infants born to mothers who are diabetic and small for gestational age.
The module will look at:
- Portfolio development and reflective practice
- Midwifery terminology: pregnancy and neonatal complications
- Antenatal screening: fetal development/abnormalities
- Intrapartum monitoring
- Adaptation at birth: immediate care following birth
- Examination of the newborn
- Physiology and pathological processes of the common causes of neonatal problems requiring special care
- Diagnostic, therapeutic and technical procedures and techniques required in special care
- Resuscitation of the newborn
- Nursing care and management of the low birth weight and sick infant – assess, plan, implement and evaluate nursing care
- Holistic approach to the care of the neonate and family
- Communication: parents and multidisciplinary team
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.
What about after uni?
You can take this module as a standalone CPD module to enhance your career prospects. The module will enhance your knowledge and skills to care for infants and neonates that require additional nursing/midwifery care for example, infants who are pre-term and have difficulty in maintaining temperatures, jaundiced infants, those with feeding difficulties, infants born to mothers who are diabetic and small for gestational age.
Career Links
We work with over 100 health and social care organisations so our links with industry are very strong. These relationships will be of direct benefit to you because our academic team work in practice in some of these organisations at a senior level so are able to keep you at the forefront of developments in the sector which in turn help you provide a better service.
What you need to know
This module starts in January or September and lasts up to two semesters.
You will need to be employed in an appropriate clinical setting and have the written consent of your manager to use the clinical area as a learning environment.
Previous study and experience
You will be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Academic requirements equivalent to: 120 credits at Level 1 and 120 credits at Level 2, preferably with a minimum of three months post-registration experience.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time | 2025/26 | £965 per 20 credit module |
Additional costs
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.