FdSc Nursing Associate (Direct Entry Route)
Full-time
Two year
April 2025
In a nutshell
The Nursing Associate is a highly trained support role to deliver effective, safe and responsive nursing care in and across a wide range of health and care settings. This role will bridge the gap between a support worker and a Registered Nurse, providing a workforce for future healthcare. The programme is a two-year programme leading to a Nursing Associate Foundation Degree.
Nursing Associates will work independently, and as part of the healthcare team, delivering care in a range of primary, secondary, community and social care settings. In this role, you will deliver hands-on care, focusing on ensuring patients continue to get the compassionate care they deserve.
You will work alongside qualified practice assessors and supervisors in practice learning areas where you will experience a wide variety of care-giving settings. You will be expected to work the same shift patterns as your practice supervisor (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 hospital and community settings, within the NHS and independent sector. These practice learning opportunities will be across the Greater Manchester area.
You will:
- Develop high quality, compassionate care under the direction of a Registered Nurse, Registered Nursing Associate (or other registered health and social care professionals).
- Work as part of a designated team delivering care that focuses on the direct needs of the individual.
- Learn in our purpose-built, state-of-the-art simulation suite facilities.
options available
This is for you if...
You want to care for patients in all fields of practice (adult, children and young people, mental health, and learning disability)
You would like to work in various settings including acute, primary care, mental health and learning disability care
You want to work as a registered and regulated skilled professional within Health and Social Care
You are looking to develop the skills to work with patients of all ages from pre-conception to death
You want to be part of the professionals who deliver hands on care, bridging the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses, focusing on ensuring patients get the compassionate care they deserve
You are hard working and committed to improving the health and lives of people and communities
All about the course
You will spend 50% of your time at university, studying six modules in total throughout the programme. The first year will comprise of modules such as; Foundations of Health and Wellbeing, Application of Skills to Support Health and Wellbeing 1 and Application of Skills to Support Health and Wellbeing 2. These modules will allow students to develop their professionalism, and interpersonal skills and find out more about human anatomy, person-centred care, safeguarding, public health and health promotion.
The second year of the programme will include modules such as; Preparation for Professional Practice, Exploring Specific Health Issues and Developing and Changing Practice. These modules will develop knowledge of long-term conditions, medication management, coaching, service improvement and nursing interventions.
You will spend the remaining 50% of your time working in healthcare settings alongside qualified practice assessors and supervisors. You will be expected to work the same shift patterns as your practice supervisor (including weekends and night duty) and will need to be able to travel to and from clinical placements. To be able to successfully complete the programme, you will be required to evidence 2,300 programme hours.
Foundations of Health and Wellbeing
This module will enable you to display a commitment to professional values, standards and ethical practice within the parameters of practice for your role. You will examine the theories & principles that underpin health & social care and you will learn to apply and promote safe and effective, person-centred nursing care.
Application of Skills to Support Health and Wellbeing 1
In this module, you will explore the principles of public health and develop skills in health promotion and preventative healthcare for individuals across the lifespan, communities and populations. You will develop knowledge and skills in identifying and managing safeguarding issues and risk assessment and management across the lifespan and develop knowledge of key body systems and apply this to key skills in routine care delivery.
Application of Skills to Support Health and Wellbeing 2
This module will enable you to advance your knowledge and skills of the principles of care delivery for the acutely ill person across the lifespan, whilst maintaining professional values, working within legal and ethical frameworks and parameters of practice. You will develop knowledge of how physical and psychological health are affected by ill-health and engage in holistic person-centred care planning.
Exploring Specific Health Issues
This module will provide you with the knowledge, clinical and care skills and attitudes & behaviours to provide holistic, patient centred care of mental and physical health across the life span. You will experience a range of opportunities to practice safe and effective nursing care for people with long-term conditions and you will develop the required knowledge and skills for the safe administration of medicines.
Preparation for Professional (NA) Practice
This module will enable you to explore your own role in relation to duty of care, equality & diversity and within the multidisciplinary team. You will understand and engage in the process of reflection for providing safe and effective nursing care across the lifespan and when faced with challenges. You will also explore clinical decision-making skills when prioritising care within a busy environment.
Developing and Changing Practice
This module will enable you to engage in research development & innovation to support evidence-based practice. You will develop your leadership skills to support your own and colleagues learning and assessment 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.
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 sectors to ensure our teaching is at the forefront of practice.
Simulation Suites
Our Simulation Suites provide the opportunity to tackle real-life scenarios in a safe and supported environment. Designed like a hospital ward, the suites feature advanced patient simulators capable of mimicking a range of conditions, from the common cold to major heart issues.
The equipment includes:
- Emergency Care Patient Simulators: Anatomically correct mannequins with a range of features for demonstrating clinical signs such as bleeding, breathing, blinking eyes, and convulsions.
- iStan Patient Simulators: Advanced simulators that add a human element to patient simulation, including movements, breathing, and sounds of pain, offering a more realistic practice experience.
- Pedia Patient Simulator: A detailed reproduction of a six-year-old child, ideal for practising paediatric scenarios.
- Baby Simulator: A mannequin designed to simulate interactions with infants, providing a safe and realistic learning environment for working with the most vulnerable patients.
All simulation equipment is connected to sophisticated computer and audio-visual systems, allowing groups of students to role-play various scenarios with a lab coordinator observing and managing the scenarios remotely. The computer equipment also offers detailed physiological information for each simulator, helping you develop both clinical and high-level communication skills essential for patient care.
What about after uni?
Completion of this course will prepare you with the practice experience and knowledge required to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a nursing associate. You will gain experience and knowledge to work in all four fields of nursing (adult, children and young people, mental health and learning disability) and across the lifespan. You will also be able to work within a range of community, acute care, social and primary care settings within the NHS, public, private and voluntary sectors.
What you need to know
Healthcare is not a nine-to-five job. Neither is being a student nursing associate:
You will be expected to work the same shifts as your practice supervisor in hospital and community settings. You do not get a long holiday break and our course has fixed non-negotiable annual leave weeks. Please note that considerable travelling may be required for both hospital and community placements.
As part of the application process, you may be invited to complete an assessment / attend an online activity. If this is the case, we will contact you with further details. The programme structure will be delivered on a mix of block theory and block practice delivery basis. Typically students attend three to five theory days during theory blocks.
Whilst on programme you also need to be able to demonstrate an ability to study at diploma level with a commitment to complete a foundation degree programme. You also need to be able to demonstrate that you have capability to learn professional, personal, digital and technology behaviours, skills and attributes in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code.
You also need to be able to demonstrate that you hvae capability to learn professional, personal, digital and technological behaviours, skills and attributes in accordance with the Nursing and Midwiefry Council Code.
Experience
Previous experience as a healthcare assistant/clinical support worker is desirable but not essential, however, you will need to demonstrate the commitment to undertake the challenge of a career in healthcare.
GCSE or equivalent
You will need GCSE Maths and English at grade C / grade 4 or above or equivalent Functional Skills level 2 and demonstrate the academic aptitude to undertake the programme.
To be considered, you must fulfil our GCSE entry requirements. We do also recognise Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and have detailed the requirements linked to this below.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
An applicant who meets the General Entry Academic Requirements as well as further study at Level 4 or above can apply for recognition of prior learning up to a maximum of 50% of the programme. This maximum limit of 50% does not apply to applicants to pre-registration nursing associate programmes who are currently an NMC registered nurse without restrictions on their practice. Visit our Accreditation of Prior Learning webpage to find out more.
How much?
Your tuition fees are regulated by the UK government who has proposed changes to tuition fees for UK students studying in England from 1 August 2025. The fee stated reflects this proposed change, but remains subject to parliamentary approval. Your tuition fees may increase in your first and each subsequent year of your programme to the maximum amount permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year.
For more information about uniform, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, Occupational Health clearance and immunisations, visit our student onboarding page.
You should consider further costs which may include immunisations, books, stationary, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.
If you are not from a majority English-speaking country, you will need IELTS 7.0 with no element below 7.0. We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take the Pre-Sessional English course to gain entry onto this degree.
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2025/26 | £9,535.00per year |
| Full-time international | 2025/26 | £17,650.00per year |
Additional costs
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.
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
Enrolment dates
UCAS information
Course ID B713
Institution S03