Frequently Asked Questions - Nursing

We try to make applying to study at the University of Salford as flexible and straightforward as possible. Find out more about how you can make an application, write the perfect Personal Statement and track the status of your application online. Go to https://beta.salford.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply

Timetables are available once you have registered for the course.  If you are starting in September, you will get information regarding registration and timetables in the August and for January starts this will be available in the new year

The timetable allows for 6 weeks holiday throughout the course.  There are also an additional 1 week that can be agreed whilst you are on placement.

Placements are normally published 6 weeks in advance of the placement starting

If you subscribe to the DBS update service you can use this check if it is enhanced and checked against the Adults and Children’s barred list and not for a volunteer position.

If you do not subscribe to the update service, you will need to do another DBS check.  We will send further information regarding the DBS checks nearer to your start time.  You can find further information on the process here.

You will be invited to a uniform fitting session, either prior to starting your course or in fresher’s week where you can try them for size and then they can be ordered

The course runs for a full year, so if you start January your first year will end in January and similar if you start in September this will run to the following September.

Funding is available for BSc Nursing courses in the form of a student loan. See here for further information and here for a short video which summarises healthcare fees and funding. 

There are a number of benefits to choosing the accelerated MA Nursing programme. For example graduating with a Masters in Nursing along with your eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) can lead to earlier career progression opportunities in your chosen field of practice. Since you already have a degree, completing a Masters will also add to your existing academic achievements and in the future you may be interested in a career in nursing education and research. Whatever your career pathway, you will also be a registered nurse in your chosen field of practice within two years instead of three years.

The pre-registration MA Nursing programme is an accelerated two-year course. This means that you will be eligible for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) after two years instead of the traditional three years. Due to the fast-track nature of the programme, we need you to bring with you 800 hours health and social care experience so that these hours can count towards the NMC requirement for all pre-registration nursing students to complete a minimum of 4600 hours by the end of their programme. 

No – you need to meet all the other standard entry requirements in addition to demonstrating that you have 800 hours of health and social care prior experience (achieved in the last five years). You will also have an interview.

Yes – we can only accept evidence of experience gained within the last five year of your application.

The experience can be gained from a range of different health and social care roles and settings, within the last 5 years. This may be from a traditional health or social care setting in the community, residential home, or hospital. It can also be gained within a non-traditional health and social care setting: for example a charity, educational setting, social enterprise organisation, or experience being a carer. 

We accept witness statements from independent, senior health care professionals / line managers. The witness statement needs to verify their position and relationship with you, your role and the hours that you have achieved.  It must be on official letter headed paper or if sent via email, sent from their official work email. If you gained your experience in a number of different places, you need more than one witness statement for each setting.

Please ensure you list the hours achieved and the dates ‘From’ and ‘To’.

Here are some ideas and suggestions from our recent MA Nursing graduates who had a career change when they applied for the programme.

• Look for volunteering opportunities in your local area. If you live in the UK, you could search here
   
• Apply to work for NHS Professionals (the largest NHS staff bank in the UK) or an equivalent health care assistant/support worker role where you live. This will not only count towards the 800 hours but also help you to prepare for the health and social care settings in which you will be a nursing student
   
• Here are some examples to show you different ways to achieve your hours and how long it might take:

We ask you to write a description of how your experience meets each key programme objective. You should write about the skills, knowledge or attitudes you have gained as a result if the experience using examples (anonymised) to illustrate to the panel.

You need to complete and submit the form along with your evidence at the same time as your application to the University of Salford. Once you have completed your upload, email AdmissionsHealthSociety@salford.ac.uk to notify them it is ready.

Your evidence will then be reviewed by an internal panel of academic staff and we will let you know whether you have ‘fully met’, ‘partially met’, or ‘not met’ the 800 hours required.

We believe that how far you go in life is up to you. So whether you want to take the next big leap in your career, hone your skills in a specialist area, or start on a new path altogether, studying for a postgraduate qualification with us can help you achieve your goals. Go to https://beta.salford.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply.

Postgraduate loans are available for the MA Nursing courses as long as it is your first Postgraduate course. See here for more details about fees and funding.