Specialist Practitioner Qualification (District Nursing) PgDip

Buckinghamshire New University

District nurses perform essential work, caring for housebound patients in their own homes and keeping them out of hospital for longer.

Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), this postgraduate diploma gives you the advanced grounding to specialise in this ever-changing and vitally-important area of nursing.

Why study this subject? District nursing is rewarding and challenging work that requires different skills and knowledge to those needed in a hospital. Studying at specialist practitioner level will hone your critical thinking and leadership capabilities, so that you become highly skilled at caring for patients in their own homes, and leading large teams of nurses in this area of practice.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? You will benefit from an excellent standard of teaching provided by staff from the University and practice, in partnership with our NHS Trust partners. As well as this you will be taught by lecturers who have a wide expertise in the field. Our lecturers also maintain close links with practice, ensuring that the programme is up-to-date with modern practice.

We offer continuous support throughout the programme, and you will receive personal tutoring and benefit from a high level of research within the teaching team. Your personal tutor will help guide you through your studies, support you with your academic development and give advice when needed.

Highly regarded by students and practice partners for our teaching in this area, BNU has a strong reputation for its health visitor and school nurse training. You will work with highly skilled academics, who have worked in the community – and spend some of your time in practice yourself, consolidating and deepening your understanding and skills.

This specialist course will take you through key aspects of contemporary district nursing practice, from mental health across the lifespan and safeguarding to effective caseload management. Developing strong leadership, critical thinking and research skills, you will also learn to take a more strategic view of the way healthcare is delivered in the community, drawing on the latest research, ideas and policy.

This course covers all the areas needed to meet the NMC professional requirements for district nurses.

As well as spending half your time in practice, case study-type simulations will allow you to explore the kind of issues you will face as a district nurse. You will also work closely with students from other community nursing courses at BNU, building your experience of working in a multi-professional way.

By the end of the course, you will have developed the higher level of skills and knowledge you need to become a leader in this specialist field of nursing. Your e-portfolio will provide evidence of this, to validate your learning with the NMC.