Programme Specification
A statement of the knowledge, understanding
and skills that underpin a taught programme of
study leading to an award from
The University of Sheffield
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Programme Title
Care of the Newborn
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Programme Code
NURU206 (Part-time)
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JACS Code
B731
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Level of Study
Undergraduate
5a
Final Qualification
Diploma
5b
QAA FHEQ Level
Intermediate
6
Intermediate Qualification(s)
None
7
Teaching Institution (if not Sheffield)
Not applicable
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Faculty
Medicine Dentistry and Health
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Department
School of Nursing and Midwifery
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Other Department(s) involved in
teaching the programme
None
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Mode(s) of Attendance
Part-time
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Duration of the Programme
A maximum of 5 years Part-time
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Accrediting Professional or Statutory
Body
None
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Date of production/revision
March 2014, Revised March 2016
15. Background to the programme and subject area
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is committed to providing opportunities for neonatal and children’s nurses
to advance clinically and professionally. Additionally students on this programme benefit from modules applied
specifically to their specialist area of practice. The range of opportunities can be tailored to their own needs.
This programme is accessible and relevant for neonatal and children’s nurses. Neonatal nursing in line with
other fields of nursing has moved considerably to reflect the current health care agenda. The focus of client care
is changing it is increasingly complex, necessitating the need for practitioners to be equipped to face these
demands.
Therefore the skills required for evidence based practice and neonatal intensive care will be needed by
practitioners to function effectively in today’s health care environment.
This programme will provide neonatal nurses with the specialist knowledge, skills and expertise relevant to
caring for newborn babies who require intensive and high dependency care at birth. This will include a deeper
and broader understanding of the needs of the newborn baby and its family health needs within the context of
changing health care provision.
Students accessing the programme must be employed and working within a neonatal intensive care unit, with
the vast majority being seconded by their employers. The programme will include assessment of clinical
competence in practice through the completion of learning contracts and reflections on learning and clinical
experiences within a portfolio, which are completed with the support of a clinical supervisor working within the
context of a neonatal intensive care unit. During this time students will be supernumerary. For many students
successful completion of the programme is a pre-requisite to promotion or considered essential professional
development for staff wishing to work within this speciality. The programme features contribution by clinical
experts in neonatology and other related fields and the teaching is informed by research and scholarly activities.
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16. Programme aims
The programme aims to empower practitioners by:
1. Giving them the opportunity to link theory to practice and perform consistently safe practice from a variety of
perspectives, whilst reflecting the focus of their specific clinical setting.
2.
Giving them the opportunity to develop reflective and analytical skills to enhance the quality of care given to
neonates within their specific area of clinical practice.
3.
Giving them the opportunity to develop evidence based research led care for neonates and their families
within their specific area of practice.
17. Programme learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: Having successfully completed the programme the students will be
able to:
K1
demonstrate an in depth knowledge of the physiology of the newborn.
K2
enhance clinical practice within the neonatal intensive care and high dependency units.
K3
analyse the contribution of the caring team in hospital, community and across professional boundaries
working with families to deliver integrated care within the neonatal intensive care and high dependency
units.
K4
explore different concepts and approaches to the care of babies requiring intensive and high dependency
care to promote optimal physical, psychological, developmental and emotional care for the babies and
their families.
K5
explore the different ethical principles and their application in the neonatal intensive care setting.
K6
demonstrate a knowledge of the concept of evidence–based practice and the development of practice.
Skills and other attributes: Having successfully completed the programme the students will be able to:
S1
develop skills to anticipate and respond appropriately in emergency situations.
S2
apply the principles of evidence based nursing in the care of neonates within areas of specialist practice,
to enhance clinical decision-making.
S3
demonstrate the skills to support and maintain homeostasis for infants in the intensive and high
dependency care settings.
S4
demonstrate an enquiring approach to professional practice in the care of babies requiring intensive and
high dependency care.
S5
analyse own abilities and limitations in order to engage consistently in safe practice, when delivering care
to babies and their families in the intensive care and high dependency unit.
18. Teaching, learning and assessment
Development of the learning outcomes is promoted through the following teaching and learning
methods:
1. Induction Procedures: are designed to orientate the student and develop key study skills. Workshops will
be offered to cover specific information technology skills and the resources available via the local inter-net
and the world - wide web. This is also supported by the provision of specific student handbooks. These
procedures will facilitate learning outcome S2, K6.
2. Lectures: are used to impart essential knowledge related to K1 – 6. S1 – 5.
3. Seminars: are student led and used throughout the programme. This often involves students completing an
exercise and communicating information to fellow students to encourage active group learning. Seminars
thus contribute to the achievement of knowledge and understanding. K 1-6, S 1-5.
4. 4. Tutorials: are essentially individual learning events, which focus on the preparation for assessment.
The resulting discussion reinforces skills. S 1-5.
5. Problem Solving: This approach is used to promote deep learning and foster critical thinking on the part of
the student. Facilitated by a lecturer, examples include cases and scenarios where the student group
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identify and analyse the issues raised by the case in order to solve the problem. Knowledge and
understanding ability S 1-5, K 2, K 5, K 6 are encompassed in this approach.
6. 6. Independent Study: is geared towards the assimilation and further clarification of material gleaned
from lectures, preparation for seminars, preparation for written assessments and the broader development
of knowledge of the field of study. Supervised independent study towards the end of the programme
facilitates the writing of a longer piece of work covering a professional issue pertinent to the student’s
specialist field of practice. Independent study thus contributes to the development of all learning outcomes.
7. Work Placement: is an essential feature of the programme as the students fulfil a period of supernumerary
practice either in their own practice area or in one suited to the achievement of their learning outcomes. This
opportunity enables the student to enhance their clinical practice skills and integrate knowledge and
understanding outcomes with their developing practice skills. Applying the theoretical concepts from K 1-6
with the skill components of S1-5.
The students will be supported throughout all of these activities by their course tutor. Individual tutorials are
arranged as requested to help with the development of written assessments. In practice they are supported by a
named supervisor and mentor who will assess their practice. The course tutor also liaises with the clinical area
and will visit the student and discuss their progress in that context.
Opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes are provided through the following
assessment methods:
Formative Assessment: usually takes the form of exercises designed to reinforce knowledge and skills such
as specific searching skills associated with the development of evidence based practice. K6, S2.
Summative Assessment: for the majority of modules takes place in both theory and clinical practice with equal
weighting applied to both.
Assessment of the theoretical element is by written assignments K 1-6, S 1-5. in the form of –
Two case histories will examine clinical cases in relation to the intensive and high dependency care of the
neonate. These assessments will allow the student to describe and analyse the care received by a baby and its
family in relation to existing guidelines and in terms of the psychological needs of the family within the context of
the neonatal intensive care and the high dependency areas. Issues arising from the care will be analysed
demonstrating integration of theory to practice and personal learning.
A reflective essay will examine an area of practice within the context of a concept of neonatal care, which is of
interest to the student and of relevance to practice. This will be analysed with the use of relevant research. The
findings from this analysis of research and practice will be reflected on within the context of current practice and
recommendations for future practice research and education will be discussed.
An essay in order to analyse the evidence base for an aspect of clinical practice. The essay will discuss the
rational for selecting the chosen area of practice and will identify the different sources of evidence accessed.
The gathered evidence will then be analysed in relation to its usefulness for informing current practice and its
application to practice will be discussed and recommendations for future practice will be identified.
An extended essay In order to demonstrate integration of theory to practice on a topic pertinent to your clinical
area. To analyse in detail a professional issue in the light of relevant literature and evidence-based material and
to explore the potential for applying the findings to clinical practice. Demonstrating an in-depth knowledge and
understanding of the issue.
Assessment of clinical practice is achieved through the completion of learning contracts which will address
specific outcomes relevant to the care of the neonate undergoing intensive care, high dependency care and
concepts of care in these contexts. These will form a portfolio, which will demonstrate a range of evidence from
practice experiences and theory. K1-6 S1-5.
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19. Reference points
The learning outcomes have been developed to reflect the following points of reference:
Subject Benchmark Statements
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality/subject-guidance/Pages/Subject-benchmarkstatements.aspx
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (2008)
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Pages/The-framework-for-higher-educationqualifications-in-England-Wales-and-Northern-Ireland.aspx
University Strategic Plan
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/strategicplan
Learning and Teaching Strategy (2011-16)
http://www.shef.ac.uk/lets/staff/lts
The mission statement of the School of Nursing and Midwifery as presented within its strategy document
20. Programme structure and regulations
Students completing the full programme undertake the module on evidence-based practice in the first instance
to equip them with the skills required to undertake the specialist modules. They then access the specialist
modules to enhance existing skills and knowledge before completing the final module, which is a longer piece of
work and requires the student to work independently with supervision only from the module lecturer (see section
21).
Detailed information about the structure of programmes, regulations concerning assessment and progression
and descriptions of individual modules are published in the University Calendar available on-line at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html.
21. Student development over the course of study
The programme can be completed in not less than 1year full time and not more than 5 years part time.
The programme is modular in design. Students completing this programme of study are required to complete
120 Level 2 credits which consists of completion of the following modules:
The Evidence-Based Practice (20 credits) is normally undertaken first, in conjunction with the Intensive Care
of the Newborn module (20 credits). These are taught over 13 weeks.
The High Dependency Care of the Newborn (20 credits) and Concepts of Care of the Newborn (20 credits)
are undertaken in conjunction with each other and are taught over the following 13 weeks.
Supernumerary clinical practice is undertaken in each of the 20 credit specialist modules with practical
experience gained within relevant clinical areas over 26 weeks.
These modules are 50 % theory and 50% practice.
Professional Issues of Care of the Child / Neonate (40 credits) is undertaken when the other modules have
been completed. This is an untaught module, which, runs over 6 months. The students are supported during
this module by a personal teacher and tutorials are arranged as needed. Successful completion of all of these
modules leads to an award of 120 Level 2 credits and a Diploma in the Care of the Newborn.
22. Criteria for admission to the programme
Detailed information regarding admission to the programme is available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/prospective/
For entry onto the programme the student must have achieved 120 credits at Level 1 and be on the appropriate
part of the NMC Professional Register. The student must also have at least 6 months’ experience gained within
a neonatal intensive care prior to entry onto this programme. General health and enhanced Criminal Records
Bureau checks are mandatory for all who wish to accept a provisional offer of a place on the programme.
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23. Additional information
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is based at:
Barber House Annexe
3a Clarkehouse Road
Sheffield
S10 2LA
Telephone: 0114 222 2030
Email enquiries: snm.enquiries@sheffield.ac.uk
Information at: www.shef.ac.uk/snm
Units may be delivered at any site on the university campus
Different units may be delivered each year. The School produces information online identifying those that will be
available for students to access.
This specification represents a concise statement about the main features of the programme and should be
considered alongside other sources of information provided by the teaching department(s) and the University. In
addition to programme specific information, further information about studying at The University of Sheffield can
be accessed via our Student Services web site at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid
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