Children’s Nursing Programme Overview – Curriculum 2013
All nurses should be caring, compassionate and competent and the Children’s
Nursing programme aims to equip the future workforce with nurses that are able to
meet the demands of the modernised health care service. The philosophy of
children and young people’s nursing care is embedded in the assertion that
children’s nursing is both an art and a science, with practice that is grounded in
evidence. We believe that care should be family centred and driven, as the nature
and location of children’s nursing work is changing in response to both the needs of
children and young people and to changes in the health care service. Children and
young people are in hospital for shorter periods and often require complex and highly
technical care and are increasingly moving towards having both acute and
continuing care needs met at home. Children and young people have the right to be
cared for safely by people they know and trust and this care should preferably occur
in the child/young person’s home/own environment. If nursing care is required either
in hospital or in the child/young person’s home, the child/young person has the right
to be cared for by a competent qualified children’s nurse. It is our intention that the
Children’s Nursing pre-registration curriculum will prepare the individual learner to be
a caring, competent, critical, creative and safe practitioner with the ability to manage,
direct and lead health and social care services for children, young people and their
families. This philosophy is reflected in the Children’s Nursing programme, which
provides students with experiences in both community and hospital settings, working
closely with other health care professionals.
Central to the core subjects of children’s nursing theory and practice are supporting
studies in field specific biology, psychology, sociology, interpersonal skills and
information technology, all applied to health care in a professional setting. There is a
strong emphasis on the application of health related science and development of
inter-professional and interpersonal skills essential in establishing effective working
relationships with children, young people, their families and healthcare professionals
in a multidisciplinary setting. Throughout the course, research appreciation skills are
developed in support of good practice.
Study themes running through the course include:
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Children’s Nursing theory and practice
Leadership and management in Children’s Nursing
Assessment and clinical reasoning
Interpersonal skills
Development of professional practice
Bio-psychosocial development of the child from conception to early adulthood
Childhood as a social construct and the concept of family in modern society
Sociology of health, wellness and illness
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Health care systems
Inter-professional working
Research and evidence-based practice
All students have a named Academic Personal Tutor for the duration of their
programme. The programme meets the NMC standards for Pre-registration Nursing
Education (NMC 2010) and was validated in May 2013 for implementation in
September 2013.
The following modules are indicative of the programme structure:
Year 1
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Communication in a Diverse World
Appreciating Evidence for Practice
Physiology and Pharmacology
Understanding Children’s Lives
Participating in the Practice of Children’s Nursing (incorporating 1 acute
placement and 1 Health Visitor/School Nurse)
Year 2
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Delivering Safe and Compassionate Care
Service Improvement – a collaborative approach
Evidence Based Practice for Nursing and Midwifery
Implementing Children’s Nursing Practice (incorporating 2 clinical placements in
the Acute sector or 1 community children’s nursing sector)
Year 3
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Leadership in Children’s Nursing
Managing Children’s Nursing Practice (incorporating 2 clinical placements in the
Acute sector. Students with an interest in community nursing may chose a
community placement for their first placement in year 3)
Nursing and Midwifery Dissertation
Choice module e.g. Nursing in a Diverse World, Mental Health and Well-being of
Children and Young People, Atopic Disease or Community Children’s Nursing
Clinical Practice
Students attend Supervision of Learning Days (SoLD) once every 2 weeks
throughout a their clinical placement. The day will include reflection on learning in
practice and engagement with one of 5 clinical cases and clinical skills. Each case
progresses across the 3 years with students revisiting to develop their skill and
knowledge base in relation to the child and young persons altered healthcare and
social needs, further promoting the links between practice and theory. The Ongoing Achievement Record is the clinical document which includes the learning
outcomes and skills which need to be achieved throughout the programme.
Practice Placements
The allocation of practice placements are mapped to ensure that all students meet
the Essential Skills Clusters as set out by the NMC in the Standards for PreRegistration Nursing Education (2010):
Practice placements may include
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General paediatrics (e.g. general medical, general surgery, children’s ward)
Specialist medicine/surgery (e.g. cardiac, renal, oncology, BMT, burns and
reconstructive surgery, neuro)
High Dependency (e.g. PICU, NICU, SCBU, Emergency Department, PACU)
Specialist Community and Public Health Nursing(e.g. health Visiting, School Nursing)
Specialist Community Children’s Nursing (e.g. diabetic, stoma, orthopaedic, neonatal
nurse specialists and complex needs community teams)
Students must be supported and mentored by a Registered Nurse with experience in
that area of practice. During the students final placement of the programme, they
must be allocated a ‘Sign off’ mentor who has ‘due regard’ as defined by the NMC.
‘Due regard’ means registration on the same part of the nursing register as the
student is aiming to achieve.