PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN SPECIALIST COMMUNITY PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module integrates theory learned in this module and all core programme modules and enables students to develop skills in practice using the appropriate evidence base. Students are supported in practice by a Practice Teacher and where appropriate a mentor to progress to a stage of competency in all domains of SCPHN practice.

Module provider

School of Health Sciences

Module Leader

ROYAL Clare (Health Sci.)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Crosses academic years

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Students must be sponsored by an Organisation who will provide a practice placement with an allocated Practice Teacher and where appropriate a Mentor to support and assess the student in practice

Module content

To be informed by High impact Areas in SCPHN Fields of Practice and BFI themes

 

Indicative content includes:

• 
  Child and young person development from birth to 19 years
  


• 
  Healthy eating and exercise
  


• 
  Breast feeding
  


• 
  Mental health
  


• 
  Minor illness management
  


• 
  Medicines management
  


• 
  Accident prevention in the 0-19 age range
  


• 
  School readiness
  


• 
  Transition to adulthood
  


• 
  Supporting families with disability and complex needs
  


• 
  Sexual health
  


• 
  Enuresis
  


• 
  Sleep
  


• 
  Behaviour management
  


• 
  Preparation for consolidated practice and pre-ceptorship
  


• 
  Clinical decision making
  

Health Visiting High Impact Areas For 2016-17

• 
  Transition to parenthood and early weeks
  


• 
  Maternal mental health
  


• 
  Breast feeding initiation and duration
  


• 
  Healthy weight, healthy nutrition ( including exercise)
  


• 
  Managing minor illness and reducing hospital attendance and admission
  


• 
  Health, welbeing and development of the child aged 2/ readiness for school
  

 

School Nursing High impact Areas for 2016-17

• 
  Resilience and emotional well being
  


• 
  Keeping safe: managing risk and reducing harm
  


• 
  Improving lifestyles
  


• 
  Maximising learning and achievement
  


• 
  Supporting complex and additional health and wellbeing needs
  


• 
  Seamless transition and preparation for adulthood
  

 

Baby Friendly Inititaive Themes (UNICEF 2016)

1. 
   Have an understanding of breast feeding
   


2. 
   Enable mothers to breast feed
   


3. 
   Support close and loving relationships
   


4. 
   Be able to manage the challenges
   


5. 
   Promote positive communication
   

UNICEF (2016) Guidance for universities in implementing the Baby Friendly Initiative standards

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the integration of evidence based theory with the acquisition of practice skills.

In the portfolio, students will identify the strengths, challenges, opportunities and barriers to their learning at three key points in their learning journey. This will enable them to set their learning objectives, agree a plan for achieving them with their Practice Teacher and evaluate their progress

 

The summative assessment for this module consists of 3 parts :

1. An assignment in which the student will write a reflective account which critically analyses the clinical decision making used in a client assessment .

2. The Observed Structured Practice Assessment signed as a pass by the Practice Teacher

3. A Portfolio of evidence which includes

• 
  A log of practice hours for a minimum of 63 days which clearly denotes public health hours
  


• 
  Achievement of all domains of practice at a competent level
  


• 
  Confirmation that student is ready to progress to consolidated practice signed by Practice Teacher
  


• 
  Teaching plan, delivery and evaluation by student and Practice Teacher
  


• 
  3x SCOB analysis
  


• 
  Learning agreements and evaluation of them
  


• 
  Medicines management reflective discussion
  


• 
  Public health experience notes
  


• 
  Alternative practice journal
  


• 
  Windshield survey
  

 

Formative assessment and feedback

Student progress will be reviewed at tripartite meetings in practice between the student, Practice Teacher and University Specialist Practice Teacher. Each student will receive a minimum of 3 visits at strategic points in the programme. Students will develop their portfolio of evidence and complete a SCOB and reflection of their progress to be discussed at each visit. Practice Teachers will review the student’s practice on a regular basis and raise any concerns with the student and their tutor at an early stage.

Module aims

• This module aims to enable health visiting and school nursing students to develop evidence based practice and achieve competency in all 4 domains of the standards of proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses to meet the entry requirements for part 3 of the NMC register.
• Surveillance and assessment of the population’s health and wellbeing (Domain 1- Search for Health Needs)
• Collaborative working for health and wellbeing. Working with and for communities to improve health and wellbeing (Domain 2 – Stimulation of awareness of health needs)
• Developing health programmes and services, reducing inequalities. Policy and strategy development and implementation to improve health and wellbeing. Research and development to improve health and wellbeing. (Domain 3- Influence on policies affecting health)
• Promoting and protecting the population’s health and wellbeing. Developing quality and risk management within an evaluative culture. Strategic leadership for health and wellbeing. (Domain 4 – Facilitation of health enhancing activities)

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to bring together all elements of learning in University and practice settings to ensure that students are adequately prepared for their role as an SCPHN. They will build on their existing professional skills to achieve the knowledge and skills required to enter part 3 of the NMC register

 

UNICEF ( 2016) Learning outcomes will be integrated into the module in accordance with the recommendations received during the accreditation process

The learning and teaching methods include:

Lectures, seminars ,workshops, discussions, case studies, presentations from specialist practitioners in University

Observation, participation and demonstration of skills, professional conversation and reflection, clinical supervision, contribution to inter-professional forums in practice.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: NURM134

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.