DEVELOPING AUTONOMOUS PRACTICE IN SCPHN (SCHOOL NURSING) - 2025/6
Module code: NURM197
Module Overview
This module provides opportunities for students to develop into culturally competent autonomous practitioners within school nursing critically appraising the contemporary evidence base to link theory to practice (NMC (2022) Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses). Students will be supported in practice by an appropriately skilled and qualified SCPHN school nurse practice assessor and practice supervisor who will provide learning experiences and continuously assess progress utilising the Practice Assessment Document (PAD). SCPHN school nurse students will become skilled practitioners in leading and influencing public health care across diverse families, schools and populations implementing child-centred and proportionate care within universalism.
Working with school aged children and young people, students will develop unique skills in collaborating with them and their families, carers, schools and other agencies, building trusting relationships to influence positive health outcomes.
Module provider
School of Health Sciences
Module Leader
DOWNER Karin (Health Sci.)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 7
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 75
Lecture Hours: 54
Seminar Hours: 9
Tutorial Hours: 2
Guided Learning: 4
Captured Content: 6
Module Availability
Year long
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
Students must be undertaking the PG Diploma in Public Health Practice in SCPHN School Nursing programme.
Module content
To be informed by high impact areas in school nursing.
Decision making in a complex and unpredictable environments.
The impact of equality, diversity and inclusion on areas of professional practice.
Promoting and supporting continuous education and development of individuals and teams within a positive learning culture.
Knowledge and application of theory of normal and atypical child development when working with children young people and families.
Knowledge of children and young people¿s nutrition, normal and disordered eating and healthy weight.
Supporting children and young people in times of transition to adulthood.
Medicines management and management of minor illnesses and injuries in schools.
Partnership working with schools, health visitors, GPs, Social Care, health care professionals and voluntary services.
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Practical based assessment | OSPA | Pass/Fail |
| Practical based assessment | Portfolio | Pass/Fail |
| Coursework | Assignment | 100 |
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 PAD, students will identify the strengths, challenges, opportunities and barriers (SCOB) 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 assessor (PA) and evaluate their progress.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
Part 1 OSPA ¿ Observed Structured Practice Assessment. The student is observed undertaking a structured assessment of an individual or family¿s holistic needs. The OSPA should be on a Health Needs Assessment. A marked copy of the OSPA which is signed by the practice assessor, then scanned and submitted to Surrey Learn ¿ Pass/Fail- Learning outcomes 1,2 & 5
Part 2 Practice Assessment Document - Learning outcomes 1-6
A portfolio of evidence which demonstrates the achievement of SCPHN spheres specific to the student¿s pathway. The evidence in the PAD should contextualise the student¿s learning and demonstrate their application of knowledge and skills to the school nursing pathway of professional practice. Assessment in practice is measured against the (NMC 2022) Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses. A minimum number of 847.5 hours of practice should be achieved ¿ Pass/Fail
Part 3 Written Assignment
A 2000 word reflective account of the student¿s learning journey to an autonomous practitioner in School Nursing. This will be joint marked by the practice assessor and the academic assessor ¿ 100% Learning outcomes 1,4 & 5
In line with Professional and Regulatory body, Codes of Practice/Standards of Proficiency, if there is evidence of unsafe practice or any breach of confidentiality, the assessment will not meet the criteria to achieve a pass.
Formative assessment:
In practice, students will undergo a process of continuous formative assessment by their practice assessor and practice supervisor. There will be progress reviews in practice with the student, their practice assessor and academic assessor on a minimum of three occasions throughout the module where the students will be encouraged to self-assess their progress to date.
Feedback:
Regular tutor groups and individual tutorials with the academic assessor will be offered as opportunities for verbal feedback to support learning and development of academic writing. Students will receive regular written and verbal formative feedback from their practice assessor and practice supervisor in practice
Module aims
- To achieve competence in the NMC (2022) standards of proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (School Nursing)
- To critically evaluate and apply evidence based knowledge in relation to school nursing practice
- To develop safe and autonomous school nursing practice supported by evidence based decision making
- Empower students to develop innovative approaches to contemporary issues facing school aged children, families and communities.
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Critically evaluate judgements and decisions made in complex and unpredictable environments and evidence based actions and solutions to problems | KCPT |
| 002 | Demonstrate critical awareness of the impact of stigma and bias on service provision and lead on partnership working to support equality, diversity and inclusion in the provision of services for children and families. | KPT |
| 003 | Demonstrate the ability to compassionately lead and support a culture of learning and development, recognising individual abilities and learning needs within teams. | CPT |
| 004 | Critically apply specialist knowledge of child development to identify anomalies & inform assessment of YP competence in order to refer and support children, parents and families with additional and complex needs and lead on the development of services. | KCPT |
| 005 | Critically apply specialist knowledge of child development and medicines management to support parents, children and schools with identification and management of minor illness, promote school inclusion and child safety. | KCPT |
| 006 | Critically evaluate partnership working with interdisciplinary and interagency teams in a variety of situations including periods of transition | KPT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
¿ Apply the current theoretical and methodological approaches to build a sound knowledge base in relation to their specific field of school nursing.
¿ Utilise interprofessional learning within a non-threatening environment to support to explore the complexities of school nursing.
¿ The development of individual professional attributes and abilities within the context of shared experiential learning. This allows students to develop capacities required for successful collaborative working.
¿ Prepare students to have an inquiring attitude and empower them with an ongoing curiosity regarding new and emerging research that informs their school nursing practice
¿ Equip the students with the skills to build upon previous expertise.
¿ Challenge values, beliefs and assumptions in relation to the risk and resilience factors that affect children and young people in their social, emotional and school environments and family networks.
The learning and teaching methods include:
¿ Lectures
¿ Online ¿ learning materials/ discussion board
¿ Classroom discussions to link theory to practice
¿ Problem based learning
¿ Practice based learning
¿ Simulation learning in relation to 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: NURM197
Other information
The school/department of Health Sciences is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: Employability: Students are registered healthcare professionals and will be developing skills and knowledge that can be applied to their role and will enhance their future employability. Students will develop a critically inquiring attitude and professional curiosity regarding their health visiting practice and network with other professionals. Global and cultural capabilities: Module content incorporates perspectives and practices from a range of cultures; through conversations around culture, faith and religion, students are encouraged to diversify their knowledge and reflect on different experiences. This will support the development of cultural competence to support the diverse range of communities engaging with services. Students will reflect on cultural practices and the impact of values and judgements in relation to working with clients and colleagues. Resourcefulness and Resilience: Students are guided to develop the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt, and respond flexibly to events throughout the module and in the practice environment. This pillar is fundamental to the development of effective and safe health professionals. Scenario based examples are used to develop students¿ ability to respond effectively to situations within school nursing.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health Practice SCPHN Health Visiting PGDip(YEAR LONG) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
| Public Health Practice SCPHN School Nursing PGDip(YEAR LONG) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
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.