Nursing (Adult) BSc (Hons)

Overview

Are you looking for a rewarding and challenging career that you feel passionate about? Nursing is the largest healthcare profession in the country. As a qualified nurse you’ll be entering a highly respected profession with excellent employment prospects.

We have recently upgraded our nursing skills suite to include state-of-the-art blending learning simulation suite. Our new Blended Learning Interactive Simulation suite (BLISs) offers an innovative unique learning space which brings multi-sensory environments into the modern classroom giving students innovative learning experiences.

At Brunel, you’ll learn through an equal balance of theory and practice, gaining your professional experience in a variety of healthcare settings where you’ll work closely with other healthcare professionals, service users and their families.

On this programme, you’ll learn to care for adults with acute / long-term illnesses and you’ll prepare to play a vital role in health promotion and disease prevention. Brunel is a renowned research-intensive university with an established and excellent reputation in health sciences, so you’ll be learning from the best in the field.

Through your programme in adult nursing, you’ll learn to understand the health needs of patients aged 18 and over within public health, community development and global agendas. You’ll be supported in developing the personal skills necessary for the nursing profession.

Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

As a nursing student, you'll receive at least £5,000 a year which you don't need to pay back. See the UK government website for more information.

The NHS Values are shaped by patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for co-operation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

Course content

Through a blended learning approach, your programme will involve a mix of face-to-face learning and online learning in order to support and develop you into a highly competent practitioner within the field of adult nursing.

The programme combines theory with practice where 50 per cent of your time will be spent on practice placements within a wide range of healthcare settings. Periods of campus-based learning will help prepare you for your practice placements.

All modules are compulsory and cover the broad spectrum of adult nursing.

Year 1

Compulsory

Developing skills for practice
This module will prepare the foundation for students to provide nursing intervention and support for people of all ages who require nursing procedures during the processes of assessment, diagnosis, care and treatment for mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health challenges.
Health and wellbeing across the life continuum
This module provides opportunities for students to gain knowledge and understanding of the role of the RN in relation to the aims and principles of health promotion, protection, improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people.
Human Sciences
This interprofessional module provides students with knowledge of the biosciences related to nursing practice. Students will learn about anatomy and physiology, and how it is integrated from the cellular level to the organ systems level. This will include the exploration of the human body throughout the life continuum in both health and disease.
Nursing Practice Module for Year 1
This module is supported by the Pan London Practice Assessment Document (PLPAD) which is designed to support and guide students towards successfully achieving the criteria set out in the Future nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and Standards for education and training (NMC 2018). Continuous assessment is an integral aspect of assessment in practice and students are expected to show evidence of consistent achievement. The module will equip students with the appropriate knowledge base required to deliver safe, person-centred care under guidance.
Research Methods (1)
This module is designed to enable students to develop an ability to reflect on their practice and keep abreast of new and emerging developments in nursing, health and care. The module themes provide skills to underpin the student’s academic development.

Year 2

Compulsory

Enhancing Skills for Adult Nursing
This module will build on and enable students to further develop their underpinning knowledge and skills required for their role in assessing and initiating person-centred care. Students will build upon the knowledge and skills gained clinically and theoretically in the first year to understand and apply a person-centred approach to nursing care, demonstrating shared assessment, planning, decision making and goal setting when working with people, their families and communities.
Nursing in Society
This module provides opportunities for students to gain knowledge and understanding of the role of the registered nurse in relation to nursing in community settings. The module identifies how community adult nurses contribute to the prevention of and protection against disease and ill health. It provides opportunities for engagement in public health, community development and global health agendas, and in the reduction of health inequalities.
Nursing Practice Module for Year 2
This module is supported by the Pan London Practice Assessment Document (PLPAD) which is designed to support and guide students towards successfully achieving the criteria set out in the Future nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and Standards for education and training (NMC 2018). Continuous assessment is an integral aspect of assessment in practice and students are expected to show evidence of consistent achievement. The module will equip students with the appropriate knowledge base required to deliver safe, person-centred care under guidance.
Pharmacology and Prescribing Ready
In this module, students will gain critical knowledge and skills that are aligned with the principles of pharmacology and medicines management, which will enable the provision of high quality, evidence-based person-centred care. The module will enable students to further develop and apply their knowledge of body systems and physiology. The underpinning of pharmaco-therapeutic knowledge and skills will enable students to gain competency in supporting people with common physical and mental health conditions; providing a foundation for progression to gaining a prescribing qualification following registration.
Research Methods (2)
This module will enable students to understand how evidence is generated, why it is generated and how it influences nursing practice. It will develop an understanding of research methodologies and will enhance skills such as finding and critiquing the literature which will enable students to review current nursing practice. It will help prepare for the final dissertation.

Year 3

Compulsory

Nursing Practice Module for Year 3
Students will work within their role as a team member, and develop knowledge and skills enabling them to meet the NMC learning outcomes. The practice placement will develop students knowledge and understanding through increasing independent practice where they will be supported in undertaking planned, legitimate, educational activities alongside a registered practitioner. During this module students will be encouraged to develop the skills underpinning adult nursing practice when managing the care of patients with complex needs in diverse health and social care environments. Students will plan their learning experiences through a Learning Contract and record them in the PLPAD.
Reviewing the Literature to Inform Practice
This module will enable students to critically appraise different types of evidence in field-specific areas of health and social care. It will aim to develop students’ knowledge and skills in relation to the systematic stages of an integrated literature review relevant to a field-specific area of nursing. The module will also enable students to systematically organise and make analytical and objective judgements on the reviewed evidence in their field-specific areas of practice.
Skills for Registration
This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills required for their role in providing and evaluating person-centred care. This module will prepare students to demonstrate the ability to provide nursing intervention and support for people who require nursing procedures during the processes of assessment, diagnosis, care and treatment for mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health challenges. This will enable students to prepare for caring for people with more complex healthcare needs across a range of settings.
Transition to Registered Nurse
This module will equip students with the knowledge and skills required for their role as a newly registered nurse in leading and managing nursing care and working effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team. It will prepare students to safely and effectively lead and manage the nursing care of a group of people, demonstrating appropriate prioritisation, delegation and assignment of care responsibilities to others involved in providing care.

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This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Careers and your future

Career Prospects for Nursing Graduates

Opportunities for graduates of the adult nursing pathway are continually expanding both here and overseas. You may choose to work in a busy hospital ward with your own caseload, work in a prison or in one of the expanding primary health care areas such as a large health centre or specialist team.

Nurses are leading care innovation in many specialist areas such as intensive care, trauma nursing, cancer care and care of the older adult.

You may aspire towards becoming a Nurse Consultant where you’ll be leading, researching and making significant changes to practice. What makes adult nursing such a challenging and rewarding career is the diversity of the situations you’ll respond to, each one providing you with job satisfaction that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Professional Registration

Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Successful completion of the programme also provides eligibility to apply for professional registration with regulatory bodies in other countries, for example: Canada, New Zealand, Australia and many others. For current information on the specific requirements and registration process for each country we recommend that you consult the webpages of the relevant regulatory body.

Rights to Work in the UK for International Students

International students graduating from this programme may be eligible to apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa that provides the right to work within the UK healthcare sector. This visa also provides the right for dependants to come to the UK and exemptions from UK health insurance surcharges.

Further information about the current benefits of the Health and Care Worker Visa and rules for applying can be found at the UKVI website.

Information on further visa options is available on our Post Study Work Options webpage.

UK entry requirements

2026/7 entry

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

If you are unable to meet the direct entry criteria below, you are invited to apply for a foundation course in Life Sciences at Brunel Pathway College. When you successfully pass the foundation year, you can progress on to the Nursing BSc.

GCSEs

A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Maths (grade C/4), GCSE English Language (grade C/4) or GCSE English Literature (grade B/5) and GCSE Science (grade C/4)

A-level

Standard Offer: GCE A level BBC

Contextual Offer: GCE A level CCC