Studying for an MSc Professional Nursing degree at Queen’s will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from

Queen’s are well regarded by employers both nationally and internationally.

The majority of our graduates pursue a career in nursing which is an interesting, rewarding and challenging career where work can be in a variety of health care settings from accident and emergency to working in patients' homes, with people of all ages and backgrounds. Nursing can also offer a diverse range of post-registration opportunities to specialise in areas such as counselling; public health and health promotion; acute care, as well as education and research

Employment after the Course

Graduates of this programme will have the opportunity to quickly gain access to higher-level management roles, building an exceptional career from the very beginning.

Professional Opportunities

Further study is also an option open to Nursing graduates, and some may choose to follow a research pathway. There is a range of PhD Nursing opportunities available within the School; click here for more information.

The two-year programme will comprise 50% academic modules and 50% practice learning. All modules are listed below.

Academic Modules

Students will be required to complete all compulsory modules, plus a Placement Portfolio to successfully complete this programme.

Applied Life Science

Students will develop confidence in bioscience knowledge, competence in integrating biosciences in evidence-informed clinical decision making and care, and communication with multi-professional teams and patients.

Developing Leadership and Professionalism

Students will demonstrate positive knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in leading and managing care in diverse health and social care system. This will be achieved through the following themes:

• Leadership and management;
• Principles of supervision and assessment in practice;
• Professional values.

Foundation of Adult Nursing Care

Students will be able to apply essential nursing knowledge and skills across the adult age continuum in all practice settings alongside the knowledge and skills to respond to the needs of an acutely ill person.

Pharmacology

Students in all fields of nursing will recognise the journey of a prescription from the assessment process with the patient, to prescribing partnership, supply, storage, dispensing and administration of that medication. They will gain an understanding of the families of drugs applied across the lifespan, consider the therapeutic and adverse effects of those medications and identify factors that could modify patients’ responses to medication.

Practice Learning 1

Adult Nursing Students will demonstrate practical knowledge and skills to care for an individual across a range of contexts under the following themes:

• Person-centred assessment and care;
• Goals of care;
• Decision making.

Practice Learning 2 Adult nursing

Students will demonstrate in-depth knowledge and skills underpinning the care of adults with specialist and complex health needs under the following themes:

• Person-centred care;
• Integrated care;
• Palliative and end of life care.

Professionalism, Caring and Communication in Nursing

This module will cover the essential knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours required to demonstrate accountability by nurses in all care settings. This includes: introduction to the four fields of nursing; person-centred care; values-based nursing care; understanding wellness; compassion, empathy; ensuring equality and diversity is respected across vulnerable populations.

Public Health and Supporting People with Chronic Health Care Needs

Students will explore how health is conceptualised locally and globally. They will demonstrate understanding of the role of public health in maintaining the health of individuals and communities including vulnerable populations with specific health needs

Quality Improvement in an Interprofessional Context - Part A

Students will demonstrate the skills to lead, facilitate and disseminate a Quality Improvement project to promote the embedding of outcomes as part of an interprofessional team. Students will work with the practice to identify a QI project, plan, implement all aspects of the project, analyse the data and report/ disseminate the findings.

Quality Improvement in an Interprofessional Context - Part B

Students will demonstrate the skills to lead, facilitate and disseminate a Quality Improvement project to promote the embedding of outcomes as part of an interprofessional team. Students will work with the practice to identify a QI project, plan, implement all aspects of the project, analyse the data and report/ disseminate the findings.

Safe Medicate 2

This module provides numeracy and problem-solving skills that underpin medication dosage calculations preparing students for safe clinical practice.

Safe Medicate 3

Having developed insight into the key formula, students will engage and apply previous knowledge in more complex field-specific scenarios preparing students for safe clinical practice as they prepare for entry to the register.

Supporting People with Specialist and Complex Needs Promoting Mental Well Being

Students will be equipped with advanced knowledge and skills required to meet the challenges in delivering person-centred care across acute and community contexts for people with specialist and complex needs.

Learning and Teaching

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high-quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable students to achieve their full academic potential.

On the MSc Professional Nursing, we do this by providing a range of learning experiences that enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world-class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:

• E-Learning technologies
  Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Canvas. A range of e-learning experiences is also embedded in the degree through, for example, interactive group workshops in a flexible learning space, podcasts and interactive web-based learning activities.
• Lectures
  Introduce information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in large groups to all year group peers)
• Personal Tutor
  Students are allocated a Personal Tutor who meets with them on several occasions during each year to support their academic development.
• Practical and Simulation-Based Education
  Where you will have opportunities to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts in our groundbreaking simulation centre. All nursing students have opportunities to engage in interprofessional education (IPE) activities. You will be expected to attend 100% of the classes within your nursing modules.
• Self-directed study
  This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and research work for assignments is carried out.
• Seminars/tutorials/workshops
  Significant amounts of teaching are carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students). These provide an opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of peers. You should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups
• Work Practice placements
  Students will undertake clinical placements regularly throughout the programme. This enhances the link from theory to practice in nursing and provides students with a wide variety of opportunities and experiences in all fields of nursing. It is an essential component of the programme, ensuring that the student has sufficient opportunities to develop skill and competence in care provision and decision making, meeting the requirements for professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2020).
  Placements in Adult Nursing can be anywhere in Northern Ireland; students should expect to travel to placements. When on placements every student is assigned a mentor, who is trained in teaching within the clinical setting, and will work alongside them regardless of that person’s shift pattern. Students should expect to work night shifts and/or long days on a regular basis while on placement

Assessment

Assessments will be carried out in a variety of formats, including written assignments, exams, presentations, etc.

The way in which you are assessed will vary according to the learning objectives of each module. Modules are assessed through project work, written assignments, written and oral examinations and clinical skills assessment. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Module Handbook which is provided to all students at the start of each module.