MSc in Nursing

Modules

Year 1 - Semester One

• Module 1 - Education and Training in Practice: this module provides the student with an understanding of the principles of education, teaching and learning as an integral part of any nurses' role, whether teaching patients, families, colleagues or students. This module is assessed on the student making a presentation on a clinical teaching initiative and a written assignment.
• Module 2 - Contemporary Issues in Nursing: The content of this module is dynamic to reflect the complex and ever-changing world of health care and how it impacts on nursing and nursing care. The module whilst online requires the student to demonstrate their appreciation of the current issues in nursing and their leadership potential in respect to initiating online discussion, moderation and assessment of the group discourse.
• Module 3 - Reflection on Practice: The aim of this module is to develop the student's critical thinking skills through reflective practice. Facilitated Reflective Practice sessions are provided to support the students in their learning, and they are required to build a portfolio to demonstrate their learning by linking theory to practice.

Year 1 Semester Two

• Module 4 - Health Discourse and Society: This module is designed to develop the students understanding on health and its impact on society, and the theories underpinning society, cultural and how it works. The relevance of this module to the nurse in clinical practice is that it helps give a more in-depth understanding of the patient and their family in context and how that may affect how they react to care and treatment. This module is particularly important in today's globalisation, technology and health and medical tourism. The students are required to submit a written assignment based on their clinical work experience.
• Module 5 - Leadership: Professional & Clinical: This module provides the student with an appreciation and understanding of the processes of leadership as distinct from management and how nurses need to develop and strengthen their leadership through the development of expert practice. The module does explore the issues of change management and the students are required to discuss their experience in order to share and learning from each other.
• Module 6 - Advanced Research Methods I: This is the first of two research modules, this module provides the student an understanding of the differences between quantitative and qualitative approaches to conducting research. In this module the students are required to decide in discussion with their nurse manager in the workplace or in accordance with the hospital's nursing research priorities their topic for research and the most appropriate approach to conducting their study.

Year 2 Semesters One and Two

• Module 7 - Advanced Research Methods 2: In the second year of the programme the student undertakes their Advanced Research Module II which builds on their understanding of the research process, the research methods, and relevant statistics. This module address how to critically appraise research papers relating to practice and how to ensure what procedure, approach to practice is truly evidence based.
• Dissertation: The topic for research must be clinically based and related to the student's area of work. The topic for research must be discussed with the students manager and ensure that it is in keeping with the hospitals Nursing Research Strategy. In writing this dissertation it will develop the students writing ability and how to structure their work in a coherent and logical way. This skill is transferrable to report writing as is always required by nurses as they endeavour to influence decision-making at different levels throughout the organisation. The attached schedule identifies the range of clinical nursing research carried out by our MSc Nursing students.