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REF 2021 Our Research environment is rated 100% world leadingOur Registered Nurse (Child) Degree Apprenticeship is designed for those wishing to enhance their prospects through a work-based learning programme.

This 18-month full-time route sees apprentices join our Nursing Science (Child) BSc programme partway through year two to complete the remaining year two and three modules.

Through a concept-based curriculum where learning will reflect real-life experiences, apprentices will be introduced to the key concepts of nursing, which are supported by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) ‘Future Nurse’ standards. The programme will prepare apprentices to become a Registered Nurse who is capable to prioritise people, practice effectively and promote professionalism.

Studying within the requirements of the new NMC standards means apprentices will have the ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills in relation to complex healthcare issues and the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families.

During the apprenticeship, apprentices will develop comprehensive nursing abilities to assess, plan, implement and evaluate individualised holistic, evidence-based nursing care. The learning journey will be underpinned by developing skills and understanding the importance of evidence-based practice to enable apprentices to understand the application of research to practice.

This programme will equip apprentices to be curious, creative and collaborative in care. It will allow them compassion to thrive within an evidence-based approach and it will enable them to make a genuine impact on the health and wellbeing of babies, children, young people and their families.

Apprenticeship Standard

Apprenticeship programmes at Northumbria University are designed to support apprentices in acquiring the appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviour and retain the integrity of the apprenticeship standard as defined by IFATE. For further details please consult the IFATE Apprenticeship standards / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education webpage here.

Recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the purpose of registration as a qualified nurse (child). 

If your interested in our other courses make sure to take a look at our Child Nursing Science BSc (Hons). 

Course Information

Level of Study
Undergraduate

Mode of Study
18 months Full Time

Department
Nursing, Midwifery & Health

Location
Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University

City
Newcastle

Start
September 2025

Fees
Fee Information

Modules
Module Information

Register your interest
UK's first Nursing degree apprentices graduate and join the frontline
Entry Requirements Modules Overview Fees, Funding  and Scholarships Apply Now

Entry Requirements 2025/26

Standard Entry

For applications to the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (RNDA) route please apply direct to the placement provider and a joint process between the university and the placement provider will be used to shortlist the candidates to be interviewed.

Applicants should use the personal statement/supporting information on their application to illustrate their abilities, aptitudes, skills, qualifications and experiences, which might be taken into account as well as or instead of any of the formal qualifications listed below. 

Entry Requirements:

A good GCSE profile is expected, including Maths and English Language at minimum grade C, or University recognised equivalent. 

If you have studied for a new GCSE for which you will be awarded a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a minimum grade 4.

  • Foundation Degree in a health-related subject (Assistant Practitioners preferred), and
  • Evidence of 500 hours of practice experience of healthcare work relevant to children's nursing, along with a successful RPL application for 120 credits (level 4) and 60 credits (level 5)

Additional Requirements:

A suitable DBS Enhanced Certificate and a satisfactory health check are required. You must meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council's suitability for registration requirements.

International Qualifications:

We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications from the UK and worldwide which may not exactly match those shown above. If you have taken qualifications outside the UK you can find out how your qualifications compare by visiting our country page www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

English Language Requirements:

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 7.0 in each component (or approved equivalent*).*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

ADDITIONAL COSTS

You may be required to purchase a fob watch and suitable footwear for use in placement if you do not already have these, which will cost approximately £80. You may also need to pay for your own travel costs, which may be approximately £800 per year depending on your placement location. You may be eligible to claim reimbursement of travel costs from the NHS Business Authority. Up to date information relating to this can be found at: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/student-services. If using a car to attend placement, you may also need to pay parking charges of approximately £200 per year. On completion of the programme you will be eligible to register with the Nursing Midwifery Council and the cost is approximately £120.

If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

Modules Overview 2025/26

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two

Year one

DA5059 -

Practice Module 2: Developing Shared Decision Making (40 Credits)

This practice module will provide you with an opportunity to build upon and extend your portfolio of skills and knowledge relevant to your clinical practice. This module will both support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to learn how to become an accountable professional, lead and manage nursing care, and work in teams.

During your module you will explore clinical decision making in practice through collaboration and partnership working. In your clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to share your experiences with your peers and module tutors to help develop effective decision making. You will be provided with opportunities to critically reflect on your own role and professional responsibilities in making shared decisions for your continued development as a safe and effective student nurse. By using a developing concept curriculum approach, you will be able to practise safely and have an awareness of your own limitations, demonstrating increasing autonomy and independence when performing a range of practical skills. You will apply your developing knowledge of pharmacology, social and life sciences to nursing practice.

You will continue to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and reflect on your personal and professional development as an evidence-based practitioner. You will reflect on the importance of patient and family centred approaches in addition to the effectiveness of patients and client feedback. Some of your learning will be online via online learning resources stored on BlackBoard Ultra as we help you to facilitate and organise your independent learning.

More information

DA5063 -

Nursing Skills 4: Enhancing Clinical Skills for Complex Care (20 Credits)

The content of Nursing Skills 4 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurse’ (NMC, 2018).

This module will build upon your knowledge of medicine administration whilst being exposed to the challenges of complex care needs. You will learn about nursing interventions associated with people of all ages with complex care needs exploring the principles, approaches and concepts of safe nursing practice and the delivery of holistic care. You will build your knowledge of safe ethical medicines management with an emphasis on the clinical application of these skills and understanding. There will be a particular focus on the challenges of medicines optimisation in people with complex care needs, which requires understanding of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Alongside this you will learn to develop professional accountability to ensure safe administration of medicines including competency in drug calculation. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice.

More information

DA5066 -

Perspectives of Complex Care in Children and Young People's Nursing (20 Credits)

You will gain a thorough understanding of the complexities of nursing children and young people. This module addresses the care needs of children and young people with additional needs, including those living with a chronic or life limiting illness. Undertaking this module will encourage you to explore the variety of roles performed by the children’s nurse in different settings and think critically about the knowledge needed to fulfil these roles. You will also examine complexities of multi-disciplinary team working within health and social care systems.

In a child and young person’s life there may be certain junctures that warrant deep understanding in order to provide high quality care therefore you will explore some of the more difficult concepts such as withdrawal of care, death and the process of dying. The role of the nurse in discharge planning and transition will be examined, this will provide you with knowledge and skills to support children and young people through this process. The module is delivered through many lenses; the experts by experience will be at the fore of this. The module will explore public health legislative frameworks and initiatives to instil this in the role of the children’s nurse.

The module requires you to demonstrate your growing skills in academic research, through the appraisal of contemporary literature relating to children and young people with complex care needs. The module explores the philosophical assumptions underpinning contemporary healthcare literature to select appropriate research findings to apply to current children’s nursing practice.

More information

Year two

DA6051 -

Practice Module (3) Leadership, Quality and Team Work (40 Credits)

In this third year module which is based in practice, all of your learning will be online via BlackBoard Ultra, except for a single face to face seminar to explain expectations as we help you to facilitate greater independent learning as you transition to become a registered nurse. This module will provide you with the opportunity to advance your skills and knowledge directly relevant to your third year practice placement experiences and prepare you for working life as a registered nurse. It will specifically focus on leadership, quality, and team work.

By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to become an accountable professional, working in teams to lead and manage quality nursing care. Within the context of your practice placements you will critically reflect and debate contemporary theories and explore service improvement models, which support sustainable service improvement. Applying your knowledge of team and Interprofessional working you will learn how to coordinate safe and effective high quality care. This will include a collaborative approach embedding the views of service users, lay carers and colleagues in the delivery and enhancement of care. You will be provided opportunities to critically reflect on your own personal and professional responsibility for your continued development as a manager and future leader of service improvement. You will learn how to manage uncertainty and put into practice the strategies that develop resilience in yourself and others.

Through dynamic learning opportunities in practice you will gather evidence to aid completion of your North East Electronic Practice Assessment Document (NEEPAD). Through critical reflection and self-assessment you will complete your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) demonstrating your capability and readiness for independent practice. This demonstrates to a future employer that you are fit to practise as a registered nurse caring for people of all ages and across all care settings.

More information

DA6053 -

Nursing Skills 5: Leading and Improving Safety and Care Quality (20 Credits)

Nursing Skills 5 will build on the concepts from years 1 and 2 and further enhance your skills. The module focuses on aspects of leadership to build your competence in the delivery of safe and effective person centred care. You will update and explore in greater depth skills you acquired in previous years, including mandatory skills and a range of more advanced techniques and procedures whilst preparing you for your role as a newly qualified nurse. In addition, you will build on your knowledge and experience of safe nursing practice, promotion of health and medicines management in relation to caring for people with acute, complex, and advanced conditions. You will develop advanced communication and nursing procedure skills as appropriate to your field of nursing.

More information

DA6054 -

Nursing Skills 6: Advancing Nursing Skills (20 Credits)

This module will consolidate the concepts and nursing interventions from the previous skills modules and be delivered following Nursing Skills 5. Building on your existing knowledge and skills you will enhance your development and become an agile skilled practitioner in your relevant field of nursing. You will be learning to apply high level communication skills, previous knowledge, and experience as well as your advanced knowledge of nursing procedures to prepare you for autonomous practice. History taking skills will be developed and used as a framework for enhanced assessment and care of people of all ages. A range of dynamic learning opportunities both in the simulated and real-life practice setting will help to generate evidence, which will aid you in the completion of your Ongoing Record of Achievement, demonstrating that you are capable of a high standard of competent, safe, and independent nursing practice.

More information

DA6056 -

Theory 5:Transition to Accountable Practitioner in Children and Young People's Nursing (40 Credits)

This module builds on your skills and knowledge that you have developed during the programme and supports your transition towards becoming a confident accountable practitioner. Scholarship within children’s nursing will be embraced enabling you to critically analyse and challenge the evidence base, demonstrating courage and professional curiosity. The module content encourages independent thinking skills and creativity. Research and practice development philosophy is explored, this will support your summative assessment which is a practice project proposal.

You will critically reflect upon a presenting operational, practice, or leadership challenge. In order to do this, you will explore contentious elements of children and young people’s healthcare including consent & capacity, advocacy, global health priorities and health economics. Patient safety and cost effectiveness are competing forces in children and young people’s healthcare, you will examine this paradox alongside the maintenance of high-quality care with finite resources. Human factors within organisations and/or systems are paramount to its success, you will appraise the evidence, particularly in relation to working within teams. Archived serious case reviews, critical incidents and ‘never events’ will be critically analysed. This will promote understanding of organisational culture and compassion fatigue, increasing your determination and resilience to become a competent accountable practitioner. Research and practice development provide rich evidence to support innovation and action. The module will develop your ability to analyse and select appropriate methods of research/practice development to fulfil the summative assessment requirements and prepare you for the future.

More information

Modules Overview 2026/27

Modules

Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.

Year one Year two

Year one

DA5059 -

Practice Module 2: Developing Shared Decision Making (40 Credits)

This practice module will provide you with an opportunity to build upon and extend your portfolio of skills and knowledge relevant to your clinical practice. This module will both support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to learn how to become an accountable professional, lead and manage nursing care, and work in teams.

During your module you will explore clinical decision making in practice through collaboration and partnership working. In your clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to share your experiences with your peers and module tutors to help develop effective decision making. You will be provided with opportunities to critically reflect on your own role and professional responsibilities in making shared decisions for your continued development as a safe and effective student nurse. By using a developing concept curriculum approach, you will be able to practise safely and have an awareness of your own limitations, demonstrating increasing autonomy and independence when performing a range of practical skills. You will apply your developing knowledge of pharmacology, social and life sciences to nursing practice.

You will continue to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and reflect on your personal and professional development as an evidence-based practitioner. You will reflect on the importance of patient and family centred approaches in addition to the effectiveness of patients and client feedback. Some of your learning will be online via online learning resources stored on BlackBoard Ultra as we help you to facilitate and organise your independent learning.

More information

DA5063 -

Nursing Skills 4: Enhancing Clinical Skills for Complex Care (20 Credits)

The content of Nursing Skills 4 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurse’ (NMC, 2018).

This module will build upon your knowledge of medicine administration whilst being exposed to the challenges of complex care needs. You will learn about nursing interventions associated with people of all ages with complex care needs exploring the principles, approaches and concepts of safe nursing practice and the delivery of holistic care. You will build your knowledge of safe ethical medicines management with an emphasis on the clinical application of these skills and understanding. There will be a particular focus on the challenges of medicines optimisation in people with complex care needs, which requires understanding of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Alongside this you will learn to develop professional accountability to ensure safe administration of medicines including competency in drug calculation. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice.

More information

DA5066 -

Perspectives of Complex Care in Children and Young People's Nursing (20 Credits)

You will gain a thorough understanding of the complexities of nursing children and young people. This module addresses the care needs of children and young people with additional needs, including those living with a chronic or life limiting illness. Undertaking this module will encourage you to explore the variety of roles performed by the children’s nurse in different settings and think critically about the knowledge needed to fulfil these roles. You will also examine complexities of multi-disciplinary team working within health and social care systems.

In a child and young person’s life there may be certain junctures that warrant deep understanding in order to provide high quality care therefore you will explore some of the more difficult concepts such as withdrawal of care, death and the process of dying. The role of the nurse in discharge planning and transition will be examined, this will provide you with knowledge and skills to support children and young people through this process. The module is delivered through many lenses; the experts by experience will be at the fore of this. The module will explore public health legislative frameworks and initiatives to instil this in the role of the children’s nurse.

The module requires you to demonstrate your growing skills in academic research, through the appraisal of contemporary literature relating to children and young people with complex care needs. The module explores the philosophical assumptions underpinning contemporary healthcare literature to select appropriate research findings to apply to current children’s nursing practice.

More information

Year two

DA6051 -

Practice Module (3) Leadership, Quality and Team Work (40 Credits)

In this third year module which is based in practice, all of your learning will be online via BlackBoard Ultra, except for a single face to face seminar to explain expectations as we help you to facilitate greater independent learning as you transition to become a registered nurse. This module will provide you with the opportunity to advance your skills and knowledge directly relevant to your third year practice placement experiences and prepare you for working life as a registered nurse. It will specifically focus on leadership, quality, and team work.

By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to become an accountable professional, working in teams to lead and manage quality nursing care. Within the context of your practice placements you will critically reflect and debate contemporary theories and explore service improvement models, which support sustainable service improvement. Applying your knowledge of team and Interprofessional working you will learn how to coordinate safe and effective high quality care. This will include a collaborative approach embedding the views of service users, lay carers and colleagues in the delivery and enhancement of care. You will be provided opportunities to critically reflect on your own personal and professional responsibility for your continued development as a manager and future leader of service improvement. You will learn how to manage uncertainty and put into practice the strategies that develop resilience in yourself and others.

Through dynamic learning opportunities in practice you will gather evidence to aid completion of your North East Electronic Practice Assessment Document (NEEPAD). Through critical reflection and self-assessment you will complete your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) demonstrating your capability and readiness for independent practice. This demonstrates to a future employer that you are fit to practise as a registered nurse caring for people of all ages and across all care settings.

More information

DA6053 -

Nursing Skills 5: Leading and Improving Safety and Care Quality (20 Credits)

Nursing Skills 5 will build on the concepts from years 1 and 2 and further enhance your skills. The module focuses on aspects of leadership to build your competence in the delivery of safe and effective person centred care. You will update and explore in greater depth skills you acquired in previous years, including mandatory skills and a range of more advanced techniques and procedures whilst preparing you for your role as a newly qualified nurse. In addition, you will build on your knowledge and experience of safe nursing practice, promotion of health and medicines management in relation to caring for people with acute, complex, and advanced conditions. You will develop advanced communication and nursing procedure skills as appropriate to your field of nursing.

More information

DA6054 -

Nursing Skills 6: Advancing Nursing Skills (20 Credits)

This module will consolidate the concepts and nursing interventions from the previous skills modules and be delivered following Nursing Skills 5. Building on your existing knowledge and skills you will enhance your development and become an agile skilled practitioner in your relevant field of nursing. You will be learning to apply high level communication skills, previous knowledge, and experience as well as your advanced knowledge of nursing procedures to prepare you for autonomous practice. History taking skills will be developed and used as a framework for enhanced assessment and care of people of all ages. A range of dynamic learning opportunities both in the simulated and real-life practice setting will help to generate evidence, which will aid you in the completion of your Ongoing Record of Achievement, demonstrating that you are capable of a high standard of competent, safe, and independent nursing practice.

More information

DA6056 -

Theory 5:Transition to Accountable Practitioner in Children and Young People's Nursing (40 Credits)

This module builds on your skills and knowledge that you have developed during the programme and supports your transition towards becoming a confident accountable practitioner. Scholarship within children’s nursing will be embraced enabling you to critically analyse and challenge the evidence base, demonstrating courage and professional curiosity. The module content encourages independent thinking skills and creativity. Research and practice development philosophy is explored, this will support your summative assessment which is a practice project proposal.

You will critically reflect upon a presenting operational, practice, or leadership challenge. In order to do this, you will explore contentious elements of children and young people’s healthcare including consent & capacity, advocacy, global health priorities and health economics. Patient safety and cost effectiveness are competing forces in children and young people’s healthcare, you will examine this paradox alongside the maintenance of high-quality care with finite resources. Human factors within organisations and/or systems are paramount to its success, you will appraise the evidence, particularly in relation to working within teams. Archived serious case reviews, critical incidents and ‘never events’ will be critically analysed. This will promote understanding of organisational culture and compassion fatigue, increasing your determination and resilience to become a competent accountable practitioner. Research and practice development provide rich evidence to support innovation and action. The module will develop your ability to analyse and select appropriate methods of research/practice development to fulfil the summative assessment requirements and prepare you for the future.

More information

To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.

Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship | Nursing Science/ Registered Nurse (Child) BSc (Hons)

START MONTH
YEAR

SEPTEMBER

2025

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Any Questions?

Our Applicant Services team will be happy to help.  They can be contacted on 0191 406 0901 or by using our Contact Form.

 

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

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Northumbria University is committed to developing an inclusive, diverse and accessible campus and wider University community and are determined to ensure that opportunities we provide are open to all.

We are proud to work in partnership with AccessAble to provide Detailed Access Guides to our buildings and facilities across our City, Coach Lane and London Campuses. A Detailed Access Guide lets you know what access will be like when you visit somewhere. It looks at the route you will use getting in and what is available inside. All guides have Accessibility Symbols that give you a quick overview of what is available, and photographs to show you what to expect. The guides are produced by trained surveyors who visit our campuses annually to ensure you have trusted and accurate information.

You can use Northumbria’s AccessAble Guides anytime to check the accessibility of a building or facility and to plan your routes and journeys. Search by location, building or accessibility feature to find the information you need. 

We are dedicated to helping students who may require additional support during their student journey and offer 1-1 advice and guidance appropriate to individual requirements. If you feel you may need additional support you can find out more about what we offer here where you can also contact us with any questions you may have:

Accessibility support

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If you’d like to receive the latest updates from Northumbria about our courses, events, finance & funding then enter your details below.

* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here

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