Nursing Science Registered Nurse (Learning Disabilities) BSc (Hons)

This module begins your journey into becoming a learning disability nurse. You will learn about the fundamental values, skills and knowledge required and gain insight into the context of care for people with a learning disability and the indifferent perceptions of society.
You will explore the aetiology of learning disabilities including environmental and genetic causes. You will also be introduced to the needs of people with a learning disability and consider how the specialist learning disability nurse applies holistic care to meet those needs. Key themes, including equality and societal values will be an integral part of this module.

Subjects will include; the diverse roles of a learning disability nurse, genetics, person centeredness and how to develop your emotional intelligence. As well as communication, implementing value based safe and effective care and professionalism.
You will explore the experiences of people with a learning disability and their families/carers. This will be done through clinical practice by engaging with experts by experience and practitioners specialising in learning disability. This module enables you to discover and develop your value base, which will enable you to challenge discrimination.

You will also discover how to search and apply the relevant evidence base in learning disability nursing.

Nurses in all fields require an in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology and physical and mental health problems across the age spectrum. These are considered an essential basis for safe and effective practice. This module will enable you to apply biosciences to understand the determinants of health- social, psychological, behavioural, environmental and genetic factors and how they impact on health at a physical and psychological level. You will develop an understanding of the functioning of the body at different levels (cell, tissue, organ, system) and how this knowledge will assist you in delivering safe, holistic, compassionate nursing care.
This module builds on the knowledge gained in Semester 1 (Module LE4002, Introduction to evidence based practice in health and ill health). Nurses in all fields need to consider the importance of holistic assessment, including risk assessment.

In this module, you are offered opportunities to learn about supporting people with a learning disability and how to apply this knowledge to offer high quality and safe care to service users and their families. You will study the following;

• You will learn specifically about physical systems of the body and how this may effect someone with a learning disability within your practice.
• You will consider the psychological aspects of traumatic life events.
• You will consider the effects of certain syndromes on people with a learning disability and their families.
• Critical appraisal of contemporary evidence.

Topics you will cover include:

• Anatomy and physiology
• Good Physical and Mental Health
• Deterioration in physical and mental health
• An understanding of how drugs and medicines interact within living systems
• Holistic Assessment, planning, delivering and evaluating care.
• Introduction to consent and legal frameworks within learning disability services
• Introduction to Functional Analysis of Care Environments (FACE) risk assessment and narrative risk assessment
• Diabetes
• The role of the hospital liaison nurse

You will explore the experiences of people with a learning disability and their families or carers through meeting ‘Experts by Experience’ and practitioners specialising in learning disability. This module offers an opportunity to discover and develop your professional value set and your nursing skills regarding supporting people with a learning disability to stay healthy and safe.

This practice module will provide you with a unique opportunity to develop skills and knowledge directly relevant to your current practice placement experiences. The practice 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 the first year, you will learn the fundamental skills that are necessary for safe, effective and professional practice.

During the majority of your first year clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to reflect on your experiences. You will learn together with your peers and examine theoretical concepts such as professionalism, interprofessional learning, medicines management and safeguarding that will enhance your practice. Seminars and workshops will focus on a range of subjects that will enhance your professional nursing practice.

You will learn how to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and how to reflect on your personal and professional development. You will learn about the importance of patient centred and recovery focussed approaches and will be asked to reflect on feedback given by Experts By Experience (EBE). These skills are the start of your development as an evidence-based practitioner.

The content of Nursing Skills 1 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurse’ (NMC 2018).

The module will introduce the concept of safe nursing practice and the proficiencies nurses need when undertaking the physical assessment of people of all ages. You will learn how to observe and assess people of all ages in terms of symptoms and signs of physical ill health. You will learn how to take, record and interpret a patient’s vital sign and use communication tools to support verbal and written reports. An introduction to basic medicine calculation and management will also be part of your learning. These skills and proficiencies will be supported by opportunities to participate in simulated education utilising a range of specialist technology and taught by experts. These nursing skills are directly relevant to your practice learning and include nursing procedures that are necessary for safe and effective patient care. Before your first placement you will complete a number of mandatory requirements, which will enable you to practice with confidence and ensure patient safety. The learning opportunities in this module are designed to support you to develop knowledge, which will inform the attainment of communication and relationship management skills and nursing procedures as identified as Part 1 in your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA).

Nursing Skills 2 will build on the concept of communication and safe and effective practice which you have been introduced to in the previous skills module. You will further develop your communication and clinical skills relevant to your practice placement experiences. You will continue to learn a range of skills, such as recognition of the deteriorating patient, that are necessary for safe, effective and professional practice. You will have the opportunity to participate in simulated education utilising a range of specialist technology, including human patient simulators, and taught by a specialist module team of lecturers in nursing, midwifery and health.

You will consider and develop your nursing skills, acting with integrity, applying the principles of The Code (NMC, 2018). You will demonstrate your ability to practise in a holistic, individualised, person centred, non-judgemental, caring and sensitive manner, acknowledging the diverse needs of a contemporary society. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice. You will learn about the importance of person centred care and effective communication skills. These learning opportunities will continue to help you gather evidence of your abilities and confidence and will inform your attainment of communication and safe and effective practice as identified as Part 1 in your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA).

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.