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Course overview

District nursing is a core service within the NHS. The Five Year Forward View (NHS England 2015) sets out an expectation that more care will be provided in the community in the future. This care will be to people with increasingly complex needs and the people working in these health and social care structures will have to be more flexible to accommodate this.

The district nurse must respond to these challenges and the Queen's Nursing Institute/Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland (QNI/QNIS) Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice (2015) provide a strong framework for district nurses in the current NHS as well as the skills and knowledge base needed to respond to the dynamic nature of community nursing.

There are two programmes at master’s level: the postgraduate diploma and the masters. (The postgraduate diploma is Year 1 of the full master's degree.) By successfully completing either of these programmes you achieve the new QNI/QNIS Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice as well as the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for the Specialist Practice in Nursing in the Home/District Nursing professional qualification which is recorded on the NMC register. This qualification has integrated within it the Community Practitioner Prescribing (V100) qualification (NMC 2006), enabling you to prescribe from the community practitioner’s formulary.

You will also have demonstrated skills at Level 3 of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines in brief interventions which is a requirement for a district nurse as set out in the Health Education England’s District Nursing and General Practice Education and Career Framework (2015).

The programmes have been designed in consultation with local employers, professional standards bodies, students (past and present), service users and carers, and district nurse educators from across the country. We hope that this has led to programmes of study which are challenging, contemporary, inspiring and enjoyable.

When you successfully complete your chosen programme, you are well prepared for the dynamic and inspiring world of community nursing as well as being in a strong position to apply for position as a district nurse and team leader.

Professional accreditation

After successfully completing your course you are eligible to be awarded the recordable qualification of the Specialist Practice Qualification in District Nursing which has integrated within it the V100 recordable qualification of the Community Practitioner Prescriber.

How you are assessed

You are assessed in a number of ways as we know that everyone learns differently. These include exams, essays, reflections, reports, viva voce, simulations, research proposals, assessment of competencies in practice evidenced through a portfolio, and dissertation (if you are on the MSc programme). Your practice teacher or sign-off mentor is key to your practice assessments.

Career opportunities

When you successfully complete the programme, you are well prepared for the dynamic and inspiring world of community nursing with an advanced level of professional knowledge. You are also well placed to apply for a position as a district nurse and team leader.

Following successful completion of the postgraduate diploma, you can return to Teesside University within five years to enrol on the MSc route.