Do you have patience, empathy and excellent listening skills? Are you interested in caring for the mind and the body? If you’re looking for a career in nursing where you can work with people of all ages across a variety of settings, then our Nursing (Blended Learning) Mental Health degree could be a great place to start your journey.

• You’ll have the opportunity to study to become a nurse in a flexible way, that fits around work and life.
• The course is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and led by committed and passionate lecturers who are research active with experience across the mental health nursing spectrum.
• Alongside building your theoretical knowledge in lectures and seminars, you’ll be able to focus on your practical skills through simulation and group work.
• You'll practice and develop your skills through clinical placements in a range of statutory, private and voluntary services, in order to prepare you to pursue your career.
• You’ll have the opportunity to hear the experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group.

Mental health nursing involves working with people, their families, carers and communities, all of whom may experience the impact of mental illness. This includes people with formal diagnoses such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression and personality disorders, as well as people who do not accept or recognise these diagnostic labels. Mental health nurses work within the framework to help people make sense of their own experiences.

The course is designed to help you become a confident, competent and compassionate nurse. Our mental health nursing team will support you to develop the intellectual, personal and professional skills you need to practice in this challenging and rewarding field of healthcare. After successfully graduating from the course you’ll be eligible to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and work as a Registered Nurse in Mental Health.

This course provides a flexible way to fit study around work and life, using mainly digital technologies, but still including practical, hands-on experience. Although the theoretical component is predominantly delivered online, you’ll attend the campus in Huddersfield (or similar venue close to your home) for a maximum total of four one-week blocks for simulation and skills training. You'll do this in each year of the course, providing the opportunity for you to practise skills in a safe and controlled environment. You’ll also undertake practice placements across the NHS and healthcare organisations in a setting close to home.

Placements

Nothing can really replicate working in the real-world, which is why practice placements are essential and a compulsory part of the course. The Nursing and Midwifery Council require you to complete the minimum of 2300 hours over the three years in order to obtain registration. Each year you'll complete two blocks of placement.

You'll have the opportunity to complete your practice learning experiences in a diverse range of health and social care settings. These may be in private, voluntary, charitable or statutory settings and include forensic services, assessment teams, in-patient treatment units, rehabilitation centres, community teams, respite services, crisis and home based treatment, liaison services, child and adolescent mental health services and prisons. You'll be mentored throughout your practical experiences by qualified nurses, who will provide you with any required help and advice.

In order to provide you with the broadest professional experience possible, practice experiences are generally offered across West Yorkshire and beyond, covering 24 hour care including evening, weekend and occasional night shifts.

Your Career

A career in mental health nursing can be varied and interesting with a wide range of satisfying career opportunities and could include working in local healthcare trusts, private hospitals and in the community. Other career opportunities could involve working in child and adolescent mental health services, forensic settings, substance misuse, accident and emergency liaison, self harm, criminal justice system, youth offending, management of violence and aggression, as well as specialist roles such as admiral nursing and nurse consultant.

After qualification further professional development opportunities are available in relation to enhancing knowledge relating to psychological therapies and intervention, medicines management and nurse prescribing, and becoming an approved mental health practitioner.