PgDip / MSc Mental Health Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Overview
Only offered at LSBU
This pioneering programme is the first specialist route for mental health nurses in the UK to be accredited by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
We aim to produce mental health practice leaders who can innovate in complex workplace settings to deliver highly effective care for diverse and complex patient groups.
With mental health issues infiltrating all aspects of health care, providing education to advanced mental health practitioners addresses a national imperative and driver for state of the art mental health care provision.
Why Mental Health Advanced Nursing at LSBU?
- We have been delivering high quality, advanced nursing education for over 20 years.
- First and currently only advanced practice course in the UK specifically for mental health nurses accredited by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
- Taught by both academic and clinical experts including Advanced Nurse Practioners, Nurse Consultants, Experts by Experience and Specialist Therapists.
- 3rd for research intensity in London (Complete University Guide 2020).
- Placements are arranged in students’ own hospitals, or the opportunity for honorary contracts at leading London hospitals can be arranged.
Modules
This course focuses on the Department of Health’s (DOH) four themes of: clinical/direct care and practice; leadership and collaborative practice; improving quality and developing practice and developing self and others (DOH, 2010).
We anticipate that students enrolling will successfully complete the full award. However, the option to exit with a Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Mental Health Clinical Practice is provided for students who have successfully completed the first year modules, without progressing onto year 2.
Students who complete the PgDip have the option to undertake a Dissertation to gain the full MSc ANP (Mental Health) award.
Some compulsory skills sessions may take place in the evening.
Year 1
- Physical needs in mental health care
- Advanced mental health assessment
- Non-medical prescribing
Year 2
- Innovations for excellence: leading service improvements
- Advanced mental health practice for complex cases
- Research in health and social care
Year 3
- Dissertation.
Entry requirements
- Students need to be able to demonstrate current nursing registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nurse – Mental Health and a minimum of two years post-registration clinical experience.
- The course is intended for experienced clinicians working in health and social care settings, who either already hold a health related degree, or have studied successfully at degree level to a minimum of 90 level 6 credits.
From previous experience, it has become apparent that issues can arise within the clinical/employment setting once the student has commenced on the course and these issues can impact on compliance with all of the criteria for the full duration of studies. The following criteria apply on entry to the course and also apply for continuing to be eligible to progress on the PgDip Advanced Nurse Practitioner (Mental Health) pathway:
- Students must be employed clinically (in excess of 20 hours per week) in a clinical role which enables development of knowledge and skills to an advanced level
- Students must have an employer who is supportive of them undertaking this course of study and of their professional development as an ANP within the workplace
- Students are required to have a Psychiatrist/ qualified ANP Mental Health to act as their Practice Facilitator, whose primary purpose is to initially supervise and subsequently support the practice based learning activities and overall clinical development
- The student and their employer must understand that the University requires students to commit regular time (the equivalent of 3 hours per week) to working in a “supernumerary capacity” for two of the modules in the pathway, in order to specifically focus on their clinical and professional development and meet the course requirement for certified clinical hours.