Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (School Nursing) Postgraduate Diploma
1 year Full Time | September Start

You will learn how to conduct assessments, surveillance, and interventions utilising validated tools in specialist practice and explore and apply contemporary theory to a range of biopsychosocial and challenging situations surrounding infant/child, parents and carers. Utilising a range of knowledge, understanding and skills, you will learn to identify both normal and atypical patterns of infant/child development or anomalies, applying strategies to manage identified risks. Through risk management and family approaches, you will learn to take strength based and trauma informed approaches to evaluate the effects of childhood trauma. You will learn to be adaptable to different cultures and environments and appreciate intergenerational cycles of deprivation and vulnerability. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate, and apply advancedlevel communication, motivational interviewing, and interpersonal skills within theory and practice to address the wider determinants of health.
Using the evidence-base from contemporary research, policy, and new and emerging technologies, including genetics, genomics and epigenetics, you will learn how to make effective observations and intervention plans which positively influence health and well-being, providing effective health promotion and prevention strategies.
Through field specific Action Leaning Sets (ALS) you will critically analyse, evaluate, synthesise and apply the evidence related to:
Health Visiting - the health and wellbeing of parents, carers, families, infants and children. This will include topics such as the mental health in the perinatal period, promote healthy development of infants/children, initiate person-centred interventions appropriately to minimise risks through promotion of healthy relationships.
School Nursing - home, school and community life of school aged children and young people. This will include topics such as addressing the intergenerational cycles of dependency and adversity through identifying protective factors, early help and interventions, recognising assumptions, biases and stigma that have an impact on school aged children and young people, mental health and wellbeing, sexual health and the impact of social media in cyber-bullying, sexting and exploitation.

You will develop the ability to interpret and apply critical knowledge and appreciation of epidemiological research, informatics and contemporary public health policy to assess impact and identify evidence gaps in specialist practice knowledge. You will critically evaluate specialist practice, using data, analysis and synthesis from a range of specialist practice research using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. You will learn to determine strategies to critique, evaluate and disseminate evidence and research from local, national, and international sources which contribute to global and local innovation and improve the health of people, communities, and services. You will learn how to critique and identify where insufficient information and data is available to inform specialist practice and develop strategies to address or recognise areas for further research. You will identify social structural factors from empirical and narrated data, which influence health and promote sustainable development and intervention goals. You will utilise and effectively participant in critique of evidence strategy across interdisciplinary and interagency teams to address public health priorities and evaluate interventions. In addition, you will generate new theory by applying evidence and data from research and policy to design services, applying an evidence-based approach to optimise public health outcomes. Finally, you will learn how to disseminate evidence from research and evaluation, sharing outcomes and lessons learnt locally, nationally, and globally through professional and peer reviewed processes. Through field specific Action Learning Sets you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to: Health Visiting- this will be related to the lived experiences of children, parents, carers and families which affect their physical, mental, cognitive, behavioural, social and spiritual health and wellbeing. School Nursing- you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data that recognises the impact of the school environment and its culture, the lived experience of school aged children and young people’s behaviour, health and wellbeing and identify gaps in service and policy provision related to school aged children and young people.

You will learn how to develop critical knowledge and appreciation of the changing patterns of populations, communities and people through adopting a life course approach to meet the public health agenda.
You will conduct, interpret and evaluate health assessment and screening programmes. You will undertake evidence-based analysis and synthesis from a variety of public health data and informatics, exploring intergenerational cycles of deprivation and health inequalities by determining a community profile from your area of specialist public health practice, assessing the public health needs of this community and their related determinants of health utilising a range of resources and based upon current legal, ethical and professional guidance to inform your decision.
You will develop skills to improve health and determine strategies for health preventative interventions and the promotion of health, social prescribing and health innovation to address the health status, health literacy, communicable diseases and emergency planning in relation to your specialist public health practice through entrepreneurship and innovation and understanding of how new and existing sciences and technology can influence health attainment within a diverse range of communities.
You will learn to recognise critically evaluate and monitor trends in strategies for prevention and promotion of health to inform public health practice, locally and nationally differentiating between availability of resources across devolved legislatures of the UK and globally. You will adopt a culturally appropriate life course approach to assess public health needs of individuals, families, communities and populations utilising community assets and resources in partnership with other agencies and services.
Through field specific Action Learning Sets you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to:
Health Visiting- you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to community health needs and assets which will enable you to develop sustainable and innovative strategies that contribute to complex place-based interventions and improve public health outcomes for children and families.
School nursing- you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to home, school and the community which will enable you to design, lead and evaluate school nursing services, educational campaigns and interventions to promote the health and wellbeing of school aged children and young people.

You will develop the ability to advance public health services through monitoring, reporting outcomes and triangulating data to evaluate service provision efficacy. You will focus on leadership and service improvement as the learning gives you an opportunity to explore an area of contemporary specialist practice to draw upon. During the module the data emerging from an audit in your area of specialist practice will provide the basis to develop the skills to critically assess service requirements, appraise strategies and business financial acumen and to create a poster for presentation outlining a business case for a service improvement. You will learn and be able to apply leadership theory, tailored to a range of stakeholders in practice such as service commissioners, community populations, families and peers. You will also gain knowledge about the development of sustainable practice-based interventions and the principles of risk stratification, that would improve health outcomes for your population. Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) (Health Visitor or School Nurse) are required to demonstrate a proactive, autonomous approach to their practice, presenting and building a business case will enable you to develop knowledge, understanding and skills related to business acumen, that promotes sustainable relationships through practice-based interventions and creates a culture that is inclusive and equitable for diverse populations. You will have recognised the need for action, entrepreneurship, and innovation in public health practice and have embedded techniques to lead, influence and challenge local services and/or health policies in your area of specialist practice.
Through field specific Action Learning Sets you will critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise data related to:
Health Visiting- you will lead, discuss, collaborate and co-produce flexible and creative services that engage parents and carers in infant and child health promotion. Through interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration, you will develop skills to develop services for infants and children with high impact health and care needs.
School Nursing- you will lead, discuss, and co-produce interventions so that the voice of school aged children and young people is heard. You will use your professional judgement to lead, discuss and co-produce services that positively influence policy and strategy to improve school aged children and young people's health and wellbeing.

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.
• Discussing ethical issues in research, and analysing results.
• Describing bias and limitations of research.