PgDip Community Nursing Specialist (District Nursing)

University of Plymouth

United Kingdom, Plymouth

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Home/United Kingdom/Plymouth /University of Plymouth/PgDip Community Nursing Specialist (District Nursing)

University of Plymouth

United Kingdom , Plymouth

Key Facts

Program Level

Graduate Diploma

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Campuses

Plymouth

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake DeadlinesSeptember-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 2 year(s)

Next Intake September-2026

PgDip Community Nursing Specialist (District Nursing)

About

Key features

Gain a deeper understanding of the role of the community nursing specialist nurse and critically examine the theory, practice and principles of community nursing specialist practice using an evidence-based approach to enable them to adapt and provide a wide range of nursing care in home and community-based settings.
Further expand professional autonomy continuing to work within legal, and ethical and professional accountability.
Develop enhanced critical thinking, critical reflection skills, and attain the authority to make clinical decisions and prescribe within the NMC (2022) (Nursing and Midwifery Council) standards of the community nursing (Specialist Practitioner Qualification (SPQ)) role.
Develop a critical understanding of the current issues that impact on health delivery in the community setting.
Utilising a person-centred approach, assess people’s abilities and needs and plan and co-produce a plan to manage care, developing specialised advanced skills and case-management of people with undifferentiated and complex conditions.
Demonstrate leadership in supporting and managing community nursing teams, coordinating care, and managing complex and dynamic community and/or practice caseloads.
Lead improvements in safety and quality of care by implementing quality processes, service evaluation and improvement methodology as well as working collaboratively as part of a wider heath care team.
Develop expertise in evaluating research theory and methodology, to enable the application of research to improve care and services for people and communities.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements

To commence this programme, the applicant must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and must meet the University’s entry requirements for study at postgraduate level. Professional body registration must be maintained throughout the duration of the programme.

Applicants must be registered nurse (Level 1) and have a minimum of one year's post registration experience.
Applicants must be in salaried employment, normally working a minimum of 30 hours in a community nursing role demanding advanced specialist practice skills and knowledge and have the full agreement from their employer.
Applicants will normally have a relevant first degree, BSc (Hons) at 2:1 or above.
Applicants will be assessed individually for their ability to study at master's level and an interview will be necessary.
Applicants without a first degree, BSc (Hons) at 2:2 or above may be eligible to apply, if combined with appropriate practice related experience relevant to the programme and following submission of a written critical evaluation of specialist study or practice marked against the Level 6 criteria.
Applicants where English is not their first language must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the NMC criteria of an overall score of 7.0, with at least 6.5 in the writing section and at least 7 in the reading, listening, and speaking sections.
Applicants must hold at least a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths. Candidates that do not hold these qualifications will be required to complete them prior to starting the programme.
Due to the blended learning delivery model of the programme, it is an expectation that students will have access to wi-fi and relevant electronic devices that allow them to engage fully with all aspects of programme delivery, teaching, learning and assessment.
Applicants are required to identify a Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor who meet the criteria (NMC, 2022 and 2023) and have undertaken preparation for the role. In addition, a Designated Prescribing Practitioner or Practice Assessor who holds the V300 qualification and meets the criteria.
Self-funding or self-employed applicants are required to identify a host placement (when applicable) for the duration of the programme (refer to Appendix 3 for self-funding applicants).
Short-listed applicants will attend an interview with representatives from practice partners and the programme academic team.

Career

Careers with this subject

District nurses make a meaningful impact every day on the lives of those they care for, whether visiting patients in their homes or in residential care settings. They deliver increasingly complex medical care and provide essential support to family members.

District nurses are responsible for assessing the healthcare needs of patients and their families, ensuring the quality of care provided, and being professionally accountable for its delivery. While patients can be of any age, many are elderly, recently discharged from the hospital, terminally ill, or living with physical disabilities.