About This Course
This course is approved by the NMC. An MSc Adult Nursing is also available.
The MSc in Mental Health Nursing leads to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and offers graduates a funded route over two-years into mental health nursing whilst simultaneously obtaining a postgraduate qualification. This postgraduate qualification is aimed at graduates who wish to develop and apply the knowledge gained through their undergraduate degree and relevant life experiences to pursue a career in mental health nursing. The aim of this course is to prepare a registered nurse who is able to offer excellent and compassionate care, enhanced leadership, management and strong inter-professional and research skills that influence practice and initiate change.
Our exceptional teaching provision based upon contemporary research, (a key focus of the schools highly ranked research activity), is grounded in modern mental health practice. The Mental Health Nursing MSc will equip graduates to develop and thrive in rapidly changing environments, taking into account how early trauma and adversity, culture, socioeconomic influences, stigma and other factors can impact resilience, function, health status and mental health outcomes. The programme will equip students with engagement and assessment skills necessary for planning and delivery of compassionate high-quality care and manage complex practice across the lifespan.
Students will graduate from this programme as creative and skilled mental health nurses in a position to apply to part one of the NMC register. The successful graduate will have the necessary values, knowledge and skills to practice to the highest standards of safe, compassionate care in mental health services.
Tuition Fees Covered
If you are considered a home UK student for tuition fees who can commit to working in Wales for two years after graduating, you could get your tuition fees covered in full through the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme and claim for a £1,000 bursary contribution towards living costs. You can also apply for the means tested bursary that is dependent on household income and other funding that has eligibility criteria for child care support, dependents allowance and parental learner allowance. If you would prefer not to work in Wales following your graduation you can apply for the master’s student loan funding for your fees and a reduced maintenance grant.
As this course is funded by NHS Wales we are unable to accept applications from overseas students.
Full details are available on our NHS funding page.
Why Choose Bangor University for this Course?
Visit our Why Study with us? page to find out some key facts about why you should choose Bangor for this course
Course Content
What will you study on this course?
Throughout the programme, practice placements in acute and community and specialist mental health services in North Wales are designed to provide a range of experiences. You will have compulsory theoretical study in addition to clinical placements designed to equip you for practise. During placements you are supernumerary, and this allows you to work alongside your practice supervisors and assessors to participate in delivery of nursing care. Support is available from a personal tutor who is a registered nurse and an academic member of staff and supervision from practicing registered nurses and other professional on placement. Theoretical and practical work is assessed through assignments, examinations, presentations and the Once for Wales Practice Assessment Document and On-going Record of Achievement.
Course Structure
Year 1
- Engagement and assessment in mental health
- Legal & Ethical Concepts
- Planning and delivering humanised care in mental health
- Physiology & Pathophysiology
- Nursing Practice 1 PGD
Year 2
- Managing risk and complexity in mental health
- Lead, Innovate and Implement
- Clinical Decision Making & Evidence Based Practice
- Nursing Practice 2 PGD
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The teaching and learning strategy for the course will take a student-centred approach and build on the graduate skills developed during your first degree. Whilst there will be some taught lectures for each module, the main emphasis will be on working as a group to develop your knowledge, clinical decision-making skills and finding solutions to real life problems.
Entry Requirements
To apply for the MSc Mental Health Nursing an applicant would normally have achieved a 2.2 honours degree in a health / life or social science related subject, within the last 5 years, and be able to demonstrate undertaken 700 hours of healthcare related experience which can be mapped to the NMC progression point one core competencies.
In addition to the attainment of a suitable degree, the NMC require that all applicants must demonstrate evidence of communication and numeracy, and these must be demonstrated normally via GCSE at C or above in English or Welsh 1st language and Mathematics.
As this is a funded programme by the Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) international students will not be able to apply for this programme of study.
The NMC also require that evidence of ‘Good Health and Good Character’ be obtained, and in addition to the supportive reference to the application, the School has adopted the All Wales Good Character reference. Good Character is further assessed by way of a Full/Enhanced DBS report, and these are risk assessed by the partnership in accordance with the School’s policy. Good Health is assessed by the local Health Board’s Health at Work Unit, and students are monitored throughout the programme and supported where required.
Selection processes:
- Completion of application – direct application with personal statement and references.
- Short listing from personal statement and reference against agreed criteria (to include numeracy and literacy at GCSE).
- Character references taken and reviewed.
- Formal interview with interactive group work activities and MMI.
- Numeracy / medication calculation
- Written essay on seen question – confidentiality and data protection.
- Enhanced DBS disclosure check.
- Occupational health review.
Selection events and processes will involve lecturers in Mental Health nursing, Health Board clinical staff, service user participants. Participants in the selection processes undergo training and support in diversity and equality as part of their professional development.
If successful at interview applicants will be invited to progress to part two and complete and submit their RPL/REPL portfolio. Admissions to the programme are made on a time frame to allow for the completion of the RP(E)L process, so early applications are encouraged.
Further details on this process can be obtained following interview.
Dyslexia / Disability:
Applicants with particular needs in relation to dyslexia or a disability are encouraged to declare this on the front cover of their RPL/REPL portfolio so that this can be taken into account when reviewing the evidence. This will be reviewed by a RPL/RPEL panel to ascertain completion of required criteria (see below).
Additional requirements:
A set number of places on the programme are funded HEIW (criteria for the funding and information is available on the HEIW website).
Students who accept a funded place for this course will be required to work within Wales for two years following graduation.
Students with disabilities, on application, are supported by the University’s Disabilities Officer and the School’s Disabilities Advisor, and relevant risk assessments undertaken and adaptations where required, explored.
Where there may be issues relating to Good Character, Good Health, or Disability that require further exploration or investigation, the School and the local Health Board’s Fitness for Practice Committee would be consulted.
Evidence of achievement:
Applicants will be required to complete a RP(E)L reflective portfolio which demonstrates achievement of the Year 1 progression points indicated in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Education (NMC, 2018). As part of this portfolio of evidence applicants will be required to submit the BSc / BA certificate and a transcript of the modules undertaken as part of the degree.
Applicants will be required to complete a reflective portfolio which demonstrates the knowledge and skills gained from previous health related experience and this must be mapped against the NMC Year 1 progression points indicated in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes (NMC, 2018).
Portfolio of evidence:
This reflective portfolio will contain specific examples and evidence of how the claimed health care experience allows the applicant to demonstrate attainment of the progression points. Evidence can be demonstrated with examples from practice experiences, study days attended, mandatory training and the references provided by employers.
Applicants will be required to complete a Declaration of Own Work to indicate that they have exclusively completed the PRL/RPEL portfolio.
The assessment criteria for the portfolio will be as follows:
Authenticity: is there unmistakable evidence to support the full achievement of the Year 1 NMC progression criteria?
Legitimacy: is the achievement sufficient to meet the required level of part one as specified by the NMC 2018 Standards.
Time Frame: are the claims made against experiences which have currency to the current healthcare setting i.e. in the last 3 years?
Sufficiency: is the evidence sufficient to fully demonstrate attainment of the learning/experiences claimed?
Graduate skills: is the applicant able to demonstrate the expected level of study skills for entry at Level 7.
The portfolio will be reviewed by an academic member of staff and will be assessed as pass or fail. Guidance and support will be provided by School staff to assist your completion of this requirement.
On successful completion of the portfolio the applicant will receive a formal offer of a HIEWS funded place
Careers
Students successfully completing the MSc Mental Health Nursing are able to register their professional status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and seek employment as a registered nurse.
Employability rates are high in comparison to other graduates, given the professional competence and qualification in association with a degree. Career opportunities once employed as registered nurse are excellent and can lead to promotion opportunities in clinical practice/specialism, research or education.
Careers Advice
Careers advice is gained from healthcare professionals both in practice and in dedicated careers sessions and NHS Careers has more details of the career opportunities that are available.. You are also eligible to register for the Bangor Employability Award to further enhance career prospects and advice is also available from the Bangor University Careers & Employability Service.
