Postgraduate Diploma Community Nursing Specialist (General Practice Nursing)

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 also:

• must be a registered nurse (Level 1) and have a minimum of one year’s post registration experience.

• must be in salaried employment, working a minimum of 30 hours a week in a community nursing role demanding advanced specialist practice skills and knowledge and have the full agreement from their employer.

• will normally have a relevant first degree, BSc (Hons) at 2:1 or above.

• will be assessed individually for their ability to study at master’s level and an interview will be necessary.

• 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.

• where English is not their first language must also provide 18 Programme Specification (degree apprenticeship) 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

• should 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 apprentices 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.

• are required to identify a Practice Supervisor who meet the criteria (NMC, 2022 and 2023) and have undertaken preparation for the role. These may be different depending on the module being undertaken, for example those who are on the APP770 & APP774 will require a supervisor with appropriate knowledge and skills. Additionally, the practice supervisor for the SPQ programme, may be a different person to that of the above modules, due to the SPQ requirements.  In addition a Designated Prescribing Practitioner or Practice supervisor who holds the V300 qualification and meets the criteria.  An external practice assessor will be provided by Cornwall Training Hub.

Short-listed applicants will attend an interview with representatives from the programme academic team and the strategic lead practice nurse for the ICB.

NB -from 2026 NMP703 will be spring and summer and CSN702 Leadership will be autumn term so that those that have completed level 7 NMP can stop attending the university days and will only have the specialist in practice hours to gain in the spring and summer terms.

University of Plymouth are offering a named award for this course – PGDip Community Nursing Specialist (GPN), so it will be a specialised award in its own right.

Some of the modules overlap and could be RPL’s to the ACCP pathway if that’s the direction wanted.

Students could go in four directions

• MSc Community Nursing Specialist (this could be mapped to portfolio for ACP accreditation)
• ACCP – Advanced Clinical Practice, need to do additional modules, APP710, then research methods and professional project or dissertation
• Professional Practice – research modules year 3, or
• Through mapping to ACCP which the university provide.

• What will undertaking the course in terms of release from work and work-based learning look like for my employers? Students will undertake a timetabled blended learning approximately 1 day per week and the remaining time will be undertaken in the work-based learning setting.

• What does the remaining time will be spent in work-based learning mean? How many hours are required in work-based learning? Students will need to evidence/ complete 675 hours of practice learning in their specific field over the two-year programme ie 7.5 hours a week over the 2 years.

• Is there a minimum number of hours worked per week required? Students on the standard route do not need to be working a minimum of 30 hours, as this is applied to the apprenticeship route only.  However, all students will need to be able to evidence / complete 675 hours of practice learning in their specific field over the two-year programme.

• I have already completed my NMP can recognition of prior learning (RPL) for this? Yes, this will be able to be RPL if this was completed at L7. Those who have completed at level 6 would need to complete a mapping document to the Royal Pharmaceutical Framework.

• If I can RPL a module what happens during this time; do I not have to attend university but still continue with work-based learning? You would continue with work-based learning.

• How much of the course can be RPL’d if I have some of the modules already? You will only be able to RPL up to 50% of the programme.

• How many hours study will I have to put into each term? Each module (excluding the NMP module) will consist of 7 taught days (combination of face-to-face and online). Please be mindful of the credits attached to each module (1 credit =10 hours of study 20 credits =200 hrs study). This is split roughly equally between university days, work based learning and self-study

• How many hours will I need to attend university? 7 taught days (combination of face-to-face and online).

• What is the cost of the course? 1- £6,600 per year (24/25) grant of £9,256 from NHSE. 2- NHSE mitigation  support may be available for course fee if apprenticeship route used £14000.

• When do I have to decide between APP774 and APP 770, what are main differences in these modules? More information of these modules, including their differences, can be accessed by the University of Plymouth website. You will need to decide which module you would like to undertake on application.

• Can I still apply if I don’t have a BSc 2:1?  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.

• What qualifications, experience and preparation will my practice assessor and supervisor require? The NMC standards state that; ‘Practice Assessors can evidence prior learning and relevant practice assessor experience that enables them to engage in fair, reliable and valid assessment processes in the context of community nursing SPQ ( where they don’t hold the SPQ)’. As there are few GPN’s in the southwest who hold the SPQ, we will be looking for experienced GPN’s to undergo the PA / PS preparation with the University of Plymouth to take on the role.