BSc (Hons)

Nursing (Learning Disabilities)

Successful completion of this nursing degree will allow you entry to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Register as a qualified learning disabilities nurse.

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Key Course Details

  • UCAS Code

    B703

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £9,000*

  • International students

    £15,260*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

This three-year learning disabilities nursing degree combines theory and practice in an innovative way, to focus on the care of people with learning disabilities.

A nursing student is having a conversation with a real-life patient.

DESIGNED FOR

Those who want to care for people of all ages and work in partnership with individuals, supporters, and family carers to provide specialist healthcare.

Accredited By

  • Nursing and Midwifery Council

Skills Taught

  • Confidence in Practice
  • Informed Decision Making
  • Managing Quality Care

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.


Course Highlights

Placement Opportunities

Supervised placements are an integral part of your learning disabilities nursing qualification. These are in our partner health boards, as well as in the community and independent sector.

Outstanding Facilities

As part of your learning disabilities nursing degree, you will learn in our impressive health facilities. Our Clinical Simulation Centre replicates clinical environments for education and training.

Interactive Learning

You’ll use the same equipment you will find in healthcare settings, and work on patient simulators that mimic the body’s reactions to illness, care and treatment.

Module Overview

The nursing degree lasts a minimum of 42 weeks. Supervised practice placements are an integral part of the programme. There’s an equal split between theory and practice, which is integrated throughout all our nursing courses, Each academic year is split into four terms. In term one, you will study in theory block in University followed by block in clinical practice. This pattern is repeated through the three-year programme.

The Essentials of Nursing Practice. 

Assessing Needs and Creating Therapeutic Opportunities

Promoting Health & Wellbeing

Developing Confidence in Practice: Practice 1

Enhancing Assessment & Evidence-based Interventions

Professional, Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing

Informed Decision Making in the Practice Environment

Evidence-based Practice: Evaluating Care within the Context of Practice

Advancing Knowledge, Skills & Therapeutic Interventions

Leading and Managing Quality Care across Settings

The Nurse as an Educator

Becoming a Proficient Practitioner

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

  • A Level: BBB to exclude General Studies
  • Welsh BACC: Grade B and BB at A Level to exclude General Studies
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Distinction Merit
  • Access to HE: Must complete 60 credits overall with at least 45 at level 3 and 15 at Level 2. Of the 45 credits at level 3, you will need a minimum of 24 Distinctions, 18 Merits and 3 passes.

Application advice:

We strongly advise applicants to take advantage of the advice available online, from demonstrating you have the relevant qualifications or experience, tips on writing your personal statement to advice on preparing for interview, we have a wealth of support and guidance available to applicants to ensure you are able to demonstrate that you have what it takes and make your application the best it can be. Please read our application advice.

Additional requirements include:

  • All applicants are required to attend an interview. For further support on preparing for interview and what to expect at interview, please read our application advice.
  • One satisfactory reference from someone who is able to comment on your attitude and approach to learning in a professional or academic sense.
  • An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child & Adult Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).
  • A satisfactory medical will be required once an offer has been made. We will contact you closer to your start date with details of how to obtain these.
  • The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
  • Equivalent qualifications considered are Essential Skills Level Two in Communication and Application of Number, or Functional Skills Level Two in English and Mathematics. (Must have been achieved since 2016).

Closed for International applicants 

Unfortunately, this course is not currently open to international applicants, please visit our course pages where you can find an alternative course choice. 

 

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch and we'd to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

*Obligatory 

This fee includes £40 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £55.42

Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £13. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate.

Cost: £13

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

You’ll study with students from all fields and other professions, as well as having sessions specific to your field. There’s also the requirement to work with clients and patients from other fields, so you can care for patients with multiple and complex needs.

Teaching staff

Lecturers are active researchers and members of USW's Unit for Development in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research. The Unit's mission is to work in partnership to enhance quality of life and quality of service provision for people with intellectual disabilities and their families and carers. We do this via an integrated programme of intellectual disability research, education and practice that includes a focus on end of life care; safeguarding and participatory research.

Placements

When you are working with your mentor in clinical practice, you have to work the shift patterns of the clinical area to which you are allocated.

There is also an opportunity to study and practice abroad in a number of countries during the second year of your learning disabilities nurse training. This will enable you to gain an understanding of different health care systems.

Facilities

Our Clinical Simulation Centre includes two, four-bedded bays to simulate a hospital setting, dedicated paediatric and maternity facilities, including a special care baby unit, an intensive care environment and an emergency department with a fully equipped ambulance simulator. There is also a two-bedroom flat (see picture) to simulate providing healthcare in a home environment.

The Centre is used for healthcare education and nurse training, dealing with everything from essential clinical skills to complex, multidisciplinary clinical scenarios.

You’ll use the same equipment you will find in healthcare settings, and work on patient simulators that mimic the body’s reactions to illness, care and treatment.

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

Employers are keen to recruit our nursing graduates because they know they are well-prepared, confident, competent and safe practitioners. Learning disability nurses could work in local healthcare trusts, private providers as well as educational, charitable and voluntary providers. Graduates could also work abroad in New Zealand and in the Republic of Ireland.  

Students can also progress on to a research degree with the Unit for Development in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.

Why USW?

Placeholder Image 1
  • Top 20 in the UK for General Nursing (Guardian League Table 2023)

  • Top 20 in the UK for General Nursing (Guardian League Table 2023)

Why USW?

  94% of students are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating from USW.

  • Top 20 in the UK for General Nursing (Guardian League Table 2023)

  • Top 20 in the UK for General Nursing (Guardian League Table 2023)