Community Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing) - BSc (Hons)

District nurses care for people in their home and in the community. If you’re already a qualified nurse, this course will develop your community nursing skills. You’ll learn to lead teams in delivering excellent patient-centred care, improve your caseload management and your independent working skills, and gain a prescribing qualification.

Caring for people in their own homes is different from caring for them in hospital. District nursing is a specialist role, a key part of which is to lead teams that provide support and care in the community. You’ll be working with patients (and their carers) in their own home or in care homes, helping to avoid hospital stays where possible.

With an ageing population, specialist district nurses are likely to be vital to the future of the NHS. They must provide community-based care compassionately and effectively to broad mix of people. Our degree course will give you the skills you need to take on this rewarding role, including a prescribing qualification.

You’ll learn to work with other agencies, including social services, commissioners, charities, and other health and social care organisations. This will help you build your teamworking skills as you experience the challenges and opportunities of multidisciplinary, multi-agency working.

You’ll also explore how individuals and their families can care for themselves at home, thereby enhancing people’s dignity and reducing hospital admissions. This in turn will develop your case management skills, enhance your clinical leadership and management, and deepen your understanding of legal and ethical issues.

Our course features a mix of classroom and online learning, and 120 placement days – with support from your tutors at all times. You’ll also have a mentor who’ll help you to develop a personalised programme of learning, hear from external speakers, and do your own research.

As the largest academic institution to train nurses in East Anglia, we offer outstanding facilities. These include our fantastic clinical skills resources in Cambridge and Chelmsford, and superb libraries.