Fundamentals of General Practice - Module / BSc / AdvDip / GradCert / PgCert

This course will provide a solid foundation to further develop your career as a General Practice Nurse. The course will develop your clinical, academic and research skills. You will focus on the health needs of the general practice population alongside the core skills required to work as part of the interdisciplinary team. You will develop skills within your professional scope of practice working under the direction of a registered nurse.

Core skills, for example immunisation, cervical screening, ear care, wound care, contraception, and sexual health are covered in the first 20 credit module, Core Skills for Working in General Practice: Caring across the Lifespan. A focus on consultation and communication skills will develop your confidence in building rapport with people seeking care across the lifespan. The second 20 credit module Long Term Conditions and Population Health provides a comprehensive introduction to epidemiology, population health and the care of people with long term conditions. You will explore the impact of health inequalities on health outcomes. You will have the opportunity to learn about and practice motivational interviewing to support people through behaviour change. The third and final 20 credit module Professional Issues and Quality Improvement for General Practice Nurses will enable you to explore the general practice nurse role in the context of UK general practice services and appreciate the impact of policy on quality and the ethos of general practice. All 3 modules must be successfully completed to achieve the award.

Our Facilities

Our Nursing and Midwifery courses are based at our City South campus in leafy Edgbaston.

We’ve spent £41million expanding our facilities at City South. These facilities offer hands-on practical experience, replicating the spaces you will come across in professional practice.

In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that you learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. Alongside physical spaces such as a mock operating theatre and wards, we also make use of online and virtual technology, such as our virtual ward and virtual case creator.

See more of our skills facilities at City South

Centre for Skills and Simulation

The Centre for Skills and Simulation offers a range of different spaces which replicate situations that you will encounter in practice. These include hospital wards, an operating theatre and a home environment room.

Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. The hospital wards can be adapted from low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.

The home environment room is the perfect space for teaching communications skills and allows us to simulate a community setting for our students. It is particularly useful for mental health nurses, learning disability nurses and midwives.

Simulation Manikins

We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and simulation babies (SIM babies) which are anatomically correct manikins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills. The manikins contain software which replicates real symptoms, and can manipulate indicators such as blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM man can even ‘talk’ to the students as they are treating him, to add another dimension to learning.

Computer Facilities

The Seacole building has two open-access IT Suites which offer PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. There is also an IT Helpdesk for quick and easy help with your computing or internet issues.

Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:

• Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
• Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
• Microsoft Office software
• Research and statistical software
• Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home

Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

In addition to desktop PCs, we also offer a laptop loan facility, allowing students to borrow a laptop for up to six hours while on campus.