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Nursing BNurs - Child

Start date
September
Duration
3 years (42 weeks per year)
UCAS code
B702
Course Type
Undergraduate, Single Honours
Fees

Annual tuition fees for 2025/26 are:
£9,535 (UK) 
More details on fees and funding

Experience first-hand working on the frontline at the heart of one of the UK’s largest healthcare regions through our exclusive placement opportunities. Benefit from our interdisciplinary teaching as we support you to excel in a rewarding career of child nursing.

Start your journey to nursing

Delivered in partnership between the university and renowned Birmingham healthcare organisations, this course prepares you for safe and contemporary practice and employment as a registered nurse in child nursing practice. You will learn biological, pharmacological and social sciences, nursing theories, systems, processes and an advancing range of nursing skills that enable you to lead, manage and deliver effective person-centred nursing practice. You'll also study medicines management including the completion of safe drug calculations.

Empathy towards patients and caregivers and an insight into how the public experience healthcare and knowledge of how this is evaluated and continuously improved is a key component of the course. Emphasis is placed on developing your ability to research and study independently and with colleagues and to reflect and reason systematically in a critical and evidence-based way. 

You will have the opportunity to experience clinical practice in our dedicated clinical simulation suites alongside undertaking a range of diverse and exciting clinical placements related to child nursing. This will allow you to gain a variety of experiences with a wide range of client groups, under the guidance of skilled clinicians, through our exclusive Birmingham NHS Trust partners.

Find out more about our Nursing placements 

Join us online

Join us online for an exclusive webinar where you can explore our Nursing degrees. Hear from our admissions tutor and get a first-hand look at what it’s like to be a Nursing student at Birmingham from our current students. Have all your questions answered from those who know it best. Register now to secure your spot and start your journey to Nursing with us. 

Register Now

Funding

The NHS Learning Support Fund offers nursing students at least £5,000 a year in financial aid whilst you train and gain professional registration. Check out their website for eligibility criteria and further information.

NHS Learning Support Fund

 Why study this course?

  • Interdisciplinary teaching: Benefit from inter-professional learning opportunities studying alongside students on medicine, dentistry and pharmacy courses which will prepare you for working in today’s interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
  • Shared first year: Our common first year maximises your learning and experience of holistic nursing, allowing you to experience a variety of healthcare environments. 
  • Exclusive relationships for placements: Our strong partnership agreements lead to effective placements in Birmingham NHS Trusts. You will be exposed to a diverse range of patients and health conditions as you experience working in one of the largest healthcare regions in the UK.
  • Elective experience: At the end of your second year, you will have the exciting opportunity to undertake a four-week elective placement. Your elective placement can be in any healthcare setting in the world to give you a wider perspective of nursing around the globe.
  • MNurs study: Once you commece your studies, you will have the unique opportunity to study Nursing for an extra year at Masters level meaning you can graduate with a MNurs qualification. 

Your placements are never more than 5 miles away, and that's a massive thing. I didn't appreciate that at all until I started my placements as I was able to have time to socialise after a long day on the wards.

Rebecca Parker, BNurs Child Nursing, Alumna (2017-2020)

Modules

Modules in the first year

The first year is designed to develop your understanding of holistic healthcare and nursing practice with people across the lifespan in each of the fields of practice. You will share learning with students from all fields of practice and undertake placements and simulated practice experience with children, adults and the elderly. As well as examining these areas through study and simulated practical skills, you will gain invaluable practical experience by completing a number of placements which expose you to different populations and fields of nursing practice.

You'll study the principles of nursing practice and nursing skills underpinned by relevant biological, pharmacological, psychological and social sciences and will gain an appreciation of the health and social needs of people and their families. You will also study core clinical skills and develop your academic and digital skills in order to gain an understanding of professional practice. The generic nature of our first year means that it might be possible to switch fields of practice before progressing to your second year, although this is subject to availability of places.

  • Essential Nursing Care - 40 credits
  • Principles of Nursing - 40 credits 
  • Health and Wellbeing - 40 credits 

Modules in the second year

You will develop your clinical nursing, communication, health promotion and managerial knowledge and skills further including studying modules specific to your field of practice. These will build on the biological, pharmacological, and psychological and social sciences knowledge gained in the first year in relation to therapeutic nursing and practice. There are further core modules shared between all students that will develop your health communication and promotion and clinical decision making including the study of research, management and evidence-based practice. Field specific clinical placements may be spent in hospital and community settings in your second year.

At the end of the second year you have the opportunity to undertake a 4-week elective experience, either overseas or in the United Kingdom (UK). In the UK electives can be arranged in hospices, prisons and other specialist units. These may include citizenship experience such as voluntary contribution to an organisation as part of your professional development. International electives can be in health care settings in any continent of the world. Examples of countries where students have visited recently include Australia, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Thailand, Tanzania, Greece, Canada and the USA. The elective, whether in the UK or Internationally, enables you to experience differences in culture and environment, develops your leadership and independence, and may also enable you to gain exposure to a nursing career or alternative clinical practice environment, healthcare system and language.

The experience will benefit you as a Registered Nurse and future nursing leader and allows you to inform a personal area of interest related to your future career and nursing practice. It also gives you the opportunity to further develop your self-confidence and organisational skills, through arranging your own elective experience with the support and guidance of academic staff.

You have the opportunity to personalise your degree at this stage to do an extra year, making the course four years, integrating your masters across year three and four. This allows you to come out with an undergraduate and postgraduate degree, enhancing your experiences and learning further. 

By choosing to complete the integrated master's, you are preparing for career progression within nursing by developing your leadership and research skills. This will also involve an additional year of tuition fees.

The integrated master's will deliver units at postgraduate level, developing your skills in critical engagement. You will learn how to examine, reflect and develop new insights, contributing to nursing research, education and clinical practice through your chosen field of nursing. 

Core modules

  • Promoting Health and Self-Management - 20 credits 
  • Clinical Decision Making - 30 credits 
  • Evaluating Nursing Care in Children - 30 credits
  • Therapeutic Nursing in Children's Care - 40 credits

Modules in the third year

During your final year you will be prepared for your transition to a registered nurse. The year is made up of three modules and practice placements, two modules are shared with other nursing field students and will focus on your leadership and management development as well as your research and use of evidence. A field specific module integrates and builds on year one and two prior learning to develop your ability to undertake in-depth assessment, diagnosis and related clinical decision making in your field for people requiring complex nursing care. Medicines management and future readiness to undertake a postgraduate prescribing programme will form part of this module and will facilitate final completion of the complete range of communication skills and nursing procedures required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Field specific clinical placements may be in hospital and/or community settings and it may be possible to select a placement for your final management experience in line with your first employment as a registered nurse.ore modules

  • Leading and Managing Nursing in Practice - 40 credits
  • Evidence Based Nursing Practice - 40 credits
  • Recognising and responding to acute deterioration within complex children’s nursing care - 40 credits

Please visit our Programmes and Modules Handbook for further details. 

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. Unless indicated otherwise, the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2025. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

Fees

The University will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. If your offer is for 2025 year of entry, we expect that the tuition fee for your first year of study will be £9,535.  If Parliament agrees on an increase in tuition fees, the University will increase fees for each year of study normally in line with these changes and will communicate any change in the fees to you without delay.  If you are applying for 2026 year of entry, you will be advised of the annual tuition fee closer to the time.

Visit our tuition fees page for more information 

Funding

A range of financial support is available for all eligible undergraduate student nurses. The NHS Learning Support Fund provides you with financial aid whilst you train and gain professional registration. Every eligible student nurse studying or starting their course from September 2020 can receive at least £5,000. Please view the NHS Learning Support Fund website for eligibility criteria and further details.

Scholarships, bursaries or grants may be available to support you through your course. Funding opportunities available are linked to your subject area and/or your country of origin. These can be from the University or other sources. 

View our undergraduate funding database 

How To Apply

  • Visit our Nursing frequently asked questions webpage to find out more about our Nursing programmes at Birmingham.
  • The University of Birmingham's UCAS code number is B32. You must enter this clearly on your application to ensure that it reaches us for consideration.
  • Applications will close on Wednesday 29th January 2025. Further key dates regarding applying to undergraduate courses can be found on the UCAS website.
  • If you need any further help with your Birmingham application or personal statement please visit our applying to Birmingham webpage. 

Apply now via UCAS 

Standard offer

International Requirements



Number of A levels required:
3
Typical offer:
BBB
General Studies:
Not accepted, but a good performance may be taken into account if you fail to meet the conditions of your offer

All applicants must meet in full both the GCSE and Level 3/higher qualification entry requirements for the Bachelor of Nursing programme. The only exception to meeting the GCSE requirements in full applies to some Access applicants, please see the relevant section below for more details.

Please note previous academic study will be considered when assessing the suitability of applicants for interview.

GCSE requirements: 

5 GCSEs at grade C/4 or above which must include English, Mathematics and a Science subject. We do not accept level 2 equivalents e.g. BTEC, Key skills.

The achievement of the minimum GCSE criteria for application does not guarantee being shortlisted to interview.

Preferred subjects and grades:

Biology, Psychology or Sociology A level, and two others. Welsh Baccalaureate at grade B can substitute one of the A Levels.

Edexcel Level 3 extended project:

Grade A in the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is accepted in addition to 3 A Levels (of equivalent level 3 qualifications). You would be made a variable offer e.g. BBB or BBC plus A in the EPQ (subject to conditions – see “How we make an offer” webpage for full details).

T Levels:

Grade requirements of Merit overall with B in the Core will be accepted for the below T Levels. 

  • Health
  • Healthcare Science
  • Science

You must also meet in full the GCSE entry requirements for the programme (see above).

BTEC: 

BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care or Applied Science accepted. Grades required - DDD
BTEC Diploma considered on a case by case basis when combined with an A level (typical offer DD plus B)
BTEC Subsidiary Diploma considered on a case by case basis when combined with an A level 

You must also meet in full the GCSE entry requirements for the programme (see above).

CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma

A CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care is accepted with a minimum of grade B overall. You must offer a minimum of grade B in each of the mandatory units: Anatomy and Physiology for health and social care and research skills for health and social care as well as a minimum of grade B in pharmacology (optional unit).

International Baccalaureate Diploma:

32 points with 3 subjects at higher level graded 5, 5, 5. You must also meet in full the GCSE entry requirements for the programme (see above).

Access to Higher Education (Health or Science):

60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 including 30 at distinction, 15 at merit (to include study of Physiology or Biology) and 15 credits at level 2. Access courses must have been completed within the last two years to be valid. You must meet the GCSE entry requirements in full for the programme (as above). However, if it is more than 5 years since you took your GCSE’s and you also have 2 years full time paid work experience in health and social care, you are only required to have GCSE English, Mathematics and Science at grade C or above.

Minimum Age Requirement

As this programme has a mandatory clinical placement, every applicant for admission to the University must have reached the age of 18 years on 1 October of the year of entry.

Graduate Entry Requirements:

Bachelor degree minimum 2:2 or Masters or PhD. You must also meet in full the GCSE entry requirements for the programme (see above).

If you already have a degree, and experience working in social care, why not consider our MSc Nursing programme, which leads to nursing registration in 2 years.

International students:

We can only accept applications from those considered as home fee status.

Read our Nursing FAQ's

Due to the large number of applications for the Bachelor of Nursing programme, shortlisting takes place prior to candidates being invited to attend for a face to face interview. Shortlisting is based on consideration of your:

  • Personal statement 
  • Actual or predicted grades 
  • Reference

Both within your personal statement and at interview, we are looking for evidence of the following:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
  • A clear understanding of the University of Birmingham Bachelor of Nursing programme 
  • Enthusiasm for a career in nursing and having a desire to make a difference within healthcare 
  • Understanding of what a nurse does and the values and personal qualities that make a good nurse 
  • Skills and knowledge gained when undertaking relevant work experience or voluntary work 
  • Experience of working in a healthcare setting or experience of being a carer or a service user 
  • Knowledge of current national issues within nursing and healthcare 
  • Skills acquired whilst undertaking Edexcel level 3 extended project 
  • Capacity for independent study 
  • Awareness of equal opportunities and cultural diversity

Please be aware that meeting the minimum requirements for entry, does not guarantee you an interview or an offer of a place on the programme.

Disability and dyslexia advice and support

The University of Birmingham has a positive view of what candidates with disabilities can achieve as future healthcare professionals and we take seriously our obligation to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all students with disabilities can successfully complete their studies. All applicants will be assessed up to and including the interview, based on the criteria outlined above regardless of any disability. If you declare a disability we will invite you to work with us together with the disability team, clinical colleagues and specialist services to explore how best we can support your studies.

Find our more about our disability and dyslexia support 

Realising Opportunities programme

Realising Opportunities (RO) is a unique collaboration of 12 leading Universities, working together to promote fair access and social mobility of students from under-represented groups. Students are supported through a coherent programme of activities designed to raise their aspirations to progress to research intensive Universities.

Applications through UCAS to RO Partner universities from participating students will be given additional consideration with the potential to receive an alternative RO offer from many Partners. Please ask your school or college if they are involved in this programme.

Realising Opportunities website

Conditions of offers and programme requirements

If you do decide to accept a place at the University of Birmingham, you are required to comply with the following:

  • Achievement of the academic requirements for entry to the Bachelor of Nursing 
  • A satisfactory health declaration, including evidence of appropriate immunisations and Occupational Health clearance if required - further information can be found on our Health and Immunisation Forms page
  • Clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), previously known as Criminal Record Bureau. (CRB) checks. You will receive an email from our central admissions team regarding DBS checks approximately 2-3 weeks after you have firmly accepted your place on the course. This email will contain further instructions, next steps and advise of the deadline for submitting your DBS application. Please be sure to check your junk/spam folders for this email before contacting us
  • You sign and adhere to the ‘University Code of Professional Practice and Fitness to Practice’ thereby agreeing to certain levels of conduct, behaviour and health whilst studying on the Bachelor of Nursing programme. Details of which will be forwarded with an offer letter
  • On commencement of the course, provide original copies of academic certificates and photo identification. These will be photocopied and kept on your personal file, in order to comply with NHS fraud requirements 
  • Agree to travel to clinical placements in hospitals and the community, in the Birmingham and Solihull area 
  • Agree to undertake shifts including early morning, afternoon, evening and night duty on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays, both within hospitals and community settings 
  • Comply with uniform and infection control policy on clinical placement 

Health and Immunisation 

Alternative offers through our Pathways to Birmingham programmes and our Contextual Offer scheme

Students who are eligible and successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive special consideration from admissions tutors and an alternative offer (typically two grades below the standard offer). In addition, our Contextual Offer Scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the contextual offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer.

International Students

We can only accept applications from those considered as home fee status.

Throughout your nursing degree you’ll learn from leading experts, receiving a rich diversity of academic knowledge and experience. Our modern facilities and hands-on approach to teaching fully-equips you for a successful career in Nursing.

At Birmingham, we have a huge emphasis on ensuring our students have the best clinical skills and simulation practice experiences that they can take with them into their Nursing careers.

Steven Grant, Lead for Skills and Simulation

Learning and teaching

Learning and teaching is designed to support your personal and professional development through interactive, formative and personalised approaches and through the supportive use of digital technology. Benefit from our enquiry based and research-intensive learning and teaching strategy to develop reflection and confidence in your future professional development. Clinical skills and simulation teaching culminates in clinical assessment and simple diagnostic skill development and knowledge to support your postgraduate prescribing preparation. 

Your learning will take place in a range of different settings, from scheduled teaching in lectures and small group tutorials, to self-study and peer group learning (for example preparing and delivering presentations with your classmates).

The approaches to learning and teaching you will experience include lectures, small group teaching, student led seminars, e-learning and simulated practice in clinical skills labs. Throughout your studies, you will have access to Nursing SCRIPT, an eLearning programme to support your knowledge acquisition around medicines management and optimisation. This combination of learning activities will enable you to develop the in-depth knowledge necessary to be a skilled nurse. This is supplemented by independent study which helps you to take progressively more responsibility for your own learning, which will continue after you complete your degree course. Nursing is a dynamic and rapidly changing profession, and so continuous professional development to keep up to date with new developments is essential.

Teaching staff for this course

Many of our teaching staff have published important works about their areas of expertise, whilst others have taught at international institutions and can offer unique perspectives of their subjects.

For more information about staff in the school, their qualifications, publication history and specific areas of interest, visit the School of Nursing and Midwifery staff profile page.

Student support

You will have access to a comprehensive support network that will assist and help you to deal with any problems that arise throughout your studies.

In addition, the Student Services Centre, which based in the Medical School on main campus, offers many services from drop in sessions for advice and guidance, referral to internal and external services and support regarding extenuating circumstances.

You’ll also be assigned a personal tutor for the duration of your time with us. Your personal tutor will be an academic staff member that teaches on the Nursing course. If there are particular areas where you need support, you will be able to address this with your tutors.

Our Academic Skills Centre also offers you support with your learning. The centre is a place where you can develop your mathematical, academic writing and general academic skills. It is the centre’s aim to help you to become a more effective and independent learner through the use of a range of high-quality and appropriate learning support services. These range from drop-in sessions with support with mathematics and statistics-based problems provided by experienced mathematicians, to workshops on a range of topics including note talking, reading, writing and presentation skills.

Contact Hours

Through all three years of the BNurs degree you will mainly be taught in study and practice placement blocks – spending 50% of your time in each. You are required to attend all sessions on your university timetable, and you will need to engage in all digital, directed and independent study throughout the course. In practice you are supernumerary, but to facilitate your learning you will work alongside your clinical supervisor(s) and normally include the range of hours that nurses work in that placement area.

In the placement setting you will work in a range of teams and apply your University studies to practice. You will have the opportunity to develop your clinical and leadership skills with the support of a supervisor and registered nurse assessor. This blend of practice based, and academic learning underpins the programme and focuses on the key elements of professional practice. The University of Birmingham has excellent links with a variety of local NHS trusts, ensuring that we can provide the best opportunities for your clinical training.

Placements

Your nursing practice is continuously developed and assessed throughout the programme by specially prepared supervisors and registered nursing assessors using the region wide Midlands, Yorkshire and East Practice Assessment Document (MYEPAD). At the University of Birmingham, you will have the opportunity to practice nursing in some of the country's leading healthcare foundation trusts gaining experience of a range of nursing environments and care settings including home, community and hospital settings in the Birmingham, Solihull and West Midlands area.

Throughout the programme your skill development will be supported through the simulated practice setting in the University. You will therefore undertake a range of diverse and exciting clinical placements, gaining a variety of experiences with a wide range of client groups, under the guidance of skilled clinicians.

In order to maximise your learning experience on clinical placements, practice placement teams organise teaching sessions, student forums and provide on-going clinical support for nursing students, practice supervisors and assessors. Lecturers from the University of Birmingham provide dedicated practice preparation and mid placement sessions to help you make the most of the practice experience. After each placement you are given the opportunity to evaluate your experience and this plays an important part in the ongoing quality assurance of the placement learning environment. Each year you will have a named academic assessor with responsibility for oversight of your overall progress and achievement.

Child field of practice placements

Your placements will focus on the child and their family; you will work in local nurseries, communities and hospitals, as well as the internationally renowned Diana, Princess of Wales, Children's Hospital. More information can be found on the following websites:

Assessment Methods

As a Nursing student, you will be assessed in a variety of ways, and these may be different with each module that you take. You will be assessed through exams, coursework assignments, placements and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).

At the beginning of each module, you’ll be given information on how and when you’ll be assessed for that particular programme of study. You’ll receive feedback on each assessment within three weeks, so that you can learn from and build on what you have done. You’ll be given feedback on any exams that you take; if you should fail an exam we will ensure that particularly detailed feedback is made available to enable you to learn for the future.

Throughout the programme there will be opportunities to meet with your personal tutor to see how you are getting on and if there are particular areas where you need support. The personal tutor who is based in your school or department can help with any academic issues you encounter.

On graduation and qualification, you will have a highly regarded degree and eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice as a Registered Nurse.

Our graduates are highly valued and the majority seeking nursing positions have secured employment or pursued further career-related training on completing the programme. Many of our graduates stay in the Birmingham area and work in the NHS, others move on to take up appointments in the UK and overseas. There are many varied career opportunities for nursing in clinical practice, management, research and education. Extensive restructuring in nursing as a profession and within the NHS means that a good career structure is now in place.

Take a look at our alumni profile pages to see what some of our students have gone on to do after completing their Bachelor of Nursing programme.

University Careers Network

Our unique careers guidance service, Careers Network, offers a specialised team who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

We also offer voluntary work which complements your studies by helping you gain practical experiences in occupational settings while contributing back to society. This can bring new skills that will be useful throughout your future and can make a positive impact on your learning whilst at university. Volunteering enables you to develop skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-confidence and self-discipline all of which can be transferred into your studies.

Find out more about our Careers Network 

Professional Accreditation

Satisfactory completion of the Bachelor of Nursing programme provides you with the eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Registered Nurse. (Adult, Mental Health or Child).