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About the course

BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing has been designed to meet the future nursing proficiencies set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2018) and upon successful completion will allow you to register and work as a graduate mental health nurse.

We aim to develop your knowledge, skills and academic capacities, so that you can build a meaningful nursing career that balances your own continuous personal growth with doing public good for the varied communities you will care for across your working  life.

The course will consider what it means and how to provide mental health care in a contemporary, culturally diverse context and what is needed for the profession to continuously improve and add value to the lived experiences of the populations we serve.

You will complete a series of theory modules over three parts, that analyse and critique modern mental health approaches and treatment modalities, including the medical model, psychotherapeutic approaches, anthropological understanding of health beliefs, public health approaches and the social determinants of health, amongst other ideas and concepts.

The clinical practice components of the course will consist of placements in all years of study, in a variety of primary and secondary mental healthcare services, such as community and hospital teams, forensics services, specialist providers of mental health care and every other place where mental health nurses can play a role in the prevention, treatment and recovery of people with mental ill-health.

In addition to becoming a graduate mental health nurse the course will enable achievement of recognised additional qualifications in skills such as mental health first aid and in suicide prevention. It is also possible to self-fund short volunteering experiences overseas.  

Our overall aim as a nursing lecturing team and as a university is that you have access to the best of teaching, learning and clinical experiences, so that you can become a skilled, thoughtful and , authentic mental health nurse who is confident that they are making a positive difference to people lives and the wider communities that you work within.

Accredited by:

Nursing and Midwifery Council logo

This course offers additional qualifications for you to obtain with your degree.
Additional qualification
This course has been accredited by a professional body.
Professional accreditation
As part of your studies you will have the opportunity to undertake a work experience placement.
Built in work experience placement
This course has access to Solent's specialist facilities.
Specialist facilities
This course is an apprenticeship, which is a course that is a blend of study and work. All apprentices must be in employment.
Apprenticeship

You will be taught by a friendly and experienced teaching team in excellent teaching and learning facilities.

What does this course lead to?

Registered Mental health Nurses can work within the National Health Service, private, voluntary and independent sector healthcare providers, education, policy and government sectors. UK educated and NMC registered Nurses also can work globally but may be required to take registration tests for other national nursing bodies.

Who is this course for?

Mental health nursing is suitable for people who want a career that has social value and has a keen interest in caring for others and enabling people to achieve the best outcomes they can.

Mental health nursing students often have or want to develop an open mind and be curious about the nature of the human condition and society and to be able to do something real that benefits both.

We welcome applications from people with all kinds of life experiences and stages of life.

Facts and figures

Fees icon

Fees and costs

Tuition fees

The tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year are:
UK, EU and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
International full-time fees: £13,800 per year

Following the UK government's confirmation that EU students will no longer be eligible for home fee status benefits, we've made the decision to keep EU tuition fees the same as UK tuition fees for 2021 entry.

For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.

Other costs

While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.

The 2021/22 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, previous other costs have been:

New for 2020: All nursing students on courses from September 2020 may be eligible for non-repayable government funding of at least £5,000 a year. Further details on who can access the support will be available in early 2020. Find out more information about the funding in the gov.uk website.

Compulsory costs:

  • Two uniforms will be provided but you are likely to require additional uniforms which cost in the region of £30
  • The University will pay for an occupational health assessment, however you may need to pay for immunisations if they are not covered by your GP
  • You will need a pair of suitable comfortable shoes while on clinical placement and studying in our simulation settings (estimated cost £40-£60)
  • You will need to purchase some of your own clinical items, for instance a stethoscope (estimated cost £30)
  • You will need to be able to travel to study at our partner NHS trusts and to your placement - travel costs will be associated with this

Optional costs:

  • 2-3 week self funding international volunteering trip circa £1,200 (all inclusive based on previous trips organised).

Bursaries and scholarships

Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.

Graduation costs

For graduates in 2020, there is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket was £15 in 2019, but this fee is subject to change for future years. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Key entry requirements icon

Key entry requirements

104-120 UCAS tariff points from A-levels or equivalent

  • Grade 4 or above in GCSE English language and mathematics (previously grade C).
  • A values based interview and a discussion about a mental health topic of your choice that is currently in the media.
  • All students will be required to undertake a criminal convictions check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. This is organised by the University before enrolment.
  • If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
  • For further information about UK, EU and international qualifications, please refer to our course entry requirement statement.

English language requirements

For applicants where English is not their first language, they must achieve a minimum score of 6.0 overall with a minimum 5.5 in each component. 

Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.

Pre-Sessional English programme

The University also offers a Pre-Sessional English Language Course for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.


Key facts and indicators

  1. Accredited by

    nursing-and-midwifery-council-logo

  2. Transferable skills

    Key graduate skills in:  advanced communication approaches, information technology, organisational and leadership skills. research, business development, people management, complex problem solving, policy, activism.

  3. The industry

    In the UK there is a national and well documented shortage of nurses and particularly mental health nurses. Since 2011 and the advent of the Government policy documents such as “No Health without Mental Health” a greater emphasis has been placed on developing and expanding mental health provision and education...

  4. Assessments

    The theory modules on the course are assessed using different styles of essay such as reflective accounts and more formal academic written work, case studies, presentations, enquiry-based learning. The practice elements of the course are assessed using an online portfolio of proficiencies. 

  5. Student support and services

    Student welfare - Solent University is committed to giving you the best possible educational experience during your time with us. As such we have a number of support services and policies set up covering funding, careers and employability, chaplaincy, counselling, international advice, student affairs, key academic skills, disability support and...

Got a question about this course?

Contact our Solent team:

If you are a UK, EU or EEA applicant please contact admissions@solent.ac.uk 023 8201 5066 If you are an international applicant please contact admissions.international@solent.ac.uk 023 8201 5066

How to apply

Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.

Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.

Your application should reach UCAS by 15 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.

Please click the links below to apply through UCAS:

Mode of study
Duration
Apply
Full-time 3 years Apply
How to apply

What you'll study

Year one

Core modules
  • Authentic Nursing Care
    This module is your introduction to the mental health nursing programme. You will be introduced to the nursing identity that balances the care of others with the care of self; and develops the notion of wellbeing and the concepts of recovery as a co-produced process.
  • Delivering Public Confidence
    This module explores the role of professional regulation and the key legislative acts that impact on the delivery of healthcare in the NHS, private and voluntary sectors.
  • Skilled Nursing
    This module develops your skills in the nursing process across a range of commonly experienced mental health conditions. There will be a focus on assessment, care planning and interventions to assist in the recovery from mental ill health.
  • Public Health
    This module will introduce you to the concepts of public health and health promotion. You will gain understanding of the importance of health promotion in mental health and the continued links between psychological and physical wellbeing.
  • Nursing Practice 1
    During this module you will attend clinical practice areas that provide exposure primarily to mental health nursing, but also adult, learning disabilities and children’s nursing practice. You will also become familiar with the role of the nurse and the importance of professionalism in practice.

Year two

Core modules
  • Inclusive Nursing Care
    Through this module you will learn transactional nursing models to implement in practice. You will develop an understanding of the different cultural views and interpretations of illness and how this will manifest within the context of the individual patient.
  • Vulnerability and Society
    This module explores society and the impact of disability or cognitive impairment on an individual. You will explore the policies around safeguarding vulnerable people and interventions to help keep people safe, alongside working in partnership with families, carers and experts by experience.
  • Preventing Suicide
    This module aims to prepare you to identify and safely support people who are at risk of suicide and self-harm. It will develop your knowledge of at-risk individuals and groups and equip you with practical interventions that can reduce harm and completed suicides.
  • Global Health
    This module follows on from the public health module in year one and sets the scene for global health themes through the lens of anthropology. It considers migration, war and trauma, communicable and non-communicable disease and the cultural view of mental illness as it presents across the globe.
  • Nursing Practice 2
    On this module you will attend clinical practice areas that provide exposure primarily to mental health nursing, but also adult, learning disabilities and children’s nursing practice. You will also become familiar with the role of the nurse and the importance of professionalism in practice.

Year three

Core modules
  • Leading Nursing Care
    This module will prepare you to take on people and organisational lead roles by exploring leadership theory and organisational structures. It will consider how we know when teams and organisations are functioning well and what a world class services delivers to its service users.
  • Mental health Nursing Futures
    This module requires you to produce a piece of researched work that can add to the extant knowledge or influence the delivery of health and social care. This work will enable you to gain honours degree status.
  • Being Therapeutic
    This module builds on the skilled nursing and preventing suicide modules. It develops your skills further in talking therapies and how these can be used to support people to utilise strengths-based approaches, to change and enhance wellbeing.
  • Developing Others
    Through this module you will learn clinical supervision theory and develop your practice to be able to facilitate the supervision of others and to personally utilise supervision.
  • Nursing Practice 3
    During this module you will attend clinical practice areas that provide exposure primarily to mental health nursing, but also adult, learning disabilities and children’s nursing practice. You will also take lead roles that demonstrate management of professionalism in practice.

Support

Web-based learning

Solent's virtual learning environment provides quick online access to assignments, lecture notes, suggested reading and other course information.

The Student Hub

The Student Hub is a central space where you can access all of the information and support you need during your time at University.

Professional and experienced staff can help resolve any query, and if they cannot answer the question themselves they will find the person who can.

Career support

Meet the course team

Francis Beckett academic profile Francis Beckett Course Leader View profile
Lindsay Welch academic profile Lindsay Welch Senior Lecturer View profile
Neil Glasspool academic profile Neil Glasspool Senior Lecturer View profile
Tom Simons academic profile Tom Simons Lecturer View profile
Gemma Burley academic profile Gemma Burley Lecturer View profile
Nimrod Taabu academic profile Nimrod Taabu Lecturer View profile

The university cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.

Facilities

We provide a stimulating learning environment and access to state-of-the-art resources to help you make the most of your time with us. Flexible spaces, Wi-Fi facilities and learning zones all contribute to our lively and contemporary study environment at Solent.

There are international volunteering experiences and a wide range of clinical placements offered as part of this degree.
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Your future

Graduates from the BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing will be prepared for band 5 mental health nursing roles in a variety of settings and be “prescriber ready” prior to undertaking further clinical qualifications.

They will also be ready to undertake supervision roles for student nurses leading to practice assessor roles with more experience.

BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing graduates will also be ready to undertake post graduate qualifications at Master’s and PhD level.

Industry links

The course team has developed this programme in partnership with partner NHS Trusts and other health and social care providers.

Placements

Placements are essential and are found and allocated by our dedicated placements team.

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