Bachelor Of Nursing (Adult) BN



Gain the professional knowledge and understanding to progress in a career at the forefront of adult nursing

Overview

Our adult nursing degree course will develop your professional knowledge and understanding in the field of nursing and its application.

Taught by experts in a friendly and supportive environment, you'll put theory into practice in our state-of-the art Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre, and participate in work placements across the Lothian and Borders area in hospital and community settings. Work placements make up 50% of the course content.

You'll gain the skills needed to demonstrate your eligibility for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), as well as a degree, including:

  • communication skills and problem solving
  • professional values
  • nursing practice and decision making
  • leadership, management and team working abilities

We have a 87% student satisfaction rate for our Nursing (Adult) course (National Student Survey, 2024).

Nursing students in the clinical skills and simulation suite chatting in a group

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

3 years

Start date:

Sep

UCAS code:

B740

Placement:

Yes

Course details

Consisting of equal parts of theory and practical elements, Adult Nursing is delivered full-time over three years.

Classes range in size from large lectures to smaller tutorial groups, and you’ll learn and practice your skills in a safe environment through our excellent Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre.

With the changing political and social landscape and the emphasis on health and social care integration, this course will prepare you for the future of healthcare delivery by developing your experience in a range of settings.

Several modules are generic across all fields of practice and you’ll study with colleagues in these fields. Other modules are field specific and relate directly to Adult Nursing:

  • Caring for self and others
  • Understanding body systems
  • Developing your role and identity in adult nursing
  • Assessing Community Health and Patient Wellness
  • Practice Learning Experience 1-6
  • Assessing need and delivering care in adult nursing
  • Understanding research in evidence-based practice
  • Recognising and responding to altered health in adult nursing
  • Working in health and social care teams
  • Managing Complex Care in adult nursing
  • Promoting Care Quality and Improving Safety
  • Leading in Health and Social Care Teams
  • Transitioning into Professional practice 

Additional mandatory costs

Year 3: Students are expected to pay for the registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, £120.

  • calendar

    How you’ll be taught

    Your learning experience will be supported by lectures, tutorials, group work, skills simulation classes and work placements.

  • note and pen

    Assessments

    Academic writing, including care plans, completing presentations and reports and assessment in clinical placements.

     
  • briefcase

    Work placement

    Work placements make up 50% of the course content. These placements will be in acute hospital settings and a variety of community environments.

  • study abroad

    Study abroad

    Volunteering opportunities are possible during the longer summer holidays in year 2.

Popular modules

Year 1

  • Caring for Self and Others
  • Assessing Community Health and Patient Wellness
  • Practice Learning Experience 1 and 2

Year 2

  • Assessing Need and Delivering Care in Adult Nursing
  • Recognising and Responding to Altered Health in Adult Nursing
  • Practice Learning Experience 3 and 4

Year 3

  • Managing Complex Care in Adult Nursing
  • Leading in Health and Social Care Teams
  • Practice Learning Experience 5 and 6

ACCREDITED BY

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Nursing?

Our entry requirements indicate both Standard and Minimum qualifications with which we normally accept students. Competition for places varies from year to year and you aren't guaranteed a place if you meet the minimum qualifications.

Admission to the programme is also dependent upon a satisfactory Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) check. This will be conducted as part of the induction week. The cost of the PVG check will be paid by the University.

Please note all qualifications should have been taken within the past five years.

Selection Test 

Part of the selection process for entry to the programme of your choice will include a computer based Confident Caring Assessment (CCA) where you will be given a short video and related scenario with questions. This is an assessment of the attributes expected of a nurse/ midwife, not your clinical knowledge and skills. It is designed to assess the qualities needed to work as a nurse/ midwife and the proficiencies outlined in the:  

Nurses Standards of proficiency  

The Code and watch these short videos

It presents a series of work-related situations, and you will be questioned about how you would respond. All applicants are required to sit the CCA. 

If you require adjustment for a learning support need, please get in touch by emailing nursingandmidwifery@napier.ac.uk before your selection event.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the undergraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

 

Minimum Year 1

SQA Higher

  • Standard Offer Entry Requirement: BBC preferably to include English or a Literary subject* and a Science subject**. National 5 grade C in Maths OR Applications of Maths. For those who do not have Higher English and a Higher Science subject, National 5 English and a Science at grade C will be required.

  • Minimum Offer Entry Requirement: BCC preferably to include English or a Literary subject* and a Science subject**. National 5 grade C in Maths OR Applications of Maths. For those who do not have Higher English and a Higher Science subject, National 5 English and a Science at grade C will be required.

You may be given an adjusted offer of entry if you meet our specified minimum entry requirements within our widening participation criteria and outlined in our Contextual Admissions Policy. Click here for further information about our entry requirements and admissions policies.

A Level

  • BC preferably to include English or a Literary subject* and a Science subject**

  • GCSE grade C/4 in Maths

  • GCSE grade C/4 in English and a Science (or Double Award Science) required for candidates who do not have these subjects at A Level.

BTEC (QCF) National Extended Diploma Level 3

  • Minimum grades MMP (Merit, Merit, Pass) in any subject*

  • GCSE English, Maths and a Science at grade C/4. *Recommended subjects: Health and Social Care, Applied Science, Sports Science, Health Science

BTEC (QCF) National Diploma

  • Minimum grades DM (Distinction, Merit) in any subject*

  • GCSE English, Maths and a Science at grade C/4

  • *Recommended subjects: Health and Social Care, Applied Science, Sports Science, Health Science

Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded in 2017)

  • H3, H3, H3 at Higher Level preferably to include English or Literary subject* and a Science subject**
  • For those who do not have English, Maths and a Science subject at Higher level, grade O3 at Ordinary Level will be required.

HNC

  • Pass in any subject with grade C in the graded unit for Year 1 entry. For the subjects below, the National 5 requirements differ. For all other HNC's, National 5 grade C in Maths, English and a Science is also required.
  • Care and Administrative Practice/Healthcare Practice (No additional National 5 grades required)
  • Social Care, Social Services, Social Sciences, Childhood Practice, Early Education and Childcare (National 5 grade C in Maths and a Science also required)
  • Applied Science (National 5 grade C in Maths and English also required)

QQI Level 5 Pre-Nursing Studies

  • Minimum of 6 Distinctions must be achieved overall. Distinctions must also be achieved in the Communication Unit and the Anatomy and Physiology Unit.
  • O3 in Ordinary Level Maths in the Irish Leaving Certificate or Maths passed as part of QQI Level 5 also required.

T level

  • Pass in any subject with grade C or above in the Core component.
  • GCSE English, Maths and a Science subject also required at grade C/4.

Access Courses

Please note the following points about local Access to Nursing courses offered by Further Education Colleges for those interested in Nursing and Midwifery courses at Edinburgh Napier University

Edinburgh Napier University has Partnership Agreements with 4 local Further Education Colleges – Borders, Edinburgh, Fife and West Lothian Colleges for entry to Adult, Learning Disability, Child and Mental Health Nursing.

Well over 100 students study each year, on appropriate preparation to nursing and midwifery courses, at our Partner Colleges.

All students attending SWAP Access to Nursing courses are required to pass the internally assessed graded units with overall profile grades BBC for entry onto the Adult, Learning Disability, Child and Mental Health Nursing programmes. 

Students from the Rest of the UK

Pass Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 credits overall with a minimum of 18 credits at Pass and 27 credits at Merit.

English, Maths and a Science subject must be achieved at Level 2/3 within the diploma. 

Previous Nursing Students

Please note that students who have already studied a Nursing degree are unlikely to receive funding for a second Nursing degree.

Mature students

Adequate and appropriate previous (and recent) study is essential. Please contact ugadmissions@napier.ac.uk if you are unsure whether or not you would be eligible to apply. Relevant work experience will be considered alongside recent study. It may be necessary for those with limited qualifications to undertake an Access course or other appropriate courses/studies in a Further Education setting.

Subjects required

*Literary subjects include: English/English Literature, History, Modern Studies, Religious Moral & Philosophical Studies/Christian Theology, Psychology, Geography, Sociology, Health and Social Care, Law

**Science Subjects include: Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, PE (only accepted as a Science subject if studied at Higher level)

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test. The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS 7.0 (with no less than 7.0 in each component, excluding Writing which requires 6.5).

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English. Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2024/25 2025/26
Scotland £1,820 £1,820
England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £9,250 £9,250
Overseas and EU £16,680 £17,520
Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland will be invoiced the tuition fees for 3 years of their 4 years of study.
Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
If additional compulsory costs other than the tuition fees are applicable, these will be detailed in the course details.


*Students should apply to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for funding.

**Following the decision of the UK Government to remove the health bursary in England and move to a loans based support package for nursing, midwifery and AHP students from academic year 2017/18, the Scottish Government has confirmed that students commencing study on Nursing and Midwifery undergraduate programmes in September 2017 will be able to apply for tuition fee and living cost support from their home funding body.

Nursing students will also be eligible to apply for the University’s own generous package of financial support for students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Further guidance can be found here

Careers

Nursing students grouped around a 'patient' mannequin

What can you do with a Nursing Degree?

With a nursing degree from Edinburgh Napier University, you will be able to apply the knowledge and clinical skills you have gained on the course such as decision making, problem solving and teamworking to become a leader in healthcare practice. On completion of this course that you will be able to work in a range of health care settings, but it is likely you will work in the NHS, Private Sector or in the community. This course will enable you to apply what you have learned within a fast-paced, clinical environment. You will become an expert communicator, with high professional standards with the capabilities to provide medical care in areas such as phlebotomy, medicine management and diagnosis of certain medical conditions. If you are someone who is caring and interested in helping people improve their health and quality of life, then this may be the course for you.

What does a Nurse do?

As a nurse in adult health, you will be a primary care provider for patients in supporting them in improving their quality of life or overcoming illness or injury. You will be expected to work both autonomously and as part of a team. As a registered nurse, you may work within the NHS, private sector or social care settings.

Roles and responsibilities may include:

  • Assessing a patients' health or medical condition.
  • Administer medicines, provide wound care, and help those with mobility issues maintain dignity.
  • Explain health conditions or a diagnosis to your patients.
  • Provide life-saving medical support, such as CPR or assistance during surgery.
  • Provide the best supportive care for palliative and end of life care patients.
  • Take part in research projects and present your findings to health directors, government or nursing students.
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