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Overview
There is a global need for postgraduate nursing skills, so our online Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing course has been developed to meet that need for life-changing learning and enhanced career development.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing provides you with the opportunity to gain the award in as little as two semesters but with the flexibility to take longer to fit around your life. You can study at your own pace and at a time which suits you, with a dedicated support team and online facilitators to help you every step of the way.
This course attracts a wide group of UK and internationally-based nurses with demanding workplace schedules because it enables working nurses to still benefit from career development.
After completing the Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing, there would be an opportunity to continue your studies to complete the full MSc in Nursing. If you pursued this route (at an additional cost), you could go on and complete the diploma and masters stages to gain an MSc in Nursing.
If you are interested in finding out more information regarding the MSc in Nursing – please visit the relevant page here
The School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health is reputed for delivering high-quality education for health professionals across a wide range of disciplines. Coventry University also recently received a Gold rating for Teaching Excellence. The design, content and delivery of this course is informed by consultations with the nursing community, to ensure the relevance and application of all learning to contemporary settings of nursing practice.
This course is designed for registered/practicing nurses and those who have completed a course leading to registration as a nurse in their home country and are awaiting registration.
Our Learning Platform
We have partnered with FutureLearn, a leading social learning platform, to deliver online degrees to learners across the globe.
From short taster courses to postgraduate diplomas and certificates, and fully online degrees, the platform provides you with a seamless high-quality learning experience, on mobile, desktop and tablet. You can pay for each program in the degree as you go, making it possible to gain a qualification in a flexible and affordable way, to fit in with your lifestyle.
Flexibility
Short 2-week learning blocks combined with a pay-as-you-go payment modelValue
Spread the cost with our flexible pay-as-you-go payment optionsEmployability
Earn a full Coventry University degree upon successful completionCommunity
Truly international in scale, learn with over 8 million other users across the worldRegister your interest
Course information
The Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing will be awarded to students who have passed and achieved 60 credits worth of learning towards this award.
You will have the opportunity to examine contemporary issues in nursing through analysis of political, social and economic influences on health and social care needs and service design.
A rich learning experience is delivered through a diverse range of activities such as reading, listening, watching and discussing, providing a comprehensive online interaction.
The innovative e-learning approach to this course aims to support the development of postgraduate nursing skills in line with the course learning outcomes, which include, but are not limited to self-organised learning environments, peer knowledge transfer and active engagement through co-creation of learning resources and assessments.
You can contribute to discussion forums, gain feedback from their peers and the course team and assessments are designed to integrate with learning to promote development of a comprehensive knowledge base, as well as academic, communication and digital literacy skills.
The course also takes into consideration significant professional and ethical topics as proposed by professional bodies and the World Health Organisation.
Modules
In more detail...
Our School is known for its exciting and innovative learning methods and materials, including the use of social media platforms and video, and providing assessments that are directly related to an individual’s professional context. The course provides outstanding teaching and graduates should gain enhanced career prospects and a positive student experience.
This new online course takes an enquiry-based approach to postgraduate study, posing questions about practice, evidence and policy to engage student participation and promote collaboration and analysis. We have created an environment in which all students can feel part of a community of nursing practice to share knowledge and experience. Research suggests online courses for nurses provide knowledge enhancement, skills development and participant satisfaction.
Nursing is one of Coventry University's strongest subjects, being ranked 4th in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2020.
The course explores contemporary issues affecting nursing nationally and internationally.
Through Masters level skills of critical thinking and comprehensive knowledge, we will examine the impact of political and economic factors, culture and social organisation on the role of the nurse and the priorities of development to meet care needs of individuals and communities.
Students will develop their understanding of the application of evidence to improve services in primary and secondary care.
The course is primarily designed to be studied part-time by students currently in employment.
All content will be delivered through a flexible model whereby students choose the number of modules they will study across a given academic term. The course structure has been informed by extensive market research, which identified that flexibility over the number of modules studied can enhance student satisfaction and retention. Each module runs with 15 credits across an academic term of 13 weeks, requiring an estimated 10 hours per week of study time, with the flexibility for students to study from one to two modules per academic term. This enables the acceleration or deceleration of learning depending on individual needs.
Each 13 week trimester is comprised of a number of 2 week blocks of learning (e.g. 5 x 2 weeks) with the remainder of the trimester used for assessment (e.g. 3 weeks).
Mixed assessment modes offer students a range of opportunities to demonstrate their achievement of learning outcomes.
Assessments take a variety of forms and include annotated bibliographies, a proposal for a research study, an audio commentary and an electronic poster. The assessment strategy is for formative assessment tasks to feed into the summative assessment, which defines the overall achievement and demonstrates the development of master’s level skills and knowledge of nursing practice. Students will receive formative feedback within two weeks of starting any modular element and every 2 weeks during each module.
1. Demonstrate a professional approach to self-development in a broad range of competencies relevant to nursing across national borders and areas of practice including digital literacy, critical decision making, problem-solving, presentation and teamwork.
2. Critically evaluate approaches to, and conduct of research to support practice and development of nursing care.
3. Evaluate critically the application and implementation of the evidence base to a range of national and international areas of nursing practice, and contributions of nursing to public health and community development.
4. Analyse approaches to support leadership, quality and service improvement and project management within policy and professional frameworks of nursing.
5. Evaluate the complex social and political nature of nursing care using an integrated approach and drawing on a range of disciplines.
Entry Requirements
The Postgraduate Certificate in Nursing will be awarded to students who have achieved 60 credits and passed any 4 of the following modules.
| Module Code | Module Name | Credits | Fee per module |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7001CPD | Contemporary Issues in Nursing | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7005CPD | Research Methodology, Design and Methods | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7002CPD | Principles of Physical Health Assessment | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7004CPD | Nursing and Public Health | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7003CPD | Leadership, Service Improvement & Integrated Care | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7000CPD | Contemporary Perspective of Care for Individuals with Long Term Conditions | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7006CPD | Teaching, Learning & Assessment in Nursing | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| 7007CPD | The Evidence Base for Nursing Practice | 15 | £1,225.00 |
| Total: |
Each completed module is worth 15 credits |
60 | £4,900.00 |
Career prospects
The design, content and delivery of this course aims to develop postgraduate skills specifically for the professional nursing community, in order to support future application in your area of practice.
Skills commonly identified by employers as highly desirable are all included, such as research and analytical ability, and the ability to work independently, tackle difficult problems and seek creative solutions. You can also join a community focused on enhancing professional practice and cultural intelligence.
An Employability Support Team is also on hand to develop your employability and to enable employers to match their recruitment needs with the knowledge, skills and experience of students and graduates.
Disclaimer
This course is designed for registered/practicing nurses, as well as those who have completed a course leading to registration as a nurse in their home country and are awaiting registration.
