Nursing Associate Foundation Degree

Undergraduate
HNC/HND courses

Nursing staff providing updates to a patient who is lying on a bed

The Nursing Associate role gives you the chance to make a real difference to the quality of life and care of people in a wide range of healthcare settings.

Year of entry

2024-25 2025-26 2026-27

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)
Coventry University (Vauxhall, London)
CU Scarborough (Scarborough)
Wiltshire College & University Centre (Salisbury)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

2 years full-time

Course code

B700

Start date

May 2025

How to apply

Book an Open Day

Download a prospectus

Course overview

Fully accredited¹ by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) providing eligibility for registration as a Nursing Associate on successful completion of the course (registration is subject to meeting good health and character requirements and payment of a registration fee).

Well-established clinical placements^2,5, teaching and research links with local collaborating NHS trusts and other healthcare providers, such as private hospitals, hospices and community settings.
Study locations in Coventry, London, Scarborough and Salisbury.
Course start dates:
September 2024 entry – all locations
January 2025 entry – all locations
May 2025 entry – Coventry University (Vauxhall, London) and Wiltshire College & University Centre (Salisbury) only

Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2025

Why you should study this course

Development of the health and social care workforce is pivotal to building the capacity and capability needed to deliver compassionate, high-quality evidence-based care to a diverse and ageing population. This course gives you the opportunity to develop a range of practical skills and the underpinning knowledge to allow you to make a real difference to quality of life and care of people of all ages and in a wide range of healthcare settings.

The Nursing Associate foundation degree is designed to meet the educational requirements necessary for the nursing associate role, enabling successful graduates to register as a Nursing Associate with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (further details about the registration fee, eligibility and process are available on the NMC website), and work supporting registered nurses delivering hands-on care in a wide variety of clinical settings.

It also offers a pathway to other nursing roles, including that of a graduate nurse through progression onto a pre-registration programme. After successfully completing this course it may be possible to transfer on to the second year of a BSc Nursing degree, but this would depend on NMC requirements and standards and your chosen field of nursing, therefore this cannot be guaranteed.

Equal time and weighting is given to the practical and theoretical components of the course. The course is taught by experienced nurses and healthcare professionals who will support you in your journey to becoming an NMC-registered Nursing Associate.

We have well established clinical placements, teaching and research links with local collaborating NHS trusts and other healthcare providers, such as private hospitals, hospices and community settings, and are commended by the NMC for our collaboration.

Placements² will take place with one of our collaborator settings, which will normally be in the same region as your chosen campus, however, to ensure you have a breadth of placement experiences, and to ensure that all required NMC experiences are covered, you may be required to travel to attend placements. We aim for placements to be allocated within 45 minutes drive of the Trust and do our best to minimise travel time for our students. For Coventry students this should take place within the Coventry and Warwickshire area. For Scarborough students this will be in the area of North Yorkshire and East Riding. London based students will have placements within the wider London area. Salisbury based students will be based in the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. Please be aware that due to potential restrictions and capacity, placement locations may change. In your placements you will be supernumerary (not counted in the staff numbers) and will have an allocated Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor to facilitate and assess your learning in practice.

In response to a high demand for the nursing associate role, we offer a route on to this course at our Coventry, Scarborough and London campuses, as well as from Wiltshire College and University Centre in Salisbury. The course was developed in collaboration with health and social care employers in Coventry and Warwickshire, Scarborough, Salisbury and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. Our practice learning collaborators provide clinical learning placements for students and input to the ongoing development and evaluation of the course.

The programme was shortlisted for a Student Nursing Times and Apprenticeship award in 2019 and over 10% of students who completed the first programme secured places on the prestigious Florence Nightingale Leadership course. This course is a direct entry (i.e. not part of an apprenticeship) version of the nursing associate foundation degree apprenticeship course.

3rd

for Student Satisfaction in the Midlands in Nursing

The Complete University Guide 2024

Accreditation and professional recognition

This course is accredited¹ and recognised by the following professional bodies:

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

The course is currently accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for the 2024/2025 intake and on successful completion of the course you will be eligible to apply to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council Nursing Associate register. Registration is subject to meeting good health and character requirements and payment of a registration fee. Further details about the registration fee, eligibility and process are available on the NMC website.

Nursing Associates are important members of the nursing team, contributing significantly to patient care. Watch our video to find out more.

What you'll study

This course gives you the opportunity to develop a range of practical skills and the underpinning knowledge to allow you to make a real difference to quality of life and care of people of all ages and in a wide range of health care settings.

On commencing the course, you will study two modules. This will be an introduction to science and a clinical skills module spanning 13 weeks before you start your first 10-week mandatory placement, which is sourced by the university. You will then undertake a module to develop more advanced clinical skills and underpinning knowledge before your second 10-week placement of year one.

Modules

Introduction to Nursing Science - 20 credits

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the scientific foundations of nursing which apply to holistic care across the lifespan. You will develop your knowledge of relevant human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, psychology, sociology and pharmacology and learn to appreciate how this applies to care delivery in a variety of settings. You will also be introduced to the topic of maternal health and care related to childbirth and key concepts that underpin nursing practice.

Compulsory

Foundation Skills for Nursing Care - 20 credits

This module aims to introduce you to the concept of health and wellbeing, enabling an understanding of the bio-psychosocial needs of the patient group across the life span. It introduces a number of models, concepts, frameworks and theories of assessment, and helps you to identify personal attributes and professional skills that facilitate the interpersonal relationships used during the assessment process, enabling you to contribute to the delivery of care.

Compulsory

Foundations in Communication and Professional Practice (Practice Placement 1) - 30 credits

This mandatory 10-week placement module^2,5 which is sourced by the university aims to enable you to demonstrate and promote professional values, attitudes and behaviours in a practice-based learning setting. You will develop your communication and interpersonal skills working within multidisciplinary teams providing safe holistic compassionate patient-centred care.

Compulsory

Applied Nursing Science - 20 credits

This module is designed to develop your ability to apply relevant physiological and psychological knowledge to the assessment and management of care across the lifespan. Successful completion of the module will enable you to provide appropriate physical and mental healthcare as informed by a person-/family-centred assessment of the individuals’ care requirements. Health needs and provision of care will be explored across primary, secondary and third sector care environments and the role of Nursing Associates in assessing physical and mental health risks to promote health and wellbeing will be explored.

Compulsory

Promoting Health and Wellbeing and Preventing Ill Health (Practice Placement 2) - 30 credits

This mandatory practice-based learning module is a 10-week placement module^2,5 sourced by the university, and aims to further develop your knowledge and understanding of the patient journey with emphasis on social, economic, cultural and environmental factors that influence individual and community health and wellbeing. You should develop skills in recognising health inequities locally, nationality and internationally and recognise indicators of unhealthy lifestyle and apply your knowledge of health promotion and wellbeing including 'Making Every Contact Count' (MECC) during care delivery.

Compulsory

In year two, you will learn about the evidence base underpinning nursing care and develop your knowledge of drugs and therapies for all age groups and fields of nursing. This will equip you for your first clinical placement of year two. You will then go on to develop your knowledge of legal and ethical aspects of care and advance your teaching skills prior to your final 10-week clinical placement of year two. As in year one all placements are sourced by the university.

Modules

Therapeutic Approaches in Nursing Care - 20 credits

Evidence-Based Nursing Practice - 10 credits

In this module you will be introduced to evidence-based practice and research in nursing. You will look to develop understanding of your usefulness and importance in contributing to underpinning nursing knowledge and decisions. You should gain a fundamental understanding of various methodological approaches and the research process. The skills of appraising evidence and research will be explored and developed.

Compulsory

Providing and Monitoring Safe Care (Practice Placement 3) - 30 credits

This mandatory practice-based module which is the third 10-week placement on this course and sourced by the university, aims to provide you with opportunities to build on your foundation skills for practice gained in year one. It will enable you to work more independently with increasing competence in the role of a nursing associate student, including the ability to contribute to the evaluation of quality holistic person-centred care.

Compulsory

Supporting Learning and Assessment - 10 credits

Successful completion of this module enables you to demonstrate the skills, attitudes and behaviours that support personal development and lifelong learning. You will examine the principles and evidence that underpin approaches to learning and the contribution of learning theory will be explored to illustrate application in the assessment, planning and delivery of teaching.

Compulsory

Foundations in Legal and Ethical Aspects of Care - 20 credits

This module will introduce you to the underlying principles of healthcare ethics, legislation and social policy. This will include the protection of vulnerable people across the lifespan including those with complex needs. It is designed to equip you with the ability to recognise ethical challenges relating to people's choices and decision-making about their health and wellbeing across care settings. The ability to act within the law to help service users, families and carers to manage needs will be explored.

Compulsory

Effective Teamwork and Transition to Nursing Associate (Practice Placement 4) - 30 credits

The aim of this module is that you will be able to identify the principles of team working. On this course’s final 10-week mandatory placement^2,5 which is sourced by the university, you will be provided with the opportunities to display a range of competencies, attitudes and behaviours required of a Nursing Associate. This module also aims to provide you with additional opportunity to display your ability to work independently with distant supervision, in a safe and increasingly confident manner to deliver quality holistic person-centred care. It should provide you with the opportunity to extend and apply the knowledge and skills you gave gained on the course.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

This course offers a blended mode of delivery combining a wide range of online resources including videos, quizzes, games and workbooks with contact teaching time which includes workshops, seminars and clinical skills teaching in laboratories.

As digital literacy and technology is such an important factor in the delivery of healthcare, you will be supported to develop your digital literacy from the outset of the course.

In a typical 30-hour week, you will have around 15 hours of teaching contact hours which is made up of lectures and tutorials supplemented by online learning. This will lessen as you progress through the course and become better equipped to use the online learning resources. Developing independent learning capabilities and using digital learning resources are essential to equip you for lifelong learning and further study.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions or orders, and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.

Assessment

A wide variety of assessments are used throughout the course with half of the assessments taking place in your clinical placement areas. All of the assessments are designed to integrate theory and practice and to build on previous learning experiences. As you will be working 30 hours each week on your university studies or placement, this has been taken into account during the scheduling of the assessments to ensure a balanced and manageable assessment load both within modules and for the duration of the course.

Assessments include case study-based essays, presentations, reflections, practical clinical examinations, teaching Service Users or peers, and exams such as drug knowledge and calculations. Resources such as interactive workbooks and online quizzes are provided to help you assess your own learning as well as preparing you for assessments. Compassionate and caring attitudes and values are central to the role and will be assessed throughout the course.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

Requirement	What we're looking for
UCAS Tariff	Minimum qualification for 32 tariff points (excludes General Studies) To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.
A level	32 UCAS points
GCSE	GCSE maths and English at grade 4 / C or Functional Skills Level 2, or other equivalent Level 2 awards
BTEC	32 UCAS points
IB Diploma	24 points
Access Diploma	32 UCAS points from an Access to Higher Education Diploma, Access to Nursing or NVQ Level 3

We recognise a breadth of qualifications, speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Additional requirements

Other requirements include commitment to completing a Foundation Degree programme, intermediate IT skills, evidence of time management skills and ability to prioritise. An ability to work within multidisciplinary teams, escalate concerns, and show initiative are essential requirements for the role.

In line with the National Health Service constitution we use a values-based recruitment approach in seeking candidates with the appropriate values to support effective team working in delivering excellent patient care. You will also be required to attend a selection event, which provides detailed information about the course and assesses numeracy, literacy and aptitude as part of the selection process.

Students will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check and health clearance prior to enrolment. Please see disclaimer 5 for full details.

All applications are considered on an individual basis and the whole application is reviewed which includes previous and predicted qualifications, experience, reference and your motivation to study the course.

Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK	£9,250 per year	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Our multi-million-pound Alison Gingell Building features a range of mock healthcare settings, including hospital wards, ambulance, therapy suites and community houses, giving you the opportunity to replicate real-life situations before you go on placement.

You’ll have the opportunity to make use of our extensive simulation facilities – from basic life support manikins to high tech simulation manikins, which emulate patient responses and test resuscitation skills. You will also use healthcare devices found in the real world of practice⁴.

Students and a tutor with a manikin in the hospital ward

Mock hospital wards

Our mock hospital wards and critical care settings give you the chance to experience patient scenarios in a real-world environment.

Community houses

Learn how to work with patients outside of a hospital setting in our simulated, two full-size community homes, specifically built for teaching.

Mock operating theatre

Our Alison Gingell building includes a full-size mock operating theatre, containing scrub sinks and theatre lights.

The facilities available to you during the face-to-face teaching at our London campus in the new Hudson Building include a mock ward, high dependency unit and clinical skills centre with state-of-the-art equipment and simulators.

This range of mock healthcare settings, which also include therapy suites and a community apartment, give you the opportunity to replicate real-life situations before you go on placement.

You’ll make use of our extensive simulation facilities – from basic life support mannequins to high tech simulation dummies, which emulate patient responses and test resuscitation skills. You will also use equipment found in the real world of practice, such as medical devices to assist with all elements of care, particularly medication administrations⁴.

You will use equipment found in the real world of practice, such as medical devices to assist with all elements of care including medication administration, to help build confidence before you go on placement⁴.

Students in the hospotal ward around a mannequin in a hospital bed

Simulation facilities

You’ll be able to make use of our extensive simulation facilities – from basic life support mannequins to high tech simulation dummies, which emulate patient responses and test resuscitation skills.

Mock hospital ward

Gaining experience using simulation across a range of care settings is aimed at building your confidence and knowledge about how to act in these situations. You can practise and develop your clinical and interpersonal skills in a safe but realistic environment.

Nursing studenttaking an actor's blood pressure

Realistic scenarios

We use actors to enhance your experience, giving you the opportunity to replicate real-life situations including breaking bad news, demonstrating emotional resilience, conflict, aggression, teaching and child protection conference.

Set up in the Salisbury College campus of Wiltshire College & University Centre, the campus building features a range of mock healthcare settings, including a Healthcare zone, an ambulance and community housing, providing students with hands-on experience from first response to post-healthcare support⁴.

Healthcare Zone

Using a substantial area of the first floor in Salisbury, the Healthcare Zone uses state-of-the-art technology, coupled with decoration and facilities to mimic Salisbury hospitals to replicate the patient journey, from ambulance to ward, to simulated home environments.

Salisbury campus

The Wiltshire College and University Centre Salisbury campus is located at the outskirts of the picturesque cathedral city of Salisbury. With a range of common areas, including Costa and a cafeteria, plus dedicated higher education spaces, the campus is set up for your success.

Student support

Coupled with the support of Coventry University, students can access a wealth of resources and support to assist them with their studies. From a learning resource centre, with computer access, to wellbeing, counselling and safeguarding teams, you’ll have everything you need to thrive on your new course.

Careers and opportunities

The Nursing Associate foundation degree includes a comprehensive range of modules which were developed in collaboration with health and social care employers. This helps ensure our graduates are equipped for employment in a wide range of health and social care settings both locally and nationally.

Throughout the course you will have opportunities to experience a variety of clinical placements and visits to different care settings which will help you decide where you would like to apply to work on completion of the course².

Where our graduates work

Our graduates are employed in acute care organisations, community care settings and within general practice and social care.

How to apply

View our courses on UCAS

Visit UCAS

UK students

Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS. Part-time students should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

Apply via UCAS

If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

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Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

⁵Placements

Satisfactory health clearance and enhanced criminal record disclosure is also required. As part of the health clearance checks, you will be required to provide information about your immunity and vaccination status. The information you provide will be used to determine your eligibility to go on placement(s). Placements are provided at the placement provider’s discretion. The University is, therefore, unable to guarantee the provision of placements or the location and type of placement offered.

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2023/2024 contract is available on the website for information purposes however the 2024/25 Contract is currently being updated so please revisit this page before submitting your application. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.