Advanced Practice - District Nursing

Year 1

As part of their study within year one students will engage in learning around the principles and Advanced Concepts for Leading in Community Nursing and Clinical Assessment and Examination for Advancing Practice. Students may undertake a 10-week Practice Learning Experience which will support them to demonstrate their learning and achievement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Specialist Practice Qualification proficiencies or theory on Pathophysiology for Advancing Practice.

Year 2

In year two, students explore Research and Evidence for Advancing Healthcare Practice theories and key principles. They will also undertake learning to achieve the Prescribing for Healthcare Practitioners qualification. In addition, a 10-week Practice Learning Experience will support students to demonstrate their learning and achievement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Specialist Practice Qualification proficiencies. This Practice Learning Experience will support consolidation of the learning from the course.

Year 3

Students will complete an Advancing Practice Dissertation Project. This opportunity will enable them to undertake a study of an area of practice using a robust and systematic process which will inform future practice or further study.

PgDip/MSc Advanced Practice Programme

The PgDip/MSc Advanced Practice course will equip you with contemporary knowledge to take forward the rapidly changing healthcare agenda and make a positive difference. 

The programme includes four different specialism routes which prepare you for a range of people and situations to deliver safe, effective and person-centred care at a higher level of practice. You will explore professional and clinical implications of working as an autonomous practitioner and develop the leadership skills to advance and lead innovative healthcare services. The four routes are:

• Community Children's Nursing
• District Nursing
• Health Visiting
• School Nursing

Applicants to all routes should be sponsored/supported by an NHS Board or appropriate employer to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirements for practice assessment.

Find out more:

Graduate Stories

Learning Methods

This is an online course taught within our virtual environment, Moodle, supported with both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities.

Students will be directed to learning resources – reading, videos, online lectures, and tutorials to access at a time most convenient to them, which also support accessible learning. Students will be supported with an academic assessor throughout as per Nursing and Midwifery Council regulations.

When on Practice Learning Experience, students will be supported by Practice Supervisor, Practice Assessor and Academic Assessor as they complete a Practice Assessment Document.

Students need to have a reliable broadband connection and further develop their digital literacy to be able to participate in online learning.

How long is an Advanced Practice - District Nursing course?

The District Nursing course can be successfully completed in 36 months studying online part time.

Activity Summary

• Lectures - 20 students per group, 4 hours per week
• Seminars - 20 students per group, 2 hours per week
• Webinar - 20 students per group, 2 hours per week
• Tutorials - 20 students per group, 2 hours per week
• Project Supervision - 20 students per group, 1 hour per week
• Independent study - 12 hours per week
• Placement/work based learning - 36 hours week for 10 weeks in year 1 and/or year 2

Independent Study

Each module will provide students with learning materials that will support their development and enhance their understanding of the contemporary healthcare needs of the diverse populations that they provide care for in the community.

Assessment  

Typically students are assessed via:

Year 1

• 1 written exam, typically for 2 hours and 30 minutes
• 1 written assignment, including essay
• Practice learning experience assessment documentation to demonstrate proficiency in accordance with the NMC
• Virtual OSCE (vOSCE)
• Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

Year 2

• 2 written exams, one taking 30 minutes, one taking 2 hours
• 2 written assignments, including essay
• Practice learning experience assessment documentation to demonstrate proficiency in accordance with the NMC

Year 3

• 1 dissertation of 7,000 words

Feedback

We aim to provide you with feedback within 20 working days of hand-in for all written exams, coursework and practical exams.

Staff Delivering on this Course

Staff on this course will be experienced community nurses, many of whom are advanced practitioners that also hold the Specialist Practice Qualification in District Nursing themselves. Staff will support students in both an academic and pastoral element as personal tutors and as the academic assessor role.

Placements

Students will undertake practice learning experiences as part of this course.  

Practice Learning Experience (PLE) requirements: 

• District Nursing - one or two 10 week (360 hours WTE) PLEs

If you select to undertake a course which includes the Prescribing for Healthcare Practitioners module you will require supervision by a Prescribing Practice Assessor and supervisor during a 90-hour practice learning experience. 

Job Prospects

The programme prepares students to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) requirements of being annotated as a Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ) District Nurse.

This programme will prepare you for an advanced role in a range of healthcare settings. You will develop the decision-making, research and leadership skills required to deal with complex situations. The programme is designed to allow you to continue and develop your knowledge and skills within your own areas of practice, enabling you to accelerate your career progression.

Entry Requirements

What is needed to study PgDip/MSc Advanced Practice - District Nursing?

The minimum entry requirement for this programme will normally be an honours degree or its equivalent.

In addition, because of the practice-based nature of the programme, all students must be working in clinical practice or sponsored by a Health Board/appropriate employer and have access to a practice assessor/practice supervisor.  

Additional Requirements

To enter this route, the student must be an NMC registered nurse (level 1) with relevant professional registration capable of safe and effective practice at the level of proficiency appropriate to the NMC-approved Community Nursing Specialist Practice Qualification (SPQ). Acceptance is based on having acceptable references from two sources and a satisfactory Protection of Vulnerable Groups. When an organisation sponsors a student, this will be considered as the equivalent of one reference. All students will require the guarantee of being able to obtain the relevant practice experience in district nursing with the relevant support of a Practice Supervisor(s) and a Practice Assessor (NMC 2018). A self-declaration of good health and character will be undertaken as part of the admission process and will be repeated on practice learning experiences. Students who are undertaking a prescribing qualification must have been registered with the NMC and working as a nurse prior to admission to this programme. Any self-funded applicant will be given the advice to contact a relevant practice learning partner to seek practice learning experience and contract. Applicants will be supported to meet the conditions required for undertaking practice learning experiences.

English Language Requirements

All routes must meet the NMC English standard requirement

We accept a variety of in-country and secure English language tests, find out more:

Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk for further information.

Academic Year 2026/2027

UK Students

Part Time

• £3,010 for year 1
• £2,920 for year 2
• £2,920 for year 3

This course is not open to EU or international Students.

Academic Year 2025/2026

UK Students

Part Time

• £3,210 for Stage 1
• £3,210 for Stage 2
• £2,130 for Stage 3

This course is not open to EU or international Students.

Additional Costs

• £59 for Protecting Vulnerable Group (PVG) check