School of Nursing and Midwifery

BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care

The increasing pressure to provide urgent and emergency care services requires appropriately qualified clinicians to deliver the right care, in the right place at the right time. Our BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care programme has been developed for NMC/HCPC registered healthcare professionals who work in urgent and emergency care in a range of settings to enable them to meet this demand.

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Delivered by professional experts, our programmes are tailored to you and your career. Together, we address today's most challenging healthcare issues, through research-informed teaching and active, real-world learning.

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Key features

  • Advance your practice in urgent and emergency care, with a programme designed around the person who requires the health intervention and not the place where this is delivered.
  • Focus on the provision of urgent and emergency care across the lifespan, from the young child to the older adult, in both urban and rural locations.
  • A programme that is of value to clinicians practising in a range of locations to include emergency departments, community settings, minor injury units, general practice and acute and specialist services.
  • Develop specialist and transferable competences within an e-portfolio.
  • Learn with and from other healthcare professionals and medical students.
  • Modular design that can be studied full time or part time with the option to complete the award within five years.
  • Opportunity to AP(E)L to a maximum of 60 credits (must be subject related).

Course details

  • Programme overview

  • This programme comprises of three 20 credit core modules and 60 credits in optional modules.

    It may be possible to accredit any previous formal certificated learning and informal non-certificated learning, including e-learning as part of the degree pathway by Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning. Please see the AP(E)L section of our website for further details.

    Please note that if you apply to AP(E)L up to the maximum of 60 credits you will need to achieve the three core modules to be eligible for the award of BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care.

    Core modules

    • HEAD360P Understanding Evidence to Inform Clinical Decision Making

      The module is designed to extend students' knowledge around evidence-informed decision making. This will be achieved through students identifying and evaluating a body of research-based evidence relevant to clinical practice.

    • UEC607 Urgent, Emergency and Critical Care: Leadership and Innovation

      This module will enhance the students' confidence and competence to lead and manage quality improvement and innovation in urgent, emergency and critical care.

    • UEC608 Evidencing Professional Development in Urgent, Emergency and Critical Care via (e)-Portfolio

      This module will enable the student to develop their professional practice in the provision of urgent, emergency and critical care. Evidence supporting the students' development will be collated in an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio).

    Optional modules

    • UEC603 Mental Health Assessment in Urgent, Emergency and Acute Care

      This module aims to increase knowledge and skills of practitioners working in urgent, emergency and acute care settings and who work with individuals experiencing mental health problems. It explores the principles and process of mental health assessment and the practice of determining appropriate intervention alongside prioritisation of client need based on the current guidance.

    • UEC604 The Child or Young Person Requiring Urgent or Emergency Care

      This module will facilitate the development of practitioners¿ knowledge and skills in the recognition and immediate management of children/young people requiring urgent or emergency care for illness/injury in a range of settings by increasing their ability to apply current research/evidence to practice and deliver holistic care to sick children and their families.

    • UEC605 Developing Expertise in Clinical Practice

      This module is designed to enable healthcare professionals to critically examine and develop in an area of professional clinical practice, in a range of settings. Taught workshops will guide the student, building on their pre-existing body of knowledge to further develop their skills in health assessment, clinical examination and clinical reasoning

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BSc Hons Urgent and Emergency Care Programme Specification 6277

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for the programme you must be:

  • on a professional register (i.e. NMC, HCPC) and:
  • working in practice in an area that reflects the continuum of provision for critical care to achieve the programme learning outcomes and:
  • in possession of previous study at level 5 (Diploma of Higher Education) or a foundation degree.
You will be considered and advised individually (where required) by the programme team and Professional Development Unit. Please contact the Professional Development Unit or programme lead if you have any queries regarding your situation.

Fees, costs and funding

The fee for this programme is dependant on the modules undertaken. Examples of relevant modules can be found below.

How to apply

When to apply

Applications for this programme can usually be made throughout the year. Please check the closing date and apply as early as possible as our programmes are popular.

Apply for this programme

To apply for this programme please contact the Professional Development Unit:

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, 
PL4 8AA

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Tel: +44 1752 586951

What happens after I apply?

You will normally receive a decision on your application within four weeks of us receiving your application. You may be asked to provide additional information, to take part in an interview (which in the case if you are an overseas student may be by telephone or video conference) or you will be sent a decision by letter or email.

If you have a disability and would like further information about the support provided by the University of Plymouth, please visit our Disability Service website.

Support is also available from our International Office if you are an overseas student applying to the University.

Find out more about the modules that make up this course:

Core modules

HEAD360 - Understanding evidence to inform clinical decision making

UEC607 - Urgent, emergency and critical care: leadership and innovation

UEC608 - Evidencing professional development in urgent, emergency and critical care via (e)-portfolio  

Optional modules

UEC603 - Mental health assessment in urgent, emergency and acute care

UEC604 - The child or young person requiring urgent or emergency care 

UEC605 - Developing expertise in clinical practice

Or

Any other module, Partnership module, Mentorship or learning achieved with another HEI in the relevant subject of Urgent and Emergency Care – if you are unsure on whether a module you have passed is relevant, please contact the Programme Lead.

This programme also has an optional module at masters level 'APP738 – Management of children/young people requiring urgent or emergency care’, which offers professional development for graduates working and looking to enhance their clinical and professional practice in this area.

"The BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care programme really helped to boost my understanding of current issues within the emergency care specialty. It has made me a more confident and enthusiastic practitioner and I would recommend the course to anyone who wants to gain a deeper insight into this field. There were some truly inspiring sessions in the course. Since undertaking this course, I have worked with other members of staff to improve the care of patients with Sepsis presenting to our ED. The teaching methods are varied and great. It even got me on Twitter- which I thought would never happen!"

Jason Crabtree, registered nurse in the Emergency Department, Treliske Hospital, Truro

BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care (Intercalated)

We offer medical students the chance to intercalate this degree with their medical studies
Find out how

@UrgEmergUK

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If you have previously obtained a health related honours degree at 2:2 or above, you are eligible to access the programme via the Graduate Certificate/Diploma route:

Graduate Certificate: Urgent and Emergency Care (60 credits at degree level)

Graduate Diploma: Urgent and Emergency Care (120 credits at degree level)

Students seeking to achieve either qualification will be required to achieve the two 20 credit core modules, UEC607 and UEC608.

Applications will be considered individually by the programme team and the PDU.

Opportunities for postgraduate study in nursing

Be at the forefront of changes to the traditional ways of working and become a Clinical Practitioner (CP) with our MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Clinical Practitioner).

You’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills to assess, diagnose, treat and manage patients who present with undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions, across all sectors of healthcare.

Certain clinicians can also exit as a non-medical prescriber, i.e. nurses, pharmacists and optometrists can become independent and/or supplementary prescribers, whilst radiographers, physiotherapists and podiatrists can become supplementary prescribers.

Alumnus loyalty reward for postgraduate study

From September 2018, the University applies a discretionary alumnus reward where alumni meet certain criteria on particular postgraduate taught courses.

  • a 20 per cent discount on home/EU tuition fees
  • or a £2,000 discount on international tuition fees.

PGCE programmes, Master of Architecture, MChem, MEng, MGeol, MPsych, MSci, ResM and postgraduate research degrees are not included in this reward. Please note that students must have applied directly to be eligible. 

For further details, and contact information, please see our alumnus discount policy.