About Learning Disabilities Nursing Bsc (hons) in Coventry University

This professional course aims to enable you to make real changes to the lives of people with learning disabilities, one of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups in society.

It is designed to equip you with the hands-on clinical and care skills to prepare you to practise autonomously and compassionately, providing person-centred care and building therapeutic relationships to support people with a learning disability across all ages, regardless of personal characteristics or aspects of their lifestyle and circumstances, together with their families, carers, and friends.

Ranked 4th in the UK for Nursing in the Guardian University Guide 2020.

Why Coventry University?

An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.

Course information

In modern health and social care settings nursing students are increasingly required to work towards becoming autonomous practitioners, taking a leadership role in decisions regarding patient care within multi-professional settings. They routinely have the most frequent and intense contact with patients and must be competent in recognising changes in patient condition so that appropriate action can be taken.

This curriculum has been developed as a spiral curriculum with assessment at its core. Placing equal value on practice and theory, undertaking 800 hours of both per year, you will have the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, psychology, sociology and research methods. This course will give you the opportunity to become immersed in learning about the needs of populations, individuals, related health and nursing services with an emphasis on using research to enhance and improve services.

You will have the opportunity to learn the value of people with learning disabilities as equal citizens and people who have a real contribution to make to your development as a caring professional nurse in this unique field of practice. You will have the opportunity to study and develop specialist skills in communication, comprehensive health assessment, equality and issues related to professional practice. This includes complex health needs, profound and multiple needs, care packages and therapeutic approaches to service users with learning disability, their families and carers.

The collaborative curriculum, which you’ll study alongside students from other health-related courses, has been developed in response to the need to produce professionals who are effective communicators, caring and compassionate, with good relationship building skills. It recognises the importance of inter-professional working within the health and social care workforce and comprises five core modules in the areas of: the foundations of communication and professionalism; the social determinants of health and wellbeing; evidence informed practice and decision making; working together to lead service improvement; and enhancing practice through evaluation and research.

Your degree culminates with a literature review related to one aspect of nursing practice, equivalent to the standard dissertation, for which you will write a 5,000-word report. Past students have covered topics as diverse as effects of antipsychotic medication, uptake of annual health checks, treatment of people with LD in acute hospital settings, experiences of parents with LD and experiences of offenders with LD, for example.

Career prospects

There are over 3,500 learning disabilities nurses within the NHS and demand for these specialist nurses is high.

You will have opportunities to support people of all ages with learning disabilities in a range of settings, including: hospital wards such as epilepsy and palliative care; mental health trusts; adult education; residential and community centres; patients' homes; workplaces; and schools. This can lead to specialist areas such as education, sensory disability or service management or move into areas such as management, teaching or clinical research.

During your three years on the programme you will have the opportunity to undertake at least six placements  in a range of service settings, working with and alongside qualified learning disability nurses, and therefore potential local and regional employers. On graduating successfully from this course, you can apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which enables you to practise immediately.

As well as helping you to find suitable work placements and give you advice on how to get the most out of them, the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences’ Employability and Placements Unit will support you when you are ready to begin your professional career.

Where our graduates work

The majority of our graduates find employment as qualified nurses in the NHS with a growing emphasis on community settings, in acute hospitals, military nursing or within the private and independent healthcare sector, in private hospitals, nursing or care homes. As your career progresses, a number of options are open to you as a lecturer or specialist practitioner, advanced nurse practitioner, consultant nurse or manager.

Recent graduates have gone on to roles such as working in forensic services, generic and specialised children’s services, end of life care (adults and children), neurology services, dementia services, prison and court diversion, police diversion, schools, research and many more.

Portfolio

Additional information: Caring experience, either paid or voluntary is essential. 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. Satisfactory health clearance and criminal records disclosure required. Skills in digital and technological literacy are considered vital and there is opportunity to develop these throughout the course.

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.

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