Overview

Caring for children and young people calls for a distinct set of skills, blending clinical expertise with the ability to communicate across a wide range of ages, needs and family circumstances. The BSc (Hons) Child Nursing course at the University of Dundee prepares students to work in partnership with children, young people and their families, many of whom present with varied and complex communication and care needs. Throughout the course, students are supported by the clinical and academic team to develop, implement and evaluate plans of care, working across different healthcare settings and health boards to gain experience with a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. Time is split evenly between campus study and clinical placements, which take place across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley and NHS Highland in settings including children's wards, neonatal intensive care units and specialist community teams. Teaching combines interactive scenario-based learning, lectures and tutorials with practical workshops in the university's Clinical Skills Centre, which includes a simulated hospital ward and life-cast manikins for realistic, supported practice. Students also complete an honours project on a subject of their choosing, and the course was ranked first in Scotland for overall student satisfaction in children's nursing in the National Student Survey 2025. This course suits those drawn to working closely with children, young people and families across diverse healthcare environments, and on successful completion graduates gain both an academic and professional qualification, leading to registration as a children's nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

What You'll Learn

Effective communication with children and young people with varied and complex care needs

Development, implementation and evaluation of individual care plans

Working across multiple health boards and healthcare settings, including children's wards, neonatal intensive care units and specialist community teams

Practical clinical skills built through simulation, life-cast manikins and acted-patient scenarios

Interactive scenario-based learning combined with lectures and tutorials

Collaborative practice within the wider multi/interprofessional healthcare team

An independent honours project on a topic of the student's choice

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be equipped to work as skilled, compassionate children's nurses capable of supporting children, young people and families across a broad range of healthcare settings. They will be able to communicate effectively with patients presenting varied and complex needs, and to develop, implement and evaluate individualised plans of care in collaboration with the wider clinical team. Extensive placement experience across NHS Tayside, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley and NHS Highland, alongside training in the Clinical Skills Centre using simulated wards and life-cast manikins, will have built genuine hands-on competence in diverse geographical and organisational contexts. Students will also be able to apply critical thinking to real-world clinical situations affecting children's physical and mental wellbeing, while the independent honours project offers the chance to specialise in an area of particular interest. Together, these outcomes prepare graduates both academically and professionally for registration as a children's nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.