Overview

Mental health nursing asks for empathy, clinical skill and the steadiness to support people through some of the hardest periods of their lives. The BSc (Hons) Mental Health Nursing course at Birmingham City University prepares students to meet both the mental and physical health needs of a diverse population. It is designed to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses, and successful completion makes graduates eligible to apply for NMC registration. Campus-based learning and practice learning are evenly balanced, and professional practice modules run alongside the theory modules throughout, so students apply what they learn straight away. Teaching draws on lectures, seminars, group work, practical skills sessions and simulation, and students regularly work with practice partners and people who use services. Placements take place in hospital, community, primary care, social care and home settings, and the university's links with large NHS mental health providers, including Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust and Forward Thinking Birmingham, widen the experiences available. Students also train in simulated hospital environments with life support facilities, and the curriculum is shaped with students, people with lived experience and clinical partners. The course suits caring, resilient students who want to specialise in mental health, and graduates leave prepared to work with children and young people, adults, older people, forensic services or perinatal care.

What You'll Learn

Nursing identity, academic skills and professional growth

Applied anatomy and physiology for nursing assessment

Principles of mental health nursing

Health promotion and reducing health inequalities

Acute and crisis care in mental health nursing

Assessment and care for people with long-term conditions

Nursing leadership and advocacy

Research and quality improvement in nursing

Mental health nursing care for people with complex needs

Professional practice learning in a variety of care settings

Optional module in the final stage of study

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will understand mental health and wellbeing at several levels, from the physical foundations of anatomy and physiology to the experiences of individuals, families and communities across the lifespan. They will be able to assess, plan and deliver compassionate care for people experiencing mental health difficulties, respond effectively in acute and crisis situations, and support people living with long-term conditions while attending to their physical health needs. Placements and simulation-based sessions build hands-on clinical skills and the confidence to apply theory in real situations. Students learn to promote health and challenge inequalities, to lead and advocate on behalf of the people they care for, and to use research and quality improvement approaches to evaluate and develop practice. They also strengthen their digital, academic and professional skills for lifelong learning. This equips them for NMC registration and for careers across hospital, community and home-based services, with room to specialise in areas such as child and adolescent, older adult, forensic or perinatal mental health.