Nursing

Dual-field nursing degrees that span adult health and child health are designed for students who want to qualify with the scope to work across two of nursing's most important and demanding areas. Adult nursing covers the care of people from late adolescence through old age, managing the full spectrum of acute, chronic, and complex conditions that present across hospital and community settings. Child health nursing, sometimes called paediatric nursing, requires an additional set of skills: communicating with and caring for young patients at different developmental stages, working closely with families, and navigating the specific physiological and psychological characteristics that distinguish children's healthcare from adult practice.

At the University of Plymouth, this four-year, full-time degree prepares you for dual registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as both an adult nurse and a children's nurse. You will cover the professional standards of the nursing profession, the use of evidence in practice, clinical assessment, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, and the ethical and legal frameworks within which nurses work. Practical clinical placements are central to the programme throughout, placing you in a range of settings where you will develop hands-on competence with different patient groups under the supervision of experienced practitioners.

Plymouth's connections with NHS Trusts in the South West provide a varied and well-supported placement environment.

The dual qualification takes four years partly because of the breadth of clinical experience you need to accumulate in two distinct fields. The additional year is an investment that significantly widens the range of roles available to you as a qualified nurse and makes you more adaptable in a health service where flexibility and cross-boundary working are increasingly valued.

Graduates with dual adult and child health registration are in strong demand across the NHS and independent sector. Career pathways include specialist paediatric nursing, adult acute and community nursing, school nursing, safeguarding, and management. Many nurses go on to postgraduate study or advanced practice routes.