Reasons to study Integrated Master's in Nursing at the University of Chester

Nursing is a job where you are constantly learning, changing and adapting and, for me, to be able to give optimal care to people you need to be prepared for whatever situation you are met with – which is why I chose to do the Integrated Master's in Nursing.

Integrated Master's in Nursing at the University of Chester

The Integrated Master's course at Chester allows you to complete three years in a primary field of nursing and then a fourth year in a new field of nursing; at the end you will be dual qualified in both fields of nursing which, for me, was a massive reason why I decided to do this course. I chose to do the Children's and Mental Health Nursing pathway – so I focused on children's nursing for the first three years with a cohort of general children's nurses and am currently doing mental health, meaning that I do my studies alongside third-year student mental health nurses but with separate lectures for the Level 7 part of the course.

Pursuing your passions in Nursing

Nursing is always changing and with a massive push for mental health professionals, it was a no-brainer for me to merge the two fields I was passionate about; being qualified in two fields not only allows you to learn skills from two different perspectives but also makes you more employable, as there is a new wave of holistic, person-centred approaches when treating someone – and having another field of experience allows you to treat that individual with a range of techniques that other nurses may not have access to. 

Delving deeper – from undergraduate to Master's level

Going on to the fourth year has also allowed me to delve deeper into the parts of nursing that I am passionate about as the assignments are heavily based on the research we choose which we look at, at a Master's level. During this, you are supported through your study and lecturers are always there to give you advice.  What is interesting about the degree as it is still classed as an undergraduate degree as it completed pre-registration to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), so funding is still the same as the previous three years and you don't have to apply for another student loan – which is another reason why I, personally, liked the idea of doing an Integrated Master's. 

Opting to study a fourth year

If you did choose to study a three-year Nursing course there can sometimes be opportunities available to study a fourth year, by changing onto the dual-field Integrated Master's course. This decision would normally be decided during your third year of study in consultation with your tutors and depending on whether there are spaces available. I have known lots of students who want to opt for this qualification once completing their third year, as they feel that there is just so much more they want to learn and be ready for!

Want to find out more?

Visit our webpages to find out more about our Integrated Master's in Nursing (MNurs), or come and have a look around our facilities and chat to staff at our next Open Day.