Specialist Community Public Health Nursing* (Occupational Health Nursing) PGDip

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*Subject to NMC approval

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Course Summary

This innovative Post Graduate Diploma is delivered live online (Distance Learning), providing practical support to qualified nurses to deliver advanced practice in a community setting, and undertaking quality improvement or service evaluations. On completion of this course, you will have met the NMC requirements of a SCPHN Occupational Health Nurse and will feel confident in your ability to manage complex cases, deliver advanced practice interventions, deliver quality improvement and evaluate changes made. 

Our course is designed to support ‘live’ improvement projects and service evaluations. It appreciates the dynamic and complex environment of contemporary service provision and includes real case studies and presentations from experienced people with a track record of delivery in quality improvement and service evaluation.

The underpinning philosophy is engagement—‘all share, all learn’—and therefore, the course provides opportunities for students to learn, support, and challenge each other in their improvement efforts.

The course is 40% theory and 60% practice and this is integrated across the duration of the course. You will undertake the theoretical component in the University, and undertake the practice component in a community setting under the supervision of a qualified Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor from the defined area of practice.

What You'll Study

MODULES

  • Contemporary Public Health and Wellbeing across the lifespan (20 Credits)
  • Innovative Leadership and Service Improvement in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (20 credits)
  • Advancing SCPHN Practice – Occupational Health Nursing (20 Credits)
  • Autonomous SCPH Practice – Occupational Health Nursing (20 Credits)
  • Advanced Therapeutic Practices and Risk Management in SCPHN Occupational Health (20 credits)
  • Advancing Community Practice through Research, Audit and Quality Improvement (20 credits)

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How You'll Learn

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This course offers a variety of teaching methods

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There are a range of assessment methods on the course

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This course is designed around online learning

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Learn from experiences of staff delivering the course

The programme will be delivered live online (Distance Learning), making it accessible to individuals across England and Wales, who may otherwise struggle to access the opportunity to further their careers in Occupational Health Nursing.

You will meet with staff, online, one day/week during the taught element of the programme and use the advantages of technology to create a learning community, whereby you can learn from each other and the different practices and contexts of Occupational Health Nursing, as well as the theoretical understanding and experiences of the staff delivering the programme. 

Teaching approaches will include exploration of case studies, development of understanding and support for studying at Level 7.  The assessments draw on a range of methods, which reflect the application of theory into practice.

Entry Requirements

Registered Nurse or Midwife with the NMC and a degree or recent completion of a level 7 module.

Where You'll Study Wheeler, Chester

City centre location

Located within the lively city centre of Chester and overlooking the River Dee, Wheeler is home to most courses within Nursing and Midwifery, Health and Social Care, and Law.

Health and Social Care simulation suite

Our simulation suite emulates diverse healthcare spaces, ranging from a patient’s home and community clinic settings to acute care settings, including a Triage Assessment Area, Maternity Delivery Suite, Children’s Ward, and a General Ward.

Students working in the Nursing simulation suite

On-site library

Our on-site library houses extensive book collections, journals, and school-based resources, as well as computer suites and multimedia rooms that are ideal for Law students to access the Oxford University Press Law Trove, which houses all of their core texts online.

Social spaces

Wheeler’s café and coffee shop serves hot and cold drinks, snacks, and delicious meals. Meanwhile, the student common room provides a social, group work, and discussion space for students.

Fees and Funding

£3,585per year (2025/26)

Fees for this part-time Postgraduate Diploma in 2025/26 are £3,585 per year.

Guides to the fees for students who wish to commence postgraduate courses are available to view on our Postgraduate Taught Programmes Fees page. Here you will also find information about part-time fees and project/placement year fees.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees. 

Your Future Career

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs .

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