University of Plymouth
UCAS Code: Not applicable | Foundation Degree in Science - FdSc
Entry requirements
Access to HE Diploma
Access to HE: Pass a science or health related access with 15 level 3 credits at Merit and 30 at Pass
UCAS Tariff
About this course
This popular University of Plymouth Pre-registration FdSc Nursing Associate apprenticeship is approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) and leads to eligibility for entry to the NMC professional register upon successful completion of the programme.
The programme is delivered as an apprenticeship and also meets the requirements of the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education for the Nursing Associate (NMC, 2018) Standard (2019).
Our programme gives both new and existing healthcare staff the opportunity to study for a fully-funded FdSc, and obtain a professional qualification and registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (provided all requirements are met).
The programme also helps employers with workforce planning to meet current and future healthcare needs. Through the Nursing Associate higher apprenticeship, new and existing staff substantially increase their clinical knowledge, skills and professional attributes by meeting the NMC (2018) Standards of proficiency for nursing associates and practising within The Code (NMC, 2018). Through their increased capability and capacity, they positively contribute to nursing teams and patient care.
Delivered by experienced Registered Nurses, the flexible, work-based programme provides apprentices with the clinical knowledge and skills to support the provision of safe, quality care across a range of healthcare settings.
Apprentices will become an important part of the nursing family, supporting registered nurses and helping to make a difference to individuals, their families and communities.
Taught over two-years (2,300 hours), with attendance at university one day a week. Apprentices gain experience in a variety of placements, including hospital, community, at home and others. Apprentices must also gain some experience across the four branches of nursing, including child health, mental health, learning disability and adult nursing.
This apprenticeship is delivered at the following University of Plymouth campuses:
Plymouth Campus
Truro Campus - Knowledge Spa
Exeter Campus
Once qualified, Nursing Associates may work across a wide range of healthcare settings and clinical areas, including acute or community hospitals, community nursing teams and GP Practices.
Extra funding
All apprentices must be employed 30 hours or more in a job role suitable for the apprenticeship standard. There is government funding for employers to support apprenticeships, you should discuss opportunities with your employer.
To view available apprenticeship roles you can visit www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship.
The Uni
Exeter
Truro, Cornwall
Plymouth Site
School of Nursing and Midwifery
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Adult nursing
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Adult nursing
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Adult nursing
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£29k
£31k
£32k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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