Nursing and midwifery at Birmingham City University
At Birmingham City University (BCU), our mission is simple – we aim to be the University for Birmingham and to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential.
With over 30,000 students from around 100 countries, BCU is a large and diverse place to study. With a focus on practice-based learning, many of our 2,300-strong team of academic staff are practising professionals and experts in their area.
Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.
About nursing and midwifery
BCU plays a major part in ‘powering the front line’ of our essential health and social care services within our city, throughout the region and across the country. We are the largest trainer of undergraduate nurses in the UK (based on number of students enrolled; HESA Student Record 2021-22). Our innovative and inspiring courses equip our students with the required academic and clinical skills to qualify as nurses and midwives, and we are proud of our outstanding record for graduate employability.
We provide a dynamic and forward-thinking learning environment, supported by more than 100 academic staff who are qualified nurses and midwives and experts in their fields. It is a vital part of our ethos that our academic staff also understand the real-world application of their subject and what students will need to fully understand and embrace it.
Facilities
Our innovative facilities simulate the real situations that midwifery and nursing professionals may come across.
Recent developments in our facilities include a resuscitation room, a digitally-enabled home environment space, digital anatomy tables and a telehealth suite. Our specialist midwifery facilities include high and low-dependency areas; a dedicated birthing pool for simulated activities, equipped with mood lighting; equipment for monitoring both birthing person and baby; and a state of the art “Victoria” manikin for the students to use to emulate clinical scenarios.
We want to give our students opportunities to practise delivering care and advice in a range of situations, and prepare them for a future in the increasingly digital healthcare sector. As well as the telehealth suite, our facilities will also offer 5G connectivity, reflecting the increasing use of virtual reality, simulation and other methods of remote communication technologies in healthcare treatment and teaching.
Our courses
Our courses cater for all levels of the nursing and midwifery professions – from pre-registration courses that enable students to qualify in a range of healthcare roles to post-registration professional development and additional professional qualifications.
Pre-registration training
The health education landscape has expanded to offer a wide range of routes into nursing and midwifery, and we offer students a diverse range of courses to gain the skills and knowledge they need to register as a nursing or midwifery professional, from our FdSc Nursing Associate to postgraduate MSc courses which prepare students to register as nurses and midwives.
Whichever route into nursing and midwifery our students choose, our courses blend theory with practice to help them become confident and competent nurses and midwives of the future.
We are passionate about developing the best graduates who support patients and their families during the most challenging times of their lives and are committed to innovative learning and teaching strategies, which include flexible online and blended learning and simulation using new technologies.
Post-registration training
We are proud to contribute to the development of the NHS workforce through our post-registration training, supporting nurses and midwives with their continuing professional development.
Our wide range of post-registration courses include NMC-accredited specialist nursing qualifications, advanced practitioner training and specialism-specific courses to improve knowledge and skills in a particular discipline.
We offer a range of credit and non-credit bearing short courses that are ideal for nurses and midwives who wish to update their skills and knowledge, have an interest in a particular subject, or would like to gain another skill.
All our post-registration courses are designed to aid students’ career progression within a friendly, supportive environment. Our courses vary in length and are flexible in delivery, allowing health professionals to fit their development around their paid role and personal commitments.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are another important aspect of our support of NHS workforce development.
Our higher and degree apprenticeships allow apprentices to achieve a higher education qualification while working full-time and gaining experience in the workplace, and our NHS and sector partners to develop a workforce with in-depth on-the-job experience.
Our apprenticeships range from Assistant Practitioner (FdSc) to Advanced Practitioner (MSc), so cater for people with a wide variety of experience.
We work closely with local NHS trusts and healthcare providers to ensure our courses reflect current practice.
We also have an important role in advocating for the contribution of apprentices to the health service. We regularly organise conferences and consultation events to bring together key partners across the sector to discuss the impact of new roles such as nursing associate and maternity support worker, and how we can work together across the sector to improve healthcare training and education.
