Course description

Our MSci Nursing with Leadership (with Foundation Year) is designed to provide a pathway through to our highly-rated, accredited Nursing degrees - and a rewarding professional career.

With a solid foundation in Biology, this course will provide you with the fundamental knowledge of healthcare provision, healthcare professional roles and clinical skills to enable you to be successful on the first years of your chosen Nursing with Leadership degree and beyond.

• Nursing with Leadership Single Field (Adult Nursing)
• Nursing with Leadership Dual Field (Mental Health and Adult Nursing)
• Nursing with Leadership Dual Field (Mental Health and Child Nursing)

Three quarters of the Foundation Year is common to a range of future healthcare professions, so it provides an ideal opportunity to learn about other roles and enables you to make informed decisions about your future career options. The course’s multi-professional nature breaks down interprofessional barriers and encourages an ethos of interprofessional collaboration when in practice.

Within the module specific to Nursing, you will be introduced to the profession’s broad scope of practice, professional values and how it contributes to the delivery of high-quality patient-centred care.

Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will move onto one of our Nursing with Leadership degrees. Led by the School of Healthcare, these unique programmes draw on the experience and expertise of more than 40 years of health education at the University of Leicester, partnerships with regional NHS trusts, as well as the expertise of our School of Business.

The four leadership modules, which are an integrated component of the programme, will enable you to develop your own leadership knowledge and skills. As part of the leadership modules, you will develop a leadership portfolio that will be part of your long-term career map - underpinning your accelerated career trajectory. You will prepare for professional practice, focussing on the knowledge and skills required for lifelong learning and professional practice, including specific interview preparation, presentation skills and numeric skills.

While at Leicester, you will study and work alongside other healthcare students in our superb facilities, which include a state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Unit with high-tech simulated mannequins to enable you to practise procedures in a safe environment. You'll even have lectures in Leicester Medical School's anatomy dissection room.

However, practical real-world experience is a vital part of training. You will spend at least 50% of your time on nursing placements, working alongside experienced nurses and the multidisciplinary team. Through these clinical placements, you will develop skills that enable you to act compassionately and professionally in a wide variety of clinical situations.

As part of the Professional Development Elective Module, you’ll also have the unique opportunity to undertake a four-week elective placement abroad, with funding available through the Turing Scheme. This invaluable experience enhances your global healthcare understanding while reinforcing the leadership skills gained through the programme. Student Learning Contract As part of the offer for a place on this course all students are required to agree to abide by the conditions of a Student Learning Contract which you will be asked to sign during the induction week at the beginning of the course. This learning contract will apply to the entire duration of the course and the signed copy will be stored as a PDF on your University electronic record.

Student Learning Contract

As part of the offer for a place on this course all students are required to agree to abide by the conditions of a Student Learning Contract which you will be asked to sign during the induction week at the beginning of the course. This learning contract will apply to the entire duration of the course and the signed copy will be stored as a PDF on your University electronic record.

Entry requirements

Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

• Goal 1: No poverty
• Goal 2: Zero hunger
• Goal 3: Health and well-being
• Goal 4: Quality education
• Goal 5: Gender equality
• Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
• Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
• Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
• Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Goal 10: Reduced inequalities
• Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
• Goal 13: Climate action
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals

Find out more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Placement

As a Nursing student at Leicester, 50% of your time is spent on placement. Your placements take place in hospitals across Leicester and Leicestershire (University Hospitals of Leicester), and further afield, such as Northampton, Kettering and Coventry. We are always exploring new placement opportunities for our students. 

During your placement

Your placement will adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines, the recognised independent regulator for nurses and midwives across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Whilst on placement, you will apply your theoretical knowledge to a real-life healthcare setting with exposure to clinical practice. You will gain a variety of personal, clinical, and professional disciplines whilst being supervised by Nursing experts. Key areas of medical focus will include cannulation, venepuncture, and catheterisation, which form the foundations of Nursing. Working with patients in this environment will provide you with an understanding of patient empathy, confidentiality, and imperative interpersonal skills to equip you for the Nursing profession.

You must be fully vaccinated, as per Department of Health guidelines, before you commence placement.

Support

You will receive continuous support during your placement from a clinical educator and visiting tutor. As with all our Allied Health Subjects, you will have access to support from the wider clinical and academic teams and support from your personal tutor throughout your course. You will also access support via the School of Healthcare placements Blackboard site, which has information about placement providers, transport whilst on placement, the placement handbook, and other useful resources to support you throughout the process.

Additional financial support whilst on placement

For placements outside Leicester, UK students are entitled to reimbursement from the NHS Learning Support Fund for some of the additional costs of attending, including travel expenses and accommodation. Please note this is not available for international students.

Placement areas

Students currently complete placements in the following areas; however, we are consistently expanding and exploring new placement opportunities, so this may change*:

• University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
• North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
• Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
• Kettering General Hospital
• LOROS Hospice Care
• Rainbows Children’s Hospice
• South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Various International opportunities for elective placements
• Nursing and residential homes in and around Leicester and Leicestershire.

*placements are allocated by the School of Nursing and are dependent on availability. For further information, please email [email protected].

Ria is in the second year of her MSci in Adult and Mental Health Nursing

Why did you choose to study Nursing at Leicester?
"I transferred from psychology - and I couldn’t be happier! I wanted to enter a profession that had a lot of patient involvement, and somewhere I could progress in my career."

What has been the highlight of your Leicester experience so far?
"The clinical skills I have learnt at uni and out on placement. A few years ago, I would have never thought I would be able to take bloods or conduct a bladder scan! The highlight of my experience also involves the countless opportunities I am presented with such as being a social media ambassador for nursing, opportunities to study abroad, helping out with open days, etc."

How would you describe the community and student life at Leicester?
"Student life in Leicester is amazing. I’m not really into nights out (there is plenty of that though), but my society involvement keeps me so busy and that’s how I like it! There is a society for absolutely everyone to get involved in, you name it! Religious societies, dance societies, sports societies, board games etc! The student community is overall very supportive."

What’s one thing you wish you had known before starting your course?
"One thing I wish I had known before I started the course is how much time we are actually out on placement! We split our time 50/50. Whilst this is an incredible learning experience, sometimes you aren’t able to see your friends as much as others who do different courses simply because of our placement hours. So I would definitely recommend you schedule in catch up/coffee dates with your friends, well in advance!"

What are you most looking forward to as you continue your studies at Leicester?
"I look forward to gaining more clinical skills, working with the department and lecturers, supporting students, meeting new people - and just enjoying the nursing experience!"

Integrated AI

At Leicester, you will study with full access to Microsoft 365 Copilot through our collaboration with global tech leader, Microsoft. As one of the first Microsoft Frontier Universities in the UK, we are helping to shape how AI is used in higher education and the workplace. 

You will build practical, transferable skills that employers value. From analysing information and solving problems to communicating ideas and working collaboratively, you will learn to apply your knowledge in a digital world. 

When you graduate, you will leave with more than a degree. You will have the skills and confidence to work with the technologies shaping your future.