BSc (Honours) Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work
Three years full-time
UCAS code • B761
This course is subject to reapproval
Location • Collegiate Campus
Subject area • Nursing and midwifery
Related subjects • Social work
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View profiles of students on this course
View a 360 degree tour of our mock hospital ward.
View a video explaining more about the benefits of this course and studying nursing with us.
Our health and social care courses place a strong emphasis on interprofessional learning. This means that you train alongside practitioners from other health professions. Find out more.
At a glance
If you want a career making a difference in the lives of individuals with learning disabilities this joint award course is the right choice for you. Gain the professional experience that you need by spending 50% of your time in practice placements in a wide variety of settings. This is complemented by studying in specialist facilities which include the £13 million Robert Winston Building.
Key points
• Gain the specialist knowledge and skills needed to register as a social worker and a nurse.
• Develop real skills and experience with 52 weeks spent in a range of health and social care settings.
• Study in the £13 million Robert Winston building.
• Learn from lecturers who have worked as social workers, nurses or other associated professions.
What is applied nursing (learning disability) and generic social work?
This is a joint award qualification which means that at the end of three years study you will have successfully completed an honors degree. You will also be eligible to apply to register with the Health and Care Professionals Council as a social worker and the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a registered nurse.
This course
People with learning disabilities often have a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. Learning disability nurses and social workers work in partnership with them and family carers, to provide specialist health and social care. The aim is to support the well-being and social inclusion of people with a learning disability. Having a joint award qualification gives you the skills and knowledge to facilitate this.
You develop the skills and expertise to support people with learning difficulties from a joint health and social care perspective. This combination fits well with the government’s modernising agenda to integrate health and social care and make sure professionals and agencies work together, and can provide a boost for gaining employment in this sector.
Your studies centre around our £13 million purpose-built Robert Winston Building on Collegiate Campus which has clinical suites and other specialist equipment to allow you to develop the skills that you use whilst out on practice.
Your enthusiasm and passion for working with those with learning difficulties is essential, as contact with service users will begin right from the interview stage and continue throughout the course.
You go on nursing and social work practice placements over three years in a range of environments such as advocacy organisations, local authorities, nursing homes, community teams, secure environments and assessment and treatment centres. These culminate with a 20 week integrated placement in your third year where you take on your own case load of patients or service users. During your placement you have a professional nursing mentor or social work practice assessor to help guide you and support you. You build up practice learning portfolios containing evidence of your personal and professional development.
Each year you study two interprofessional modules. These are modules which are designed to offer you the opportunity to experience learning alongside a range of other healthcare professionals in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. This shared learning experience allows you to develop team working and understand the contribution of other professionals.
You attend seminars and workshops where you take part in group work and independent study. You are assessed though practical and written exams, essays, presentations, seminars and dissertations.
As well as gaining this qualification you also complete a level 2 award in health awareness, which provides you with a certificate from the Royal Society of Public Health.
Key areas of study
The course is a mix of health and social care modules based around the central learning disabilities theme. Topics include • assessment, planning evaluation and review • managing risk • preparing for learning disabilities practice • understanding health and social care • policy and law • meeting complex care needs • anti-oppressive practice • working with vulnerable and marginalised groups • professional ethics.
Student conferences
Students are encouraged to attend and participate in local and national conferences related to learning disability and social work.
We hold an annual student and service user conference which allows students and service users to share some of the developments that they have been involved in whilst out on practice.
The course has a 'Partners in Learning' group made up of service users who have a learning disability who contribute to the development and delivery of the course.
Find out more about BSc (Honours) Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
If you are studying a course funded by the Department of Health (nursing, midwifery or the allied health professions) you will not normally pay any fees yourself, as they will be paid for you by the Department of Health.
You may be eligible for an NHS bursary but you will not be eligible for the bursaries and scholarships described in the Sheffield Hallam University Bursary Scheme. For more information on NHS bursaries visit www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Students/4002.aspx
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
• essays • examinations • practice learning portfolio • poster presentations • report writing • assessment of practice on placement
This course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Graduates are eligible to apply to register with them. You must be registered with the NMC in order to practise as a nurse in the UK and with the HCPC to practise as a social worker in England.
Key Information Set 
Sarah Burns
BA Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work, 2010 graduate
'I chose to study at Sheffield Hallam as I felt that after meeting the course team at an open day, I would be well supported during my degree. Also the social opportunities offered by the University's various clubs and societies appealed to me, and Sheffield has a fantastic nightlife.
'I decided to study for the dual qualification as I felt the philosophy of health and social care affecting one another was very true in my past experience of learning disabilities. I thought that by enabling myself to be fully aware of the role of both health and social care services, I would when qualified be able to provide the most person-centred service for those I supported.
'The best part of the course is the variety of placements I've been able to experience throughout my learning experience. Getting to know the service users and finding out what really matters to them has been fantastic, especially when the simplest things seem to make the biggest difference to an individual's life. Placements are an important part of the course, each experience has enabled me to develop my skills as a practitioner and put all the theory into practice.
'The teaching at Sheffield Hallam is brilliant, the course team are always so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The health and wellbeing buildings are really well equipped with plenty of computer stations to work from, and the WI-FI access means that private study can be done anywhere.
'My advice to future students would be take advantage of everything that's on offer at university and throw yourself into it. There are so many opportunities to try new things.
'The best thing about Sheffield is definitely the nightlife, whether you want bars, clubs, pubs or a nice meal out, Sheffield's got it all.'
Charlotte Nutting
BA (Honours) Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work
'I was working in marketing when I decided to do the Applied Nursing course, I had done quite a lot of work with people with learning disabilities on a voluntary basis. I felt that I was ready for a career change as the work I was doing didn't satisfy me. By chance I met a lecturer in nursing from Sheffield Hallam University one day, we got talking and she told me about the course which sounded like a good match to the work I was doing on a voluntary basis. As there was funding available I decided to apply and got a place. On reflection, I feel it was the right decision at the right time for me.
'I did five placements in total, two in the first year, two in the second year, and one in my final year. The placements were in the following areas • family placement • residential care home • fostering and adoption service • assessment and treatment unit • joint learning disability team. The placements were crucial and provided a hand's on learning experience working with people with learning difficulties, families, carers and a range of professionals in the field.
'I work as a learning disability practitioner in a joint post (health and social care) for a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities. I support adults and older people that have a range of needs including profound and multiple learning difficulties. I enjoy what I do because I feel I am making a small difference every day, I get total job satisfaction. I also feel that there is room in this profession for career progression.
'For me, one of the best things about the course was the relationship I formed with the course lecturers, in particular with my tutor. Academic staff always had time to give support and offer advice. The small class size also made learning enjoyable and the practical placements provided the opportunity to network with a wide range of health andsocial care professionals. I also had the opportunity to get involved with extra projects which included research and running workshops at conferences which lead me to get papers published.
'The ethos of the learning disability and generic social work course is to support people holistically, that is considering peoples 'physical health needs as well as their mental health needs and their social needs.'
Lee Marshall
BA (Hons) Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work
'I chose the course because it really stood out from other Universities offering traditional nursing and social work training. The course enhances the traditional learning disability nursing qualification by giving the student practitioner a holistic view of health and social care from many aspects of practice, leading to a dual qualification as both registered practitioner in nursing and social work. It is a reality that people with learning disability are more likely to come in to contact with people from ‘services’ so helping to streamline this and make it more personable for example, one person for both assessments/interventions certainly seemed the right choice in course for me.
'I had a great time during the course, learning from professionals with a wide knowledge base who have enthusiasm and passion in what they teach. Because the course is so specialised and smaller than regular cohorts you have a good rapport with your course colleagues in University and out. Sheffield Hallam’s Collegiate Crescent Campus is a modern and purpose built, with sophisticated equipment, that is used to complement lectures and seminars. The campus is conveniently near a thriving area of pubs, restaurants and bars that are perfect for socialising and getting the full university experience.
'Placements were really valuable to my learning, I was lucky to have some great experiences, the placements were built around me as an individual and took in to account my past experience and aspirations of future practice. They were in,
• advocacy
• NHS nursing (residential services)
• homeless refuge
• community nursing services and integrated nursing and social work team
'These placements complemented my past learning and were very different to each of my colleagues on the course who had placements in prisons, supported living services and secure forensic services amongst others. Students are able to make pathway placements to help them meet personal learning targets along with academic targets, the course expects some amount of autonomy that you make your own learning pathways which supports what you will be doing once qualified.
'Before the course I didn’t consider myself an academic and thought University was something that other people did. However, from day one support was made available to help me to settle in to the academic side of the course. Students are allocated a personal tutor who is available throughout the three years and is certainly a valuable source of support for both academia advice, but also any concerns you need to discuss around placements and your learning. I was encouraged to apply and interview for jobs prior to completing the course and was able to secure two positions in the field of practice, I even turned a third offer down. I was extremely pleased when I received my first class honours, which has meant I was accepted on a part time medical science masters at a leading research based university.'
Profiles
Sarah Burns
BA Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work, 2010 graduate
Charlotte Nutting
BA (Honours) Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work
Lee Marshall
BA (Hons) Applied Nursing (Learning Disability) and Generic Social Work
Mock hospital ward
The mock hospital ward at our Collegiate Campus gives students a hands on experience as it would be in a real hospital.
Course benefits (1:28)
View a video explaining more about the benefits of this course and studying nursing with us.
Together in the real world of health and social care
Our health and social care courses place a strong emphasis on interprofessional learning. This means that you train alongside practitioners from other health professions. So, depending on your course you could spend time working alongside
• nurses
• midwives
• operating department practitioners
This gives you a fresh perspective on situations. And it also prepares you for the real world. Collaboration between health professionals is increasing as organisations try to provide a more integrated and effective service. At Sheffield Hallam we understand that by working together we can we give the best possible care.
