(Short Course) Return to Practice (Adult Nursing)
Course details
Year of entry
2025
Duration
6-12 months
Institution Code
G53
Location
Wrexham
Course Highlights
Return
to the full Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register.
Support
academic and clinical practice elements of returning to the nursing workforce.
Apply
for Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning to potentially reduce the minimum clinical practice hours required.†
Why choose this course?
This module enables previously NMC registered nurses to re-examine their role and professional responsibilities as they prepare to return to the full register. The students will explore contemporary themes in modern nursing/healthcare, underpinned by relevant evidence.
Clinical/practical skills will be refreshed in preparation for their renewed role in the clinical workplace. The RTP module offers a flexible and accessible approach to empowering students to renew their confidence in providing patient-centred care in the field of Adult Nursing.
This module also provides RTP students access to a clinical placement to enable them return to the clinical environment in a supportive and supervised manner. Our Practice Partners will arrange the placement and we will involve the student with these arrangements to ensure they have a placement that can be flexible with their personal circumstances. The practice placement is fundamental to developing and achieving all the identified practical nursing and clinical skills necessary to return to the register.
Key course features
- Delivered following our Active Learning Framework (ALF), more of the academic content will be delivered online, creating greater accessibility and flexibility for students. Academic classes will be delivered either live online or pre-recorded.
- Two days of live classes a week from 10am-3pm – offering a more flexible and family-friendly approach. This may also enable students living in more rural areas to study by reducing their travelling requirements of attending campus.
- Clinical placements sourced across North Wales, with many opportunities to complete the clinical elements nearer home.
- Tuition fees and bursary to cover some living costs available for most students (domiciled in Wales)
- Nurses working on the NMC Temporary Register during Covid-19 may use robust evidence of their hours to apply for RPEL – Recognition for Prior Experiential Learning. This may reduce the minimum number of hours required to complete the programme, facilitating a faster return to the full NMC register.
- Return to the full NMC register is subject to successfully passing all elements of the programme, after which students will be able to apply for Registered Nurse (Adult) posts available across (North) Wales.
† Nurses working on the Temporary NMC Register during the Covid-19 pandemic or other suitable applicants.
What you will study
The Return to Practice (RTP) nursing programme is formed of a single 40 credit Level 6 module with multiple core components:
- Academic – Exploring the evidence-base that underpins current adult nursing practice. This will refresh students who have been away from the clinical environment and encourage you to consider the complexities of modern health and social care. Supervised learning and practice workshops will be included.
- Simulation – 5 days of simulated clinical practice on campus to examine complex care in a number of adult-based nursing fields (medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, community and a focus on sepsis).
- Clinical – All students must practice under supervision and complete the minimum 450 hours in an authorised placement area. Placements are available across North Wales and enable students to potentially work somewhere near their home (encouraging potential employment prospects that are suitable). Students who have previously worked on the NMC Temporary Covid-19 register may be able to apply for RPEL (see above) and offset some of the minimum hours to reduce the time to complete the programme.
The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.
Entry requirements & applying
All applicants are subject to a robust entry criteria including:
- Must have held previous Registered Nurse (Adult only) status with the NMC – with no current bar to practice
- Applicants with previous NMC Fitness to Practice conditions of practice may be considered on a case-by case-basis.
- All applicants will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and self-declare good health and character at the start and end of the course.
- All applicants will be subject to a robust interview process; members of academic staff, staff from our Practice Partners, members of Outside In (a group of individuals who use health and social care services who support the development of our programmes)
- All successful applicants must undergo satisfactory health screening/clearance for placement provided by the Occupational Health Provider (OHP) contracted to Wrexham University, prior to commencing their clinical practice.
- The programme of study is currently not available to international students.
- If students have not completed recent academic work at Level 6 (final year undergraduate/degree level) it may be beneficial to consider applying for the following:
- Confident Learner – EDS405 (Level 4 module) available free online at Wrexham University and/or Preparing for Academic Success –NUR617 (Level 6 module) which may offer greater academic confidence before returning to complete the RTP programme.
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching and learning will be conducted through a variety of methods:
- Online/face-to face teaching – 45 hours (mostly conducted online from 10am-3pm)
- Online flexible learning for the students to complete over the continued period of the module – 140 hours
- Supervised practice workshops – 25 hours
- Clinical practice hours – 450 hours (minimum – subject to RPEL)
- Simulation hours – 35 hours (contributing towards clinical practice hours)
All students will have a nominated Programme Leader/personal tutor to support them, and a Practice Assessor in the clinical workplace.
All elements of the programme must be successfully completed for the student to return to the NMC full register and pass the programme:
- Assessment One: Students will develop a portfolio of 3 pieces of ‘revalidation’ reflection (mirroring the NMC (2019) Revalidation portfolio ), linked to the module.
- Assessment Two: The student will sit an online examination (Safe Medicate) to demonstrate their ability to carry out drug calculations that will be recorded as a pass/fail (100% pass mark set for RTP students).
- Assessment Three: Clinical practice is assessed using the All Wales Practice Assessment Document (PAD) for Return to Practice. All identified practice outcomes and clinical skills must be assessed and passed by the nominated Practice Assessor.
Career prospects
Students who successfully complete the RTP programme are able to apply for many Registered Nurse (Adult) posts available across Wales. Previous students have progressed to posts within both primary and secondary health settings, as well as continue their academic studies in specialist areas of practice available through our postgraduate programme of courses. Employability opportunities for Registered Nurses are varied and our local Practice Partner (BCUHB) welcomes applications from our successful students.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees and a bursary are provided by the Welsh Government to cover some living costs available for most students (domiciled in Wales).
For students residing in other parts of the UK, our standard undergraduate fees apply.
