PgDip Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing)
Course Overview
If you want to make a difference in community healthcare, apply for the University of Bolton's Postgraduate Diploma in Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing). Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and developed in line with the NMC's Standards of Specialist Education, this course aims to equip you with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to develop and influence community healthcare practice.You'll work collaboratively with students on other specialist pathways to complete the programme's core content, including modules covering public health, leadership, evidence-based practice, and the underpinning principles of specialist practice. You'll also select option modules from the University of Bolton's continuing professional development (CPD) provision.
Course content is designed to be relevant to your current and future roles. You'll have the opportunity to explore policy and legal frameworks, learn more about collaborative and proactive working, and use self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems. We'll expect you to apply your knowledge in practice through clinical, educational and public health interventions that demonstrate the relevant skills and sensitivity.
Highlights
- This course has been developed to respond to policy developments and the demands of the changing healthcare climate.
- Our teaching staff have many years of experience in the NHS and a variety of settings.
- You'll have access to our 24/7 virtual learning environment, WiFi across campus and both group and one-to-one support.
- You'll have the opportunity to study in our innovative health teaching and research facility, Bolton One.
- When you successfully complete this course, you'll be awarded a PgDip in Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing).
Key Features
- This course is completed on a combined theory and practice basis, so your time will be divided between the University and self-directed learning (40%) and the practice setting (60%).
- You'll have the opportunity to work with colleagues from a range of specialist backgrounds for a multidisciplinary approach to learning.
- The course curriculum is developed around the Standards for Specialist Education and Practice set out by the NMC.
Entry Requirements
- This programme is open to qualified nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as first-level nurses who have an active entry at the time of application. Applications can be made through various methods, including NHS recruitment sites, NHS organisation websites, other partner organisations, and independent enquiry. Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.
- You're required to hold a degree qualification or evidence equivalent experience and have the ability to work at postgraduate academic level HE7.
- Experience in this specialist field is beneficial, although not essential.
- You'll be asked to attend an interview if your application is successfully short-listed. The interview process will involve an individual interview with a university member of staff, a representative from the partner organisation and a service user. You'll also be assessed on your values, behaviours, communication and problem-solving skills, and undertake a presentation or written assessment.
- You'll be required to produce satisfactory professional and academic references, pass occupational health screening and a DBS.
- RP(E)L for exemptions from modules in this course. Any applications for accreditation of prior learning will be considered before admission, on an individual basis, by the RPL panel. Claims need to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes in theory and practice as defined within the specific module specification.
- This course involves regulated activity so you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service. (Normally your sponsoring organisation will organise this.) Please note that your DBS must have been completed within three years of the course start date.
- If English isn't your first language, you must meet the NMC's English language requirements. Currently, the NMC will accept an IELTS Academic examination certificate with an overall score of at least 7.0 and at least 6.5 in the writing section and at least 7.0 in the reading, listening and speaking sections. Alternatively, the NMC will accept an OET examination certificate with at least a grade C+ in the writing section and at least a grade B in the reading, listening and speaking sections. For more information, please visit the NMC's Accepted English language tests web page.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
This PgDip supports you in developing critical reflection skills and learning to adopt a rigorous approach to planning and evaluation of care and care programmes. After completing this course and registering as a District Nurse with the NMC, you'll be able to employ a range of clinical, educational and public health interventions in a skilled and sensitive manner. You'll be able to undertake care and programme management, provide leadership in a variety of settings, and identify factors that promote or inhibit effective collaborative working.
Throughout your studies, we'll support you in developing the values required in modern healthcare, such as compassion, advocacy, good communication and teamwork skills, and respect for patients' privacy, dignity and individuality.
What can I do with this qualification?
Opportunities arising from this qualification include professional posts in community health care settings, advancing practice and supporting the management of out-of-hospital care.
With this postgraduate qualification, you can pursue several career paths, such as leading a team and progressing to specialise in your chosen field as an advancing practitioner. Alternatively, you may decide to go into management or clinical academic research.
After completing the postgraduate diploma, you can choose to undertake a top-up qualification at additional cost. You can apply for an MSc (top-up) in specialist practice and complete a dissertation to achieve a full master's qualification.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification to enter a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possible careers include:
- Teaching and education
- Public health
- Health care management
- Armed forces
- Clinical research
- Health promotion
- Occupational health
- Overseas aid and development
- Prisons
- Holiday companies
- Charity sector
- Medical communications
- Medical writing
- Counselling
- Mental health
Professional Recognition
The University of Bolton’s PgDip Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing) course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Upon successfully completing the PgDip, your name will be recorded on the NMC's professional register as a Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing).
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.
International Applicants
Please contact the programme leader for details of the application procedure. You can find their name, email address and phone number in the Programme Contacts section of this page.
Teaching & Assessment
To achieve this postgraduate diploma, you must complete 120 credits at level HE7. You’ll be required to complete the four core modules listed below, which make up 80 credits towards the postgraduate diploma award. You must also select a further 40 credits from our approved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) range. If you have completed relevant modules prior to attending the programme, these may be considered for RPL purposes on an individual basis.
Teaching staff on the PgDip Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (District Nursing) course use blended approaches to learning that combine direct and online techniques. These combined methods aim to extend your previous professional practice education so that you can develop, contribute to and improve the quality of community health nursing.
To reflect the NMC's Standards for Specialist Education and Practice, this course splits theory (40%) and practice learning (60%). Lectures will introduce relevant theory, and your understanding will be developed and extended through seminar discussions, presentations, simulations delivered by tutors, group workshops and tutorials. In the practice setting, an appropriately qualified and experienced practitioner (Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor) will develop a programme of learning and experience for you. They will also be responsible for monitoring and assessing your competence.
As well as attending face-to-face sessions, you'll need to use our virtual learning environment, Moodle, to access learning resources like podcasts and video presentations. Additionally, to succeed in this course, you'll also need to engage in self-directed study regularly, for instance, by preparing for seminars and reading around your subject.
Assessment takes various forms, including essays, reports, portfolios, critical reflection, presentations and exams, including objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE). We use different assessment strategies depending on the module's intended learning outcomes.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Professional Practice and Compassionate Leadership in District Nursing
- Synthesising The Evidence-Base For Innovative Specialist Practice
- Sustainable Population Health Across The Life Span
- Clinical Skills for Community and General Practice Nursing Specific (Adult)
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 71% Practical exams 29% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 17% Placement/study abroad 60% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 23% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
