About This Course
Fact File
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Title
General Nursing
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Code
CK710
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College
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Duration
4 years
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Teaching Mode
Full-time
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Qualifications
BSc (Hons)
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Fees
EU State Student Contribution + Capitation: €3,250 See Fees and Costs for full details.
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Entry Requirements
2 x H5, 4 x O6/H7, Maths, Lab Science. See Requirements for full details.
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CAO Points
2019: 444*
Course Outline
On completion of the BSc (Hons) in General Nursing, you can apply to register as a General Nurse to NMBI, the profession’s regulatory body.
The course will provide you with excellent opportunities to develop knowledge and skills relevant to professional General Nursing practice, including independent and critical thinking, and problem solving. It will enable you to deliver nursing care that is up-to-date and based on the best current evidence.
This four-year full-time degree course is offered in partnership with health service providers (HSPs) from both the public and private healthcare sectors. Each student is linked with one of these HSPs for the duration of the course.
With a BSc (Hons) in General Nursing, you will be ready to start work as a qualified General Nurse in a variety of clinical settings immediately after graduation.
The broad aim of the course is to promote your personal, intellectual and professional development to meet the role dimensions of a qualified practitioner of nursing.
Each year, you will study modules in both theory and clinical practice. Clinical practice modules require you to be in supervised clinical practice in hospital, community and other healthcare settings for 35 hours per week for a number of weeks each year.
Theory modules include both nursing and biological and social science modules, some of which are core (shared with students from other nursing/midwifery branches), while others are discipline-specific (taken by General Nursing students only).
In year 4, you may also take some elective modules.
Year 1 modules
Health, Health Promotion, Disabilities and Inclusion; Academic Writing, Information Technology and Evidence Based Nursing Practice; Social Inclusion; Fundamental Knowledge and Skills for Nursing Practice; Infection Prevention and Control for Nursing and Midwifery Practice; Sociological concepts for Nursing; Therapeutic Interpersonal Skills for Nursing Practice and Psychology for Healthcare; The Profession of Nursing: Professional Practice, Law and Ethics; General Nursing Practice.
Year 2 modules
Pharmacology and Medication Management for Nurses and Midwives; Research for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery Care; General Nursing with Adults and their Families - Focusing on Common, Acute and Chronic Health Care Conditions; Health, Ageing and the Life-Cycle - Perspectives on General Nursing with Older People; Health, Life-Cycle - Perspectives on Maternity Care and Child Health Nursing; General Nursing Practice.
Year 3 modules
Professional Issues, Development of Disciplinary Knowledge, Teaching and Learning; Research for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery Care; Mental Health and its Determinants - Application to the Role of the General Nurse in Promoting Therapeutic Interactions; Health Promotion and Primary Healthcare in a General Health Context; General Nursing with Adults and their Families - focusing on Common, Acute and Chronic conditions; General Nursing with Adults, Children and their Families - focusing on Oncology; General Nursing with Adults, Children and their Families - focusing on End of Life and Palliative care; General Nursing Practice.
Year 4 modules
In Year 4, you will take a number of theory modules at UCC in semester one (before Christmas). In semester two (after Christmas), you will undertake a 36-week paid internship with your parent HSP. Modules include:
Research for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery Care; The Profession and Discipline of Nursing: including Ethics, Legal Issues, Equality and Professional Practice; Professional Development and Nurses as Team Members, Leaders and Managers of the Future; Nursing Management of Challenging Acute Nursing Events; Communication Skills and Personal Well-Being for Nursing Practice; General Nursing Practice; Elective Module.
See the College Calendar for more detailed information on the programme and the Book of Modules for a more detailed description of programme modules.
Course Practicalities
Theory modules
These comprise lectures, seminars, workshops, clinical skills training, experiential learning sessions, field visits, and protected study time. These modules are taken at the university during blocks of study weeks throughout each year of the course.
Clinical practice modules
These require you to be in supervised clinical practice in hospital, community and other healthcare settings for 35 hours per week for a number of weeks each year. In semester two (after Christmas) of Year 4, you will undertake a 36-week paid internship with your parent HSP.
Garda Vetting and Infectious Diseases Policy
Fitness to Practise
This programme will be subject to UCC's Fitness to Practise Policy – full details may be found here.
Assessment
Written exams will take place before Christmas and in May. Not all modules will have formal examinations. Many modules use other types of assessment including essays, projects, seminar presentations, assessment of clinical skills and learning, in-class tests, self- and peer-assessment etc. Students are assessed by expert clinical nurses while on their clinical placements.
Who teaches this course
The majority of lecturers and instructors have a professional background in nursing and/or midwifery. Biological and social science lectures are taught by experts in those areas, some of whom are also qualified nurses/midwives.
Why Choose This Course
The BSC (Hons) General Nursing course at UCC is a highly sought-after course, as evidenced by the consistently high points required for entry to the course.
We can offer you a wide variety of clinical placements across a number of university hospitals and community facilities, representing all of the major medical specialties.
We can also offer opportunities to study abroad and have a large suite of postgraduate courses available to our graduates to facilitate further study needs.
Placement or Study Abroad Information
The School of Nursing and Midwifery at UCC participates in a number of international research and educational programmes which afford you the opportunity to undertake part of your BSc studies abroad. Currently we have links with Finland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Netherlands, France, England, and the U.S. Study abroad opportunities in other countries is also a possibility.
Skills and Careers Information
The course aims to provide you with sound clinical nursing skills (and the supporting knowledge base) necessary for starting your professional career as a General Nurse. These skills will be further developed through clinical experience and further study at postgraduate and in-service levels.
You will also develop skills in independent thinking, problem solving, and analytical and clinical decision-making, as well as fundamental research utilisation and application skills.
On graduation, you may seek employment as a General Nurse. General Nurses work in a wide range of areas including hospitals, community/home nursing, schools and nursing homes.
Traditionally, Irish nurses are highly regarded by other countries, enhancing work opportunities abroad, in particular in the UK, Canada, Australia and the US.
Requirements
Leaving Certificate entry requirements
At Least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish.
The following are considered Lab Science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics with Chemistry and Agricultural Science.
Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
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English |
Irish |
Maths |
Lab Science |
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O6/H7 |
O6/H7 |
O6/H7 |
O6/H7 |
Mature applicants
Applicants should apply directly through the CAO (www.cao.ie) and the closing date for receipt of completed applications is 1st February of the year of proposed entry. Applicants are not required to meet any minimum entry requirements. Mature applicants must also register and apply for the Assessment Test through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) website. This is required as PAS undertakes the written assessment on behalf of the Nursing Careers Centre (NCC).
Non-EU applicants
Please see the International Education Office website.
FETAC applicants
FETAC requirements can be found here.
Garda clearance
All students on this programme will come into contact with the public and assume positions of trust through educational and training opportunities. To ensure the protection of the public, and to justify public trust and confidence, UCC is committed to ensuring that only suitable candidates are allowed to undertake this programme.
Garda vetting is carried out by the Admissions Office in UCC once a student has accepted their place on the programme. It involves a police check to establish whether the individual being vetted has had criminal convictions in the past or whether any criminal proceedings are pending. The Garda Siochána provide this information for students who have resided in Ireland for a period of six months or more (including permanent residence).
All students who have resided outside Ireland for a period of six months or more must furnish a Police Clearance Certificate from their country or countries or residence. This certificate should state that the student has had no convictions recorded against them while residing there.
Fitness to Practise
Commencing with the 2013/2014 intake, this programme will be subject to UCC's Fitness to Practise Policy – full details may be found here.
Non-EU Candidates
Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language.
To verify if you meet the minimum academic and language requirements for this programme please visit our qualification comparison pages.
For more detailed entry requirement information please refer to the International website.
Mature Students Requirements
Please refer to the mature student entry requirements for details.
Fees and Costs
Course fees include a tuition fee, student contribution fee and capitation fee. The state will pay the tuition fees for EU students who are eligible under the Free Fees Scheme. The annual student Contribution and Capitation Fees are payable by the student. In 2019/20 the Student Contribution Fee will be €3,000 and the Capitation Fee will be €250.
Please see Fees Office for more information.
How Do I Apply
EU applicants
Application to Year 1 of the degree programme is made directly through the Central Applications Office (CAO). Applicants should apply online at www.cao.ie. The normal closing date for receipt of completed applications is 1st February of the year of entry.
Non-EU applicants
Please see the International Education Office website.
Non-EU Applications
Applicants who are interested in applying for the programme can apply online.
For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.
**All Applicants please note: modules listed in the course outline above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course, but these are subject to change from year to year. Please check the college calendar for the full academic content of any given course for the current year.
In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools and departments.