Exeter opens doors to more future nurses

Aspiring nurses now have a new, faster route into the profession thanks to a newly approved degree at the University of Exeter.

The University has officially launched a three-year BSc Adult Nursing course, which has received full accreditation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Until now, Exeter had only offered a four-year Masters option to students training to become registered nurses.

The new BSc degree means students can now choose between completing their training in three years, or opting to continue onto the four-year MSci programme for further training in research, leadership and dual registration in Adult and Mental Health Nursing.

Victoria Sadler, Programme Lead in the Academy of Nursing, said: “We’re delighted that our ambitious new programme has been approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This evidences that our education and training continues to be extremely high quality, fulfilling the needs of the NHS and social care.”

She added, “Our new undergraduate BSc programme offers a shorter route to becoming a Registered Nurse. This means more choice, to ensure students from a wide range of backgrounds and with different needs have options to upskill with us at Exeter.”

The revamped programme sees all nursing students follow the same curriculum in their first two years, before choosing between graduating after year three or continuing into the fourth year for more advanced clinical and leadership training.

Professor Jo Bowtell, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, said the NMC process was “extremely rigorous,” and praised the Exeter team and its distinct approach to training nurses.

“The NMC recognised the distinctive quality and innovation at the heart of the Exeter approach to nursing education, highlighting several areas of good practice,” she said. “It means we’re now able to offer a wider suite of options to our innovative nursing education portfolio.”

Highlights of the Exeter nursing programmes include diverse clinical placements across the South West from the first year, overseas electives in the second year, and the opportunity to qualify in both Adult and Mental Health Nursing through the four-year MSci. Students can also step up to the MSci at the end of year two – a flexibility specifically praised by the NMC.

The first cohort of students on the new BSc Adult Nursing course will begin their studies this September.