Graduate Diploma Public Health Nursing PHN

• Demonstrate the application and integration of best practice informed by national and international research in order to advance public health nursing practice, health promotion and healthcare delivery.
• Apply critical, creative, reflective, independent thinking and problem solving to ensure clinical decision making and care that is safe, effective, evidence -based, person-centred and community orientated.
• Demonstrate a critical awareness of the parameters of professional public health nursing practice within the relevant ethical, legal and regulatory frameworks .
• Collaborate effectively with health care service users, their families, the public, peers, other members of the community based interdisciplinary team in a competent, compassionate and professional manner that respects autonomy, dignity and privacy
• Be an independent learner, recognising the value of lifelong learning and is able to use critical questioning, reflection and decision making to build their personal and professional scholarship throughout their career.
• Students will be motivated to continue their learning, facilitating adaptation to the dynamically altering environment within community, society and healthcare to empower their personal, professional development within variable unfamiliar contexts
• Demonstrate leadership and effect change in public health nursing practice promoting innovation by managing and delivering evidence based care in a community context.
• Use technology effectively to facilitate adaptation to a dynamic community, societal and health systems environment.

This is a full-time graduate diploma level programme, which takes place over two academic semesters (September-June). Classes take place on Mondays in Semester 1 and the remaining time represents clinical placement in the public heath nursing area or the maternity site. In semester 2, clasess are scheduled according to the availability of clinical placements and schedules vary from year to year. Successful completion of the programme depends on passing all clinical and academic requirements.

Curriculum
The programme is broken down into two semesters (September to December and January to May). Clinical timetabling is dependent on whether the student needs to complete the Maternal and Infant module and clinical placement in the maternity site.

Programme Strengths

Highly focused on enhancing clinical practice
The programme is focused on developing practical, usable skills in the multiple contexts of community nursing. Students will develop specific critical skills in the area of community nursing which will lead to the ability to engage with multiple client groups effectively and efficiently.

Innovative modules
Each of the modules in the programme is designed for experienced nurses and in combination provide a comprehensive learning experience and opportunities for acquiring new skills.  The emphasis throughout the programme is on the practical application of knowledge and skills in the specific context of community.

Networking 
The student body is drawn from a wide variety of clinical specialisms and organisations, enabling the sharing of learning and experience between you and your class members, as well as from the academic staff.

The public health nursing programme is a partnership with colleagues in the clinical areas (Local Health Authority). Together, students will engage in intra and inter-disciplinary collaboration which will facilitate a solid foundation for clinical practice as a public health nurse.

Following successful completion of the programme, students may register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) as RPHN and practice as public health nurses. You may wish to extend your learning and complete a Master’s degree.

The fees for your programme can be found at the links below. Search using your major code (the four-digit code beginning with 'X' which can be found in the key information box on this page).

• EU fees information
• Non-EU fees information

Please note that UCD fees are subject to change annually. The fees shown include the student centre levy which must be paid by all students. 

Funding:

If the fees for your programme are being paid by a third party (full or partial), please ensure your funding organisation/sponsor/hospital contacts student.payments@ucd.ie. Please note this is not a student facing email address.

Student Queries:

If you have any queries about your fees, please contact the Student Desk:

www.ucd.ie/askus

https://www.ucd.ie/students/studentdesk/

Application Fee:

Please note that all applicants are required to pay the €60 application fee. Your application cannot be processed fully unless the application fee has been paid.

More information about fees is available on the UCD website at the link below:

• General information about UCD Fees

Be registered in the General Nursing Division of the Register of Nurses maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered AND have a minimum of 3 years post registration general nursing experience.

OR

Be registered in the General Nursing Division and another Division of the Register, including Registered Midwife (RM), Registered Children’s Nurse (RCN), Registered Nurse Intellectual Disability (RNID) or Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) Divisions of the Register of Nurses and Midwives maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) or entitled to be so registered; AND  have a minimum of 18 months post registration general nursing experience as an RGN, and 18 months post registration experience as an RM or RCN or RNID or RPN.

AND

Meet the academic criteria set by the relevant Higher Education Institute (HEI); Applicants whose first language or primary language of expression is not English must provide evidence that their English language ability meets the required standard for admission. The minimum required score is 7.0 on the IELTS assessment test.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL may be granted in respect of individual modules if applicants can demonstrate that the modules' learning outcomes have been achieved through prior credentialled or experiential learning. In some cases, where an applicant does not meet the prerequisites for entry to a programme, an RPL application may be considered. Further information can be found in respect of this here.

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

This programme is designed for nurses who are interested in expanding their knowledge base in the domain of public health nursing. An applicant must be registered on the General Division of the Nursing Register as maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).