Specialist Study in Nursing Practice (P02891)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HEA-P-P02891

Specialist Study is an optional course which has no formal taught component. The student ordinarily decides a topic with the Programme Director and then agrees a learning contract with the nominated supervisor. The supervisor is chosen on the basis of their area of expertise and their contacts in the relevant area.

The learning contract is for the student to study a topic or area of specialist interest and then prepare a written paper on the agreed topic. The topic should normally arise from the student’s specialist nursing field, whether that is in clinical practice, education, research or management.

As part of the option the student will undertake a search of research and other literature. The student will also conduct some fieldwork. This may take the form of visits to other practice areas to observe an alternative strategy for managing the area of interest, or to conduct informal discussions with practitioners on the topic. These discussions may take the form of interviews. The activities, however, should not include formal research or any work for which ethical approval would be required. The course paper should include the student’s reflection on this learning experience, which may include reflection on clinical practice.

The fieldwork and preparation of the paper should be equivalent to the effort required for a taught course, ie 200 hours of student effort in total.

This course is not available to visiting students.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Prohibited combinations : Students may not take Supervised Reading course (NS0048) along with this course.

? Costs : In most instances the Specialist Study Option will not involve any costs to students. In some instances, however, students may have to contribute towards minor costs such as postage or phone calls where alternative sources of funding are not available.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Nursing Studies, (School of Health in Social Science, Schedule D)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : To be arranged/Unknown

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, the student will demonstrate:
o analytical engagement with key issues and writings
on the chosen topic
o conceptualisation of the major issues arising from
the exploration
o critical appraisal of current developments on the
chosen area
o evaluation of the implications of undertaking this
investigation

Assessment Information

A 4,000-5,000 word course paper, which should include:
o a brief description of the workplace
o an account of the reasons for selecting the issue to
be addressed
o the learning objectives
o the activities undertaken

a critical discussion of the following in relation to the research and other literature in the field:
o analysis of the findings relative to the literature
o reflection on the application of theory to practice
o reflection on the experience of the investigation
o reflection (if relevant) on the student’s own practice
o solutions to the issue/s identified
o an evaluation of the extent to which the learning
objectives were achieved

The submission date will be negotiated with the supervisor.

The course paper will be marked by the supervisor and another member of staff, who will agree an internal mark. The internal mark will be moderated by an external examiner.