A new ‘flexible’ part-time nursing degree has been created at a university in Wales in a bid to help students better balance their studies around their busy home lives.
The four-year programme at Swansea University will have a four-day learning week, run alongside school term times, and co-ordinate placements around personal commitments.
It will also have a hybrid approach of online and on-campus teaching, as well as an more annual leave and flexibility in managing clinical practice hours across the working week. Applications are already open for the first intake in April.
Developed with NHS Wales and accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the university said the degree had been set up to open the door to those individuals who may otherwise not be able to commit to studying full-time.
While aiming to recognise the challenges some may have in balancing life commitments and study, the course also hopes to help address workforce shortages and encourage people with life experience to join the nursing profession.
Students will have access to a range of clinical experiences across South-West Wales, including placements in the NHS and independent sector in hospitals and community settings, and fees are fully funded through an NHS bursary.
Professor Jayne Cutter, head of the School of Health and Social Care, said: ‘I can’t wait to welcome our first students on this exciting new programme which will offer people who may not otherwise have the opportunity, the chance to study for a degree in nursing.
‘I have been a registered nurse for many years and can honestly say that it has been a privilege to be a member of this most rewarding profession.
‘This programme will allow those who can’t study full time to fulfil their dreams and start working towards a career in which they will make [an] immense difference to those in their care and from which they will achieve huge satisfaction.’
The development comes as many GP practices in Wales are concerned about their ability to employ nurses because they are ‘unable to offer competitive wages’.
