Ruth Smith
Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing
level:UG;top_up:false;international:true;foundation:true;clearing:false;full_time:true;part_time:false;start_month:September;location:Waterside
Nursing Associate FdSc
Key Facts
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UCAS Code
B970
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Duration
2 years Full-time
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E at A Level
PPP at BTEC -
Full Time: £9,535
Updated 04/12/2025
Updated 04/12/2025
Get in touch
UK STUDENTS ENQUIRIES
study@northampton.ac.uk
0300 303 2772
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ENQUIRIES
Overview
Nursing Associates work with registered Nurses to care for patients and service users of different ages and in a range of settings. Nursing Associates are members of the nursing team and are accountable for their own practice. This full-time 2 year nursing associate degree FdSc, with a 50/50 split between theory and practice learning, will prepare you to be a highly skilled autonomous and reflective practitioner who is able to deliver high quality, compassionate, professional and safe care.
For Nursing & Midwifery*
For General Nursing*
For Satisfied with Feedback for General Nursing***
*The Daily Mail University League table 2025
** The Best UK University Guardian League table 2026
***The Guardian University Guide (General Nursing League table) 2006
NMC Approved
The FdSc Nursing Associate course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC),ensuring it meets UK standards for nursing education and practice. Successful completion of the course will lead to NMC registration as a Nursing Associate, allowing you to practise in line with the NHS Constitution and its core values.
Highlights
- Leads to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a registered Nursing Associate.
- Hyper-real simulation mannequins and virtual reality to recreate clinical environments.
- Access to welling activities to support academic, professional and emotional development.
- HP laptop and software included with this course for eligible students* (*see eligibility criteria and terms and conditions).
Waterside campus has everything students needs from: Learning Hub featuring 24/7 library, Creative Hub, on-site shop, restaurant, cafes and food outlets, multi-faith chaplaincy, student village hall, Students' Union and more. With only a short walk over the bridge into the town centre.
The Learning Hub and Student Information Desk would be a student's first point of call when needing support.
Our library covers three floors of the Learning Hub, with IT rich learning environments, including silent and group study spaces, physical books. Don't forget there are plenty more resources available online!
The Student Information Desk is the first place a student should go if they need any help. Here the team can direct you to academic support, mental health support, financial support, IT support, and more.
The Learning Hub is where every student will go for library support and classes, as well as food outlets and social events.
The Learning Hub also has lots of outdoor space for meeting with friends or finding some silent time between classes.
The Learning Hub is the biggest building on campus, home to our Student Information Desk, 24/7 library, teaching spaces, cafes, and more.
The big and spacious modern Senate building has various types of learning spaces, teaching rooms, our Bloomberg suite, Morley Room lecture hall, and cafes.
Entry Requirements
The following are the entry requirements for the Nursing Associate foundation degree:
- Level 2 qualification – Maths and English Language Grade C or equivalent
- Level 3 qualification – pass grade
- Access Course – Pass grade
- BTEC Extended Diploma/Cambridge Technical – PPP
- BTEC Diploma – MP
- One A level – Grade E
- T Level – Pass (with a D or E in Core or above).
We welcome applications from students with a mix of A levels and BTEC/Cambridge Technical qualifications.
Please note that we may consider other qualifications not listed above on an individual basis, please contact our Admissions team to discuss these in further detail.
All offers of a place on this Nurse Associate course are subject to:
- successful Occupational Health Screening,
- satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) report, and
- successful interview by the University.
Occupational Health Clearance:
All healthcare students are required to undertake a standard Occupational Health Clearance which will assess your health and immunisation record and assess your fitness for the programme you have chosen. Courses such as midwifery, dental nursing and paramedic science also require an enhanced Occupational Health clearance and appropriate immunisation to undertake exposed prone procedures (EPP). Without the enhanced occupational health clearance your ability to attend some clinical placements/activities in Trust areas may be limited or refused, causing delays with course progression and employment.
Further information for healthcare students can be seen through the following link (appendix 1) Green Book: Chapter 12 Immunisation of healthcare and laboratory staff.
All International and EU students applying for a nursing associate foundation degree with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:
- IELTS 7.0 with no lower than 7.0 in Reading, Listening and Speaking as well as no lower than 6.5 in Writing for study at the undergraduate level.
For more information on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) English language entry criteria, please follow the NMC website.
For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.
What You'll Learn
This nursing associate foundation course has been designed to contribute towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG3 of Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG5 Gender Equality.
Our aim is to help you to develop into a safe and effective Nursing Associate who is caring and compassionate and able to deliver high quality care to people of all ages and in a range of settings.
The FDSC Nursing Associate degree is a 50/50 split of theory and practice to enable you to develop your knowledge and apply this in clinical practice. You will have a range of practice placements allowing you to develop your competence in caring for people of different ages and in different settings.
Compulsory Modules
The purpose of this module is to develop nursing associate students self awareness, personal and professional resilience and professional identity within nursingAn understanding of how health science, social and political knowledge, behaviour, vocabulary and skills form their nursing identityAdditionally the module will develop communication skills and understanding of how constructive feedback can be used to evaluate self and effect positive change.
The purpose of this module is to provide nursing associate students with underpinning theoretical knowledgeStudents will consider the scientific, legal, professional and personal context of nursing in order to participate in practice safely, ethically and lawfully within a range of clinical practice settings.
The purpose of this module is to equip nursing associate students with the theoretical foundation skills and evidenced based knowledge to fully participate in person-centred decision making, influence positive lifestyle choices and beginning the students own professional development within the context of nursing.
The purpose of this module is to equip nursing associate students with an understanding of the principles of safe, effective adminstration and optimisation of medicines demonstrating proficiency and accuracy when participating in calculating dosages of prescribed medicines in clinical practiceThis will enable students, under supervision in the clincial setting, to safely particpate in all aspects of medications management, relevant to their level with developing confidence and competence.
This is a work-based module which enables students to develop the appropriate attitudes, behaviours, values and skills and underpinning knowledge to work competently within health and social care as student Nursing AssociatesThe module is based on requirements from the NMC Proficiencies for Nursing Associates (2018).
Please note the modules shown here relate to the academic year 25/26. The modules relating to the academic year 26/27 will be available from June 2026.
At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.
If you join our full time associate in nursing foundation degree at Northampton, you will receive a laptop when your course begins*. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.
Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your nursing associate course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.
To check out the full list of perks, visit our Student Perks page or dedicated International Perks page.
* UK fee payers only (see Terms and Conditions for further details)
How will I be taught on this Nursing Associate course?
You will be taught by high quality and experienced lecturers who will share their knowledge and passion of nursing with you. They will also enable you to develop your study skills. You will have a range of learning activities that will vary from face to face sessions, tutorials, online blended learning, simulation and virtual reality in our state of the art simulation suit and placement learning. You will also be able to access our wellbeing activities that will range from study skills, sports and mindfulness sessions. By studying FdSc Nursing Associates you will:
- Learn to work in teams
- Develop your professional self
- Develop excellence in caring for people
- Work in partnership with other members of the healthcare team
- Develop competence in evidence-based care.
How will I be assessed?
Assessment on this foundation nurse associate degree is by a variety of methods including written assignments, presentations, scenario assessments and assessment in clinical practice.
What is our recruitment approach for this FDSC Nursing Associate degree?
Values Based Recruitment is an approach with attracts and selects students on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with the NHS constitution. The purpose of this is to ensure that the future and current workforce is selected with the right values and skills to support the delivery of excellent patient care.
Through application and interview applicants are selected based on their ability to show they have the values of the 6Cs.
The Foundation Associate in Nursing degree also runs as an employer-sponsored apprenticeship. You can find more details about our nurse associate apprenticeship on our Apprenticeships webpage.
Fees and Funding
2025/26 Tuition Fees
- UK Full Time: £9,535
- International Full Time: £15,700
Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 2025/26 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UON will adjust UK fees annually in line with Government Policy.
For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.
- Travel costs to and from placements, and extra costs associated with placements, may be incurred throughout your studies depending on where you are based.
- optional membership of Union
- optional two week European placement (flights, accommodation, living expenses)
- first set of clinical uniform is free but additional uniforms have to be purchased by the student
black leather shoes, black socks.
There may be additional financial support from NHS England to help with your travel to the placement. This is confirmed on an annual basis.
For information on the scholarships available to you, please see our scholarships page.
For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.
Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 24/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
- UK – Full Time: £9,250
- International – Full Time: £15,200
Staff
Nicky Peasnell
Senior Lecturer - Dental
Hannah Cannon
Senior Lecturer in Practice Development - Nursing
Careers and Employability
On successful completion of this nurse associate foundation degree you will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nursing Associate.
Graduates can apply to one of our BSc Nursing programmes, and subject to successful interview, can complete further study. This will enable you to gain BSc (Hons) in Nursing and apply for a registration with the NMC as a Registered Nurse.
Facilities
Learning Hub
The Learning Hub is at the heart of the campus and home to the student information desk.
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Clinical Skills Simulation Lab
A realistic, acute clinical environment with mannequins, hospital beds, medical gases systems, clinical equipment, and more.
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