This short course will enable you to enter a career in public health nursing at staff-nurse level and will provide excellent preparation for progression to undertaking the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing qualification in health visiting or school nursing if you would like to advance your career in this field. 

The course comprises of two consecutive modules at level 6: 

• Module 1 Early Intervention Public Health 
• Module 2 Child Development and Assessment 0 to 19 

Students must pass 40 credits (20 credits per module at Level 6) to be awarded the University Certificate Community Public Health Nursing. Modules can also be undertaken as stand alone. 

The course team are looking forward to meeting with you and to supporting you throughout your studies, and we hope that the resources in this portal will provide you with some useful information that will support your continuing professional development at post-registration level. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Public Health Nursing course team using the email links provided. 

Welcome and Induction

Your Welcome and Induction day will be held on Monday 16th September 2024, North Holmes Road campus. Your course team will be in touch via email with further information, and look forward to meeting you then.  

In preparing for your course, it will be helpful to have some strategies in place including for example, thinking about how and where you will study, how you will organise your work around other commitments, such as childcare and family time, travelling to campus, and who will support you to successfully complete this course. An important strategy will be to identify your preferred means of keeping a reflective journal, for example a notebook or digital resource such as PebblePad, so that you can begin exploring these questions now and identify your strategies for success.

One strategy may be to start thinking about your learning environment both in the university and practice setting. In addition to the Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) Library Services, you will be introduced to your Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard) at the beginning of the course. This is where you will find all your teaching and learning activities. You will be able to access Blackboard when you are fully enrolled on the course. Here you will also find essential information such as the Student Handbook and key course dates. We will also show you where to find course materials and essential information, as part of your Welcome and Induction Day.

When thinking about your role as community staff nurse, working in a health visiting or school nursing team, it will be helpful to review the NHS Constitution and the seven key principles that guide the NHS, and core values, and to reflect on your understanding of these principles and values within the context of public health nursing practice, particularly in relation to what a culture of care and compassion means to you.

To help orientate to community public health nursing it will also be helpful to familiarise yourself with the Future nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and to reflect on the proficiencies grouped within platform 2, and your understanding of the required knowledge and skills underpinning your role in health promotion, protection, and improvement, and the prevention of ill health. The following short films will be of relevance here:

• How early childhood shapes our health and how long we live
• Health Visiting –every chance for every child, or access the clip at: https://ihv.org.uk/families/what-is-a-hv/
• The School Nursing Service – here to help

There are some excellent key texts to support you with your studies, should you wish to purchase any books prior to commencing the course. Please be reassured that these books are also available to loan from the CCCU library services once you are enrolled on the course. Additional learning materials including videos, podcasts and webpages are included here to further support your preparedness to study. 

For an introduction to Community Public Health Practice:

• Whittaker, K. and Cowley, S. (2021) ‘Basics of community public health practice: theory and application’, in Cowley, S. and Whittaker, K. (eds) Community Public Health in Policy and Practice A Sourcebook. 3rd edn. London: Bailliere Tindall Elsevier, pp. 3-32.

For an Introduction to Early Childhood:

• Westwood, J. (2018) ‘Childhood in different cultures’, in Powell, S. and Smith, K. (eds.) (2018) An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies. 4th edn. London: Sage Publications. The introduction by Powell and Smith is also very helpful for orientating you to perspectives and practices in early childhood today.
• Video: The Science of early childhood development

Transitioning to Adulthood:

• Video: The mysterious working of the adolescent brain

Understanding and Engaging in Critically Reflective Practice:

• Thompson, S. and Thompson, N. (2018) The Critically Reflective Practitioner. 2nd edn. London: Palgrave.

Websites

• Early Intervention Foundation
• Institute of Health Visiting
• School and Public Nurses Association
• Healthy child programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• All Our Health: about the programme
• Public health profiles - OHID (phe.org.uk)
• Health And Social Care Policy, Leadership Development And Events | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)
• The Health Foundation
• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
• Beaconhouse.org.uk)