BSc Hons Children's and Young People's Nursing Practice

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Sunderland

Program Overview

This degree is perfect if you’re passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people. At Sunderland, you’ll combine hands-on clinical experience with evidence-based learning, gaining the skills and confidence to care for children across hospitals, community settings, and critical care environments.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1 – Laying the Foundations
In your first year, you’ll get to grips with the basics of children’s nursing, learning essential clinical skills while understanding how children grow and develop. Modules like Critical Enquiry for Nursing Practice, Bio‑psychosocial Principles of Health and Wellbeing, and Foundations of Nursing Practice help you build a solid knowledge base while supporting your first real-world clinical experiences.

Year 2 – Applying Knowledge and Growing Confidence
Your second year takes your learning deeper, focusing on caring for children with more complex health needs. Through modules such as Application of Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses and Holistic Nursing for Altered Physiology to Promote Wellbeing, you’ll explore how to provide safe, compassionate care and begin taking on more responsibility during your clinical placements, working alongside experienced professionals.

Final Year – Leading, Researching, and Preparing for Practice
In your final year, you’ll focus on leadership, research, and honing your professional skills for a smooth transition into qualified practice. Modules like Dissertation and Leadership and Interprofessional Learning help you develop critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills, while your final clinical placement allows you to put all your learning into practice with real patients in real healthcare settings.

Focus areas: children’s health assessment, evidence-based nursing care, physiology & pathology, clinical placements across acute and community settings, leadership, interprofessional practice.

Learning outcomes: apply evidence-based practice to paediatric care, demonstrate safe and compassionate clinical competencies, communicate effectively with children, families and healthcare teams, reflect professionally to support ongoing growth.

Professional alignment (accreditation): approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), making you eligible to register as a Children’s Nurse upon graduation.

Reputation (employability rankings): Sunderland’s nursing courses are highly regarded, ranking in the UK’s top 30 for student satisfaction and 1st in the North East for teaching quality, giving you confidence that your degree will prepare you for a successful career.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Sunderland, you’ll learn nursing by actually doing it — not just reading about it in a textbook. About half of your time on the course is spent in real clinical settings, giving you hands-on experience caring for children and young people under the guidance of experienced professionals. On campus, you’ll practice in simulation suites and mock wards that feel just like real hospitals, letting you build confidence and skills before stepping into real-life placements. You’ll also collaborate with other healthcare students, get feedback from patients and families, and use digital tools to track your progress — all designed to make sure you’re ready for the real world of nursing. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Clinical Placements: Spend around 50% of your course in hospitals, community clinics, and specialist units like Great North Children’s Hospital, gaining real experience with patients while being supported by registered nurses.
• Mock Children’s Ward: Helen McArdle House has a dedicated ward with child-friendly cots, medical equipment, and realistic manikins so you can safely practice age-appropriate care skills.
• Simulation Technology & Immersive Suite: Work with advanced manikins like SimMan and Sim Baby to rehearse emergency situations and clinical procedures, then reflect and learn in group debriefs.
• Interprofessional Learning: Team up with students from other health courses — like paramedics or pharmacy — to practice how real healthcare teams work together.
• Patient, Carer & Public Involvement (PCPI): Learn directly from patients and carers who give feedback on your skills and communication, helping you provide truly patient-centred care.
• Digital Tools & Placement Platform: Use the ARC platform to manage placements, track your progress, submit reflections, and stay organised throughout your clinical experiences.
• Libraries & Learning Resources: Access over 430,000 books, thousands of journals, and specialised health databases like CINAHL to support your learning and evidence-based practice.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduating from Sunderland’s Children’s and Young People’s Nursing degree means you’re ready to step straight into rewarding roles where you can make a real difference in children’s healthcare. Many graduates find themselves working in hospitals, community settings, or specialist paediatric care, with opportunities to grow into leadership or advanced clinical roles. Typical careers include Registered Children’s Nurse, Community Health Nurse, Paediatric Nurse Specialist, and Nursing Team Leader.

What this means for you:
• Support to launch your career: Sunderland’s dedicated careers and employability teams will guide you every step of the way. You’ll gain real-world experience through NHS placements with partners like Great North Children’s Hospital, plus hands-on simulation training to build confidence before you start work.
• Strong employment prospects & earning potential: Around 89% of nursing graduates from Sunderland are employed in roles where their degree is essential or beneficial within 15 months of graduating. Entry-level salaries for children’s nurses start around £28,500, and there’s plenty of room to grow.
• Industry connections that matter: Your placements give you direct access to NHS Trusts and patient groups, helping you build professional networks that can shape your future career.
• Accredited, professional recognition: The course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), meaning you can register as a qualified children’s nurse — a credential that’s respected across the UK.
• Graduation outcomes: Sunderland graduates move into roles as registered children’s nurses across hospitals, GP practices, and community clinics, with opportunities to progress to senior clinical positions, leadership roles, or nurse education.

Further Academic Progression:
If you want to continue learning after your degree, there are lots of options: you could pursue a Master’s in Advanced Clinical Practice, become a Paediatric Nurse Practitioner, explore healthcare management or leadership programs, or even dive into research (MSc or PhD). Each path opens doors to advanced clinical roles, teaching, policy-making, or consultancy in healthcare.