Nursing - Childrens & General Nursing - Integrated
The Children’s and General Nursing course will provide you with excellent opportunities to develop knowledge and skills relevant to children’s and general nursing practice, including independent and critical thinking and problem-solving. It will enable you to ensure that the nursing care you deliver is up-to-date and based on the best current evidence.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4.5 Years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Requirements
At Least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish.
The following are considered Lab Science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics with Chemistry and Agricultural Science.
Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Maths O6/H7
A Lab Science O6/H7
Fitness to Practise
This programme is subject to UCC's Fitness to Practise Policy.
Student Garda Vetting
All students on this programme will come into contact with the public and assume positions of trust through educational and training opportunities. To ensure the protection of the public, and to justify public trust and confidence, UCC is committed to ensuring that only suitable candidates are allowed to undertake this programme.
Vetting is carried out by the Admissions Office in UCC under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (the Acts) once a student has accepted their place on the programme. This involves a police check to establish whether the individual being vetted has had criminal convictions in the past or whether any criminal proceedings are pending. The Garda Siochána provide this information for students who have resided in Ireland for a period of six months or more (including permanent residence).
All students who have resided outside Ireland for a period of six months or more must furnish a Police Clearance Certificate from their country or countries of residence. This certificate should state that the student has had no convictions recorded against them while residing there.
Further information can be found on our Student Garda Vetting page.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
UCC awards the following points to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme Link Modules:
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
While Link Modules are counted for point scoring purposes they may not be counted as one of the six subjects to satisfy minimum entry requirements.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
The course aims to provide you with sound clinical nursing skills (and the supporting knowledge base) necessary for starting your professional career as a children’s or general nurse. These skills will be further developed through clinical experience and further study at postgraduate and in-service levels.
You will also develop skills in independent thinking, problem-solving, and analytical and clinical decision-making, as well as fundamental research utilisation and application skills.
On graduation, you may seek employment in children’s or general nursing. Both children’s and general nurses work in a wide range of areas including hospitals, community/home nursing, schools, and nursing homes. Traditionally, Irish nurses are highly regarded by other countries, enhancing work opportunities abroad, in particular in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the US.
Further information
Approximate Available Places 2
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
Approximate Available Places Overall 32
Entry 2025
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2025 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2025 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2025 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2025 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2025 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2025 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2025. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2025, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2025 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2025 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2025 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
Course Outline
The Children’s and General Nursing course will provide you with excellent opportunities to develop knowledge and skills relevant to children’s and general nursing practice, including independent and critical thinking and problem-solving. It will enable you to ensure that the nursing care you deliver is up-to-date and based on the best current evidence.
On completion of the BSc (Hons) in Children’s and General Nursing, you can apply to register as both a children’s and a general nurse to the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
This four-and-a-half-year full-time degree course is offered in partnership with health service providers (HSPs) from both the public and private healthcare sectors. Each student is linked with one of these HSPs for the duration of their course.
With an honours BSc in Children’s and General Nursing, you will be ready to start work as a qualified children’s or general nurse in a variety of clinical settings immediately after graduation.
The broad aim of the course is to promote your personal, intellectual and professional development to meet the role dimensions of a qualified practitioner of children’s and general nursing. Theory modules are in nursing and biological and social science, some core (shared with other nursing/midwifery branches), and some discipline-specific (children’s and general nursing students only).
Placement or Study Abroad Information
Clinical Placements
The varied placement criteria and the extensive array of placement locations require students to travel to clinical placement areas throughout their nursing or midwifery programme, irrespective of their normal residence. This may also entail overnight stays, utilising accommodation in closer proximity to the assigned placement site. The purpose is to guarantee that students fulfil the clinical instruction standards outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI).
Typically travel will be within the Munster, but can be outside the region. Some of our clinical partners include, but are not limited to, Mallow General Hospital (MGH), University Hospital Kerry (UHK), University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and Tipperary University Hospital (TUH). There are also several elective placement opportunities in Dublin and with our Erasmus partners throughout Europe.
The Allocations Office in the School of Nursing and Midwifery and our Clinical Partners use several methods to ensure equity for students travelling eg preferred placement submissions and student rotation.
Study Abroad
The School of Nursing and Midwifery participates in several international research and educational programmes which allow you to undertake part of your BSc studies abroad. See our Go Abroad with UCC page for more information.
Year 1 Modules
All modules 5 credits unless otherwise stated.
NU1026 Academic Writing, Information Technology and Evidence-Based Nursing Practice
NU1032 Fundamental Knowledge and Skills for Nursing Practice (10 credits)
NU1040 Infection Prevention and Control for Nursing and Midwifery Practice
NU1047 Therapeutic Interpersonal Skills for Nursing Practice and Psychology for Healthcare (10 credits)
NU1060 The Foundations of Contemporary Children's and General Nursing
NU1061 Fundamental Knowledge and Skills for Children's Nursing Practice
NU1062 Children's and General Nursing Practice I (10 credits)
SC1015 Sociological Concepts for Nursing
SS1008 Social Inclusion and Health Policy
Year 2
Pharmacology and Medication Management for Nurses and Midwives; Research for Evidence-Based Nursing and Midwifery Care; General Nursing with Adults and their Families - focusing on Common, Acute, and Chronic Health Care Conditions I & II; Growth and Development during Pregnancy, Childhood, and Adolescence; Therapeutic Interpersonal Relationships with Children, Adolescents, and their Families; Nursing Children, Adolescents and their Families in the Community; Children's and General Nursing Practice.
Year 3
Professional Issues, Development of Disciplinary Knowledge, Teaching and Learning; Research for Evidence-Based Nursing and Midwifery Care; Nursing Children, Adolescents and their Families with Acute and Continuing Care Needs; General Nursing with Adults and their Families - focusing on Common, Acute, and Chronic Conditions; Health Promotion and Primary Health in a General Health Context; General Nursing with Adults, Children, and their Families - focusing on Oncology, End of Life and Palliative Care Contexts; Health, Ageing and the Life-Cycle - Perspectives on General Nursing with Older People; Children's and General Nursing Practice.
Year 4
Research for Evidence-Based Nursing and Midwifery Care; The Profession and Discipline of Nursing: including Ethics, Legal Issues, Equality, and Professional Practice; Professional Development and Nurses as Team Members, Leaders and Managers of the Future; Nursing Children, Adolescents and their Families with Acute and Continuing Care Needs; Nursing Individuals through the Life Cycle with Disabilities or Mental Health Needs; Nursing Management of Seriously Ill Children, Adolescents and Adults; Children's and General Nursing Clinical Practice; Elective Module.
Year 5 Children’s and General Nursing Practice.
Clinical Practice Modules
These require you to be in supervised clinical practice in hospital, community and other healthcare settings for 35 hours per week for a number of weeks each year. In Year 4, you will take a 15-week clinical placement. In the latter part of Year 4, you will also commence a 36-week paid internship with your parent health service provider. This internship continues into Year 5.
Assessment
Written exams will take place before Christmas and in May. Not all modules will have formal examinations. Many modules use other types of assessment including essays, projects, seminar presentations, assessment of clinical skills and learning, in-class tests, self- and peer-assessment etc. Students are assessed by expert clinical nurses while on their clinical placements.
Dr Teresa Wills
t.wills@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 490 1472
http://www.ucc.ie/en/nursingmidwifery/
Eimear Corcoran
eimear.corcoran@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 490 1521