Postgraduate Taught

Practice Assessor (Community)

A student nurse with three children playing on equipment in a park
A community nurse wearing a blue uniform shows a patient a piece of equipment
Two children's nursing students practise in the university's neonatal room
A student nurse smiling at an elderly patient while holding her hand
Our course is fully accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and has been carefully designed to prepare prepare you for a career as a practice assessor.
You'll study part-time and through a combination of campus and work-based learning, making it as easy as possible to incorporate our course alongside your current career.
Our award-winning Allam Medical Building offers state-of-the-art simulated facilities on campus for you to develop your skills.
The PGCert programme can be the first step towards a Postgraduate Diploma or an MSc in Health Studies if you wish to continue studying after you graduate.
A student nurse with three children playing on equipment in a park
A community nurse wearing a blue uniform shows a patient a piece of equipment
Two children's nursing students practise in the university's neonatal room
A student nurse smiling at an elderly patient while holding her hand

This Postgraduate Certificate is designed to prepare you for a career as a practice assessor in accordance with the standards published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

It is aimed at nurses who hold Specialist Practitioner Qualifications (SPQ) and Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) qualifications, who fulfil NMC requirements and have normally completed a mentor programme to extend their role to assess and sign off practice students.

The PGCert programme can be the first step towards a Postgraduate Diploma or an MSc in Health Studies.

  • Study part-time

    alongside your career

  • Combine

    both work-based and on-campus learning

  • Option to continue

    onto a PGDip or MSc

  • Nursing & Midwifery Council

    approved

  • Study in award-winning

    health facilities

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Course overview
Module options

About this course

This part-time, one-year programme offers a combination of campus and work-based learning so that it can be fully incorporated alongside your current career.

The two theory modules are based around themed study days covering the eight domains within the NMC. The practice-based module involves being placed with an experienced Practice Assessor who is responsible for supervising your progress and assessing your achievement of the practice learning outcomes.

Learning methods include workshops, discussions, group work and lead lectures – enabling you to play an active part in your learning. Plus, you’ll be supported by our virtual learning environment to help you study in your own time and maximise your potential throughout the course.

As our PGCert is designed to meet NMC’s standards, there are no optional modules at this stage of the programme.

However, your tutors will be able to discuss your module options should you wish to register for the additional Postgraduate Diploma or Masters programme.

Choose your modules

For a full Masters degree, you'll study 180 credits over the duration of your course. Some programmes offer a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) qualification or a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) qualification. For a PGDip, you'll study 120 credits, and for a PGCert, you'll study 60 credits.

Practice Teaching in Context

​Utilising contemporary leadership and management theory, you will be able to contextualise the role of the practice educator, in healthcare, as a manager of education in a learning organisation​.

•20 credits

Effective Practice Teaching

​This module will provide you with the opportunity to explore the knowledge base that supports the facilitation of teaching, learning and assessing in practice in order to validate the role of the practice teacher / educator in healthcare.

•20 credits

Specialist Practice Teaching

Explore key principles of teaching and develop skills in critical analysis and critical thinking. In this practice-based module, you will apply theory to practice through a range of activities in a variety of situations that reflect the practice assessors’ role.

•20 credits
3 Modules

This course is accredited by

Our academics

You’ll be taught by expert staff in some of the UK’s finest health facilities following our £28 million investment.

Our academics work closely with local partners to train the healthcare professionals of the future, as well to conduct research that is at the forefront of its field and benefits the wellbeing of our local community and beyond.

See more academics for this subject
Elaine Skinn
Featured academic

Elaine Skinn

Elaine is programme director for our PGCert Practice Educator course. She has 38 years of nursing experience within endoscopy, gastroenterology and surgery. She is also a trained colonoscopist and continues to teach and empower others in practice.
Lisa Jennison
Featured academic

Lisa Jennison

Lisa began her career as a nurse before completing midwifery and health visitor training. With an MSc in Health Studies and over 30 years’ experience, she specialises in leadership and education, holding a number of roles outside of the University.

Entry requirements

What do I need?

Typical offer
2:2 in relevant subject area

A 2:2 Bachelor Honours degree (or international equivalent) in nursing, midwifery or another relevant discipline, plus appropriate experience in a professional environment.

Additional entry requirements for this course
  • Registration on the same part or sub-part of the NMC register as the learners you are assessing i.e. the Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) part of the register to assess SCPHN students.
  • Have developed their own knowledge, skills and competence beyond registration, and where appropriate, have gained specialist practice qualifications i.e.; Health Visitor (H/V), relevant to their field of practice, registered and worked for at least two years and gained additional qualifications that will support students in practice.
  • Managers written support.
  • Access to learners in a practice setting and be supervised by a practice teacher whose name appears on a live register where such a register exists.

In order to ensure our students have a rich learning and student experience, most of our programmes have a mix of domestic and international students. We reserve the right to close applications early to either group if application volumes suggest that this blend cannot be achieved.

What do I need?

Typical offer
2:2 in relevant subject area

A 2:2 Bachelor Honours degree (or international equivalent) in nursing, midwifery or another relevant discipline, plus appropriate experience in a professional environment.

Additional entry requirements for this course
  • Registration on the same part or sub-part of the NMC register as the learners you are assessing i.e. the Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) part of the register to assess SCPHN students.
  • Have developed their own knowledge, skills and competence beyond registration, and where appropriate, have gained specialist practice qualifications i.e.; Health Visitor (H/V), relevant to their field of practice, registered and worked for at least two years and gained additional qualifications that will support students in practice.
  • Managers written support.
  • Access to learners in a practice setting and be supervised by a practice teacher whose name appears on a live register where such a register exists.

In order to ensure our students have a rich learning and student experience, most of our programmes have a mix of domestic and international students. We reserve the right to close applications early to either group if application volumes suggest that this blend cannot be achieved.

If you require a student visa to study or if your first language is not English you will be required to provide acceptable evidence of your English language proficiency level.

This course requires academic IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each skill. See other English language proficiency qualifications accepted by the University of Hull.

If your English currently does not reach the University’s required standard for this programme, you may be interested in one of our English language courses.

Visit your country page to find out more about our entry requirements.

Fees & funding

How much is it?

Additional costs you may have to pay

Your tuition fees will cover most costs associated with your programme. There are some extra costs that you might have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make:

  • Books (you can borrow books on your reading lists from the library, but you may buy your own)
  • Optional field trips
  • Study abroad (incl. travel costs, accommodation, visas, immunisation)
  • Placement costs (incl. travel costs and accommodation)
  • Student visas (international students)
  • Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and PCs on campus, but you may want your own)
  • Printing and photocopying
  • Professional-body membership
  • Graduation (gown hire and photography)

Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel, food and more.

How do I pay for it?

How much is it?

Additional costs you may have to pay

Your tuition fees will cover most costs associated with your programme. There are some extra costs that you might have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make:

  • Books (you can borrow books on your reading lists from the library, but you may buy your own)
  • Optional field trips
  • Study abroad (incl. travel costs, accommodation, visas, immunisation)
  • Placement costs (incl. travel costs and accommodation)
  • Student visas (international students)
  • Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and PCs on campus, but you may want your own)
  • Printing and photocopying
  • Professional-body membership
  • Graduation (gown hire and photography)

Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel, food and more.

How do I pay for it?

Take a look at our facilities

Health Campus

Benefit from the facilities of our award-winning Allam Medical Building with its simulated hospital ward, intensive care unit, resuscitation unit, and more.

Critical Care Room

Develop the skills needed to work with very ill patients in an intensive care setting with this specialist training area.

Brynmor Jones Library

One of the most eye-catching pieces of architecture on campus, our library offers round-the-clock access, more than a million books and over 400 open-access PCs.

Lecture Theatres

They’re located throughout our campus and form the cornerstone of our teaching during your time with us, along with smaller seminar-style group sessions.

See more in our virtual tour

Look around

Look around

Look around

Look around

Allam Medical Building First Floor
Allam Medical Building Critical Care Room
Brynmor Jones Library
Allam Medical Building Lecture Theatre
Adult-Nursing-Sharon-Land

Future prospects

This programme is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). On successful completion, you can be annotated onto the Practice Assessor register for your employing organisation.

Completing this programme of study often leads to students engaging in further study at Masters level, developing their skills and knowledge in research leadership and education, and consequently, career pathways in education or management.

University of Hull Open Day

Your next steps

Like what you’ve seen? Then it’s time to apply.

Make your application online now, and our admissions team will get back to you as soon as possible to make you an offer.

Apply now
How to apply

Not ready to apply?

We regularly deliver virtual and on-campus events to help you discover your perfect postgraduate course, whether it’s a subject you already love or something completely different. Our events are an opportunity for you to chat to tutors and current students and find out about the career options a postgraduate degree could lead to.

Discover more

You may also be interested in…

Course

PGCert Clinical Practice
Course

PGCert Practice Educator

All modules presented on this course page are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.

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