FDSc Nursing Associate

Fees and funding

There are many ways to fund study for home and international students

Fees

The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:

• library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
• access to programme-appropriate software
• library and student IT support
• free on-campus wifi via eduroam

Additional costs

Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:

• accommodation and living expenditure
• books (should you wish to have your own copies)
• printing, photocopying and stationery
• PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
• mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
• field trips (travel and activity costs)
• placements (travel expenses and living costs)
• student visas (international students only)
• study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
• academic conferences (travel costs)
• professional-body membership
• graduation (gown hire etc)

Funding

There are many ways to fund study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you'll find all of the information you need on our specialist funding pages.

Please note: currently the NHS Learning Support Fund is not available for this course.

You may be eligible for student finance. You can use the government's student finance calculator to find out which loans and grants you could be eligible for. 

Students who would like to buy extra uniform items, further to their standard uniform which is included in the course fees, have the option to do so.

International experience may incur costs.

Liverpool John Moores University offers a number of scholarships and bursaries, which you may be eligible for. We encourage all applicants to learn more about, and take advantage of, these opportunities.

Employability

Successful completion of the programme will allow you to apply for registration as a nursing associate with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This can lead to careers in the NHS, private sector and voluntary sector.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (2023) states that that by 2036/37, there will be over 64,000 nursing associates working in the NHS. Nursing associates can work across a variety of settings with patients and service users across the lifespan, encompassing physical and psychological health.

Qualified, registered nursing associates usually enter the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale at Band 4, which starts at £25,147 per year, rising to £27,596 after three years' experience.

In addition, students who have successfully completed a Foundation Degree Nursing Associate programme will be able to apply to enter Level 5 (Year 2) of a BSc (Hons) Nursing degree in order to progress in their career to Registered Nurse Status.

Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service

A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.

Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website. There are opportunities for flexible, paid and part-time work through Unitemps, LJMU's in-house recruitment service, and we also offer fully funded Discovery Internships.

One-to-one careers and employability advice is available via our campus-based Careers Zones and we offer a year-round programme of events, including themed careers and employability workshops, employer events and recruitment fairs. Our Start-Up Hub can help you to grow your enterprise skills and to research, plan and start your own business or become a freelancer.

A suite of learning experiences, services and opportunities is available to final year students to help ensure you leave with a great onward plan. You can access LJMU's Careers, Employability and Start-up Services after you graduate and return for one-to-one support for life.

Teaching and work-related learning

Excellent facilities and learning resources

Your learning journey has been designed to be inspiring and motivating, provide tailored support, and to meet the specific NMC requirements for nursing associates. 

You will learn through a mix of:

• lectures
• seminars
• group work activities
• simulation skills development sessions
• practice placements in a range of settings
• tutorials.

We use an active blended learning approach. This means you will attend face to face teaching on campus - usually at the School of Nursing and Advanced Practice, based in the Tithebarn Building (part of our City Campus), along with independent learning and work online. Examples of online activity include asynchronous tutorial discussions, discussion boards and collaborative or individual projects such as wikis, padlets, blogs and e-portfolios.

You will also complete two placements per year across a variety of healthcare settings.

You will be taught by a team of professionally qualified and experienced academic staff, who have experience in designing, developing and delivering professional programmes. 

Support and guidance

Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

Every undergraduate student at Liverpool John Moores has a designated personal tutor, who is there to help you stay on track to achieving your degree. You will find out who your tutor is during induction. 

Your personal tutor will work with you on:

• Personal Development Planning (PDP) appointments: This is a structured process intended to help you become a more effective, confident and independent learner. It will support you in gaining knowledge of your strengths, but also of areas in need of further development related to your academic, personal and professional aspirations. 
• Pastoral support: Your personal tutor will also be knowledgeable of wider LJMU support services and you can approach your personal tutor if you are having any personal, financial or social problems that are affecting your studies. Your personal tutor may be able to help with the problem themselves, but if not, they can refer you on to the appropriate support, either inside or outside of the university.

As a FdSc Nursing Associate student, you will also be assigned practice supervisors and assessors for when you are out on placement, along with an academic assessor. They will support your learning and assessment in practice and confirm your progression. 

We encourage students to take advantage of the study skills support available through Library Services. This covers everything from how to find the books or journals you need, through to the correct way of referencing them in your assignments. 

Assessment

Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.

You will have both formative and summative assessments throughout the programme. 

Formative assessments are diagnostic in nature and focus on your development, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, in addition to providing you with feedback on your progress during the learning process.

The feedback may come from several sources, including academic staff, practice supervisors and assessors, service users and wider university support staff. You may receive this verbally or in written format. Formative feedback and feedforward are helpful in your development throughout the modules.

Examples of formative activities include discussion boards to develop learning networks, a reading log, article reviews and group presentations.

Summative assessments are the module assessments in which you need to pass to receive the credits for the module. Learning outcomes for the module will describe the knowledge, skills or expertise that you will need to demonstrate you have acquired to pass the assessment. As an undergraduate student, the pass mark for your assessments is usually 40%.

The assessments for each module have been designed to align with the learning outcomes and be authentic to Nursing Associate practice. This means that assessments will require you to use the same competencies, or combinations of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that you will need to apply in your professional life.

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

Grades/points required from qualifications:

Application and selection

Securing your place at LJMU

UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses. Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-students/how-to-apply.