Overview
In 2019 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced new standards for return to practice programmes.
We offer three routes for nurses to return to the nursing register with start dates in February and September.
- Returning to one field of nursing practice
- Returning to two fields of practice
- Returning to specialist community and public health nursing (SCPHN)
You can find out more about the different routes in the next tab.
To access any of these routes, you must have previously been registered with the NMC in the field of your return. If you are returning to SCPHN, you must have previously held a SCPHN qualification.
Why study with us?
- We will support you to return to the nursing register.
- We offer a bespoke programme where your prior nursing experience is valued.
- We offer a flexible length of study to meet your personal requirements.
- Practice placement hours are negotiable.
About our routes
Returning to Adult, Child or Mental Health Nursing – single field of return
If you are returning to one field of nursing you will apply to join NA6117 Return to Practice for Nursing.
The timetable and your practice experience will equip you to return to your field of practice.
You will have a field-specific placement in which you will need to complete a practice assessment document. For the second assessment on this module you'll use an aspect of care from your practice as the focus of the Professional Conversation and reflect and articulate positive aspects of care and areas where there could be improvement.
Returning to two fields of practice for Adult, Child or Mental Health Nursing – dual field of return
If you are returning to two fields of nursing you will apply to join NA6106 Return to Practice (More than one field of Nursing).
The timetable and your practice experience will equip you to return to two fields of practice.
You will have a specific placement in each field of practice and will need to complete and pass a practice assessment document in each.
For the third assessment in this module you'll use an aspect of care from your practice as the focus of the Professional Conversation and reflect and articulate positive aspects of care and areas where there could be improvement.
Returning to a field of practice for Adult, Child or Mental Health Nursing and to Specialist Community Public Health Nursing.
If you are returning to a field of practice and to Specialist Community Public Health Nursing you will apply to join NA6105 Return of Field of Practice and Specialist Community Public Health Nursing.
The timetable and your practice experience will equip you to return to your field of practice and to SCPHN.
You will have a field-specific placement and a SCPHN placement. You will need to complete and pass a practice assessment document in your field specific placement and a professional development portfolio in your SCPHN placement.
For the third assessment on this module you'll use an aspect of care from your practice as the focus of the Professional Conversation and reflect and articulate positive aspects of care and areas where there could be improvement.
Returning to General Practice
If you are returning to General Practice Nursing, you will apply to join NA6117 Return to Practice for Nursing.
You will have worked in the field of General Practice (GP) before, and have secured a GP placement. Within this placement you will need to complete a practice assessment document and identify an aspect of care from your practice as the focus of the Professional Conversation assessment.
Placements
Placements are specific to your return to the nursing register, whether you are returning to a single field of practice, to a dual field of practice or to SCPHN.
In additional to the time that you will spend with your academic studies, you will have to complete placement hours.
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Minimum number of hours
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Maximum amount of time
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NA6117
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150 hours
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6 months
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NA6105
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300 hours
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1 year
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NA6106
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300 hours
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1 year
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If you would like to proceed and apply for our RTP programme, you will need to source your placement. Consider where you see yourself working in the future and approach the care provider asking for a placement.
If you would like an NHS placement, be aware that NHS trusts require returners to have current health care experience before offering a placement.
Consider joining the trust's Health Care Assistants (HCA) Bank which gives the added benefit of orientation to the NHS in current context. Note the HCA Bank application process can take three months.
Make sure that you complete the placement form once you have a placement as part of the application process:
If you are having any difficulty in securing your placement contact us at: RTPNursing@brighton.ac.uk
Online learning
At Brighton you'll experience varied ways of learning from the comfort of your own home with no costly or time-consuming commute. The online classes start at 10am and finish at 4pm.
Online learning
Online learning can be challenging if you have never experienced this type of education before.
At Brighton you will find plenty of support for your journey back to the nursing register which starts as soon as we make you an offer when a Digital Learning Buddy will contact you and assess your digital learning skills. We'll provide comprehensive resources that are free for you to access, and support you leading up to and during your RTP course. This is to ensure you are enjoying your studies and not worrying about technology.
There is a numeracy package to enable you to test and improve your proficiency. The programme also offers you opportunities to access additional online packages to enrich taught sessions.
We recognise how difficult it can be to study and get the work life balance right. Our online approach to teaching and learning will enhance your experience and enable you to study in a way to suit your personal circumstances.
Self-directed learning
There are many learning opportunities available for you to access - far more than are required for the course. If you are interested in a specific area of care, there will be resources to support your learning. In addition to online clinical skills resources, there are programmes to support the development of other skills.
Self-directed learning is a skill which will enhance your professional development when you are re-registered with the NMC.
Problem-based learning
Our RTP programme contains problem based learning (PBL) sessions, which will enhance the development of your critical thinking, theoretical understanding, professional reasoning abilities and team skills.
You will be in small groups of no more than 10 returners, and together explore topics pertinent to your fields of practice. All students come with life and employment experience and PBL gives you the opportunity and ability to share your knowledge and understanding and fosters self-directed learning.
The use of PBL is grounded in your field-specific experiences, making the connections between theory and practice and remains contemporary.
Discussions and seminars
Throughout the timetable there are opportunities for student discussions and seminars.
Taught sessions offer the opportunity for group activities within a safe environment for student discussions to take place. There are also small seminar groups which offer discursive opportunity to explore module content facilitated by a lecturer.
Simulation
Simulation can bridge the gap between classroom learning and clinical experience. The use of simulation can be found within the patient assessment sessions where a variety of scenarios are discussed and your clinical reasoning is explored.
Communication cafe
It is very important to us that our students feel like they belong to their course - one way we do this is via the communication café. The course leader is available to meet with students an hour before class to answer questions or just to chat and get to know each other.
This is a valuable time to meet and make connections with other students and the course leader. It is also an opportunity for you to make friends and develop a sense of belonging.
The cafe discussions are often around shared experiences where fellow students offer solutions. Past returners who have regained their NMC pin often join us, offering the opportunity for you to hear about their journey back to practice.
Entry requirements
Application are only accepted from nurses who have been registered as nurses with the NMC. If you are wanting to return to Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN), you must have held a SCPHN qualification.
If you are taking the NMC Test of Competence please do not apply before you have your results.
Nurses from the European Union who have their qualification accepted by the NMC, must provide the NMC decision letter.
Statement of Entry
Places for our RTP programme are limited and therefore only fully completed applications will be considered for interview. You can download a pdf copy of your Statement of Entry on the NMC website.
We do not offer
- a return for nursing associate
- a return to midwifery
- a return to prescribing
- a return to learning disabilities.
Applicants with Conditions of Practice orders or returning following a Striking-Off Order
If you have Conditions of Practice Orders or are returning following a Striking-Off Order you must declare this as part of your application. This will not prevent you from being offered a place on our programme, but not declaring a Conditions of Practice Orders or a Striking-Off Order will.
If you have Conditions of Practice Orders or returning following a Striking-Off Order, we require you to upload a copy of the NMC decision letter.
International applicants
Non-UK applicants need to be working in the UK in an appropriate care environment for at least six months prior to starting the course. This is in addition to the requirement to have been previously registered as a nurse with the NMC.
Computer requirements and skills
Hardware and access to internet
To participate in this course you’ll need a PC or Mac with a webcam and microphone, and internet access. Read more about suggested hardware requirements. The Ofcom website also has some useful guidance on improving your internet speed, if you feel this may present a barrier to learning online.
Searching for information online
Being able to conduct research using a variety of online tools is important to succeeding on this course. The university library website provides a useful guide to searching literature online.
Using email
Email is the primary method of communication between the university and you. Being able to use email comfortably is important, including being able to send attachments and organise your inbox.
At the University of Brighton students are provided with a Microsoft 365 Outlook email account. The university does provide online training for students once they start a course, but meanwhile you may wish to consult Microsoft’s online guidance if you need to brush up your skills.
Using Microsoft Office
Using applications such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint will be crucial to completing assignments. The university provides all students with a licence to Microsoft Office 365, ensuring you have access to the tools you need. If you already have access to these tools, you may wish to brush up your skills, such as:
Using Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is how you’ll join live teaching sessions in a virtual space. If you’ve never used Teams before don’t worry - experience with other web-conferencing tools such as Zoom or Skype will help. You might not have access to Microsoft Teams yet, but you may want to view some of the Teams online guidance available to give you an idea of what to expect.
Using My Studies and My Brighton
My Brighton brings together everything our students need in one place. Learn more about My Brighton.
My Studies is a secure online space for students which provides access to learning materials, assessment and other study-related content. There’s also a range of collaborative tools for sharing information, as well as signposting to other University of Brighton services, such as libraries. You won’t have access yet – but you can read more about My Studies on our website.
The application process
Alongside your application form you will need to complete a form to ensure we are able to secure you a suitable placement - this document is required before an offer of interview will be granted. The form and further details can be found in the placements section.
If you are taking the NMC Test of Competence please do not apply before you have your results.
Places for our RTP programme are limited and therefore only fully completed applications will be considered for interview. You can download a pdf copy of your Statement of Entry on the NMC website.
All applicants outside of the UK need to be working within an appropriate care environment 6 months before they can apply.
Employment history
We need your full employment history including dates and details of employment breaks.
Qualifications
Please detail the dates, grades and types of qualifications you hold.
You must upload a copy of your Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) statement of entry or of its lapse.
If you do not have a copy you can create an account and download a copy on the NMC website.
References
You must provide the contact details for two referees.
It is desirable for one of the references to be from a recent employer. The employer referee must use an organisational email rather than a personal one. Please contact your referees to ensure that they are able to support your reference request and ask that they provide their reference promptly.
If you need further guidance on the supply of references, please email RTPNursing@brighton.ac.uk
International applicants
Non-UK applicants need to be working in the UK in an appropriate care environment for at least six months prior to starting the course. This is in addition to the requirement to have been previously registered as a nurse with the NMC.
Personal statement
Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to share with the RTP team your nursing journey. The statement should be approximately 500 words, and should cover the following points:
- when you last nursed as a registrant
- the field of practice you are returning to (Adult, Child, Mental Health)
- If you are intending to return to SCPHN (only available to those who have held this professional qualification)
- year when your registration lapsed
- if you have Conditions of Practice Orders or are returning following a Striking-Off Order
- why now is the time that you wish to return to registered nursing
- how the skills you have been developing whilst you have not been nursing are transferable to nursing
- where you would like your placement to be - indicate the type of nursing practice and the organisation ie NHS trust or the independent sector.
Applying through our online portal
- Login or create new account
- Type of course: select undergraduate
- Mode of Study: select part-time
Then either
- type 'return to practice' in the keyword box
or
- select School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences from the school drop down menu
Return to Practice (part-time) should appear in the search results and you can then select the course and your chosen start date.
Computer requirements and skills
As the courses include online learning you will also need to meet certain computer requirements and skills to secure a place – please see previous tab for further information.
We will send you a questionnaire to assess this after we have received your online application.
Fees and funding
NHS England fund Return to Practice courses for applicants who live within England.
If you find your own placement and apply for our course, NHS England will pay the course and placement fees. You'll receive £1,000 to help cover any childcare, travel and book costs.
Some organisations offer an employment route and fund their employees to return to the nursing register. In this instance the placement fee and the £1,000 will go to the employer.
Funding from NHS England is not available if you live outside of England.
Please contact us at RTPNursing@brighton.ac.uk if you do not reside in England and would like information on fees.
Professional accreditation
Our Return to Practice courses are accredited by the NMC.
- Module NA6117 – Returning to Practice for Nursing (20 credits)
- Module NA6106 – Returning to Practice (more than one filed of nursing) (40 credits)
- Returning to Field of Practice and Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (40 credits)
Career opportunities
Successful completion of the Return to Practice module will make you eligible to renew your registration with the NMC and return to nursing as a registered nurse.
Whilst the module does not guarantee employment most returnees have been successful in gaining a job soon after completion of their course.
In this short NHS film returners discuss their journey back to nursing.
Student views
We asked our current Return to Practice students to share some words of wisdom about studying on the course.
“Just turn up, you can do it”
“It has been wonderful to resurrect some of my knowledge from the past, you think you've forgotten everything but it's still in there! The course lecturers are always available for a chat and no question is silly. The Practice Assessment Document can be overwhelming but just keep reading it. I am so excited about the next chapter in my career and have realised that with some time away (and life experience), I am loving learning again. Thank you to all involved!”
“Due to COVID and its complications of daily life, I've found this a challenging course, however I've learnt so much about myself and although there have been times I've struggled, I think I'll come out of it a stronger person and as a competent professional. Everyone on the course was supportive, kind and professional”
“Do it and don't be too afraid to leap into the abyss! You WILL be supported. Try to secure your own placement and start working there as HCA beforehand if at all possible. Be proactive in securing your experiences in placement. Be prepared to have an intense few months, so prioritise and put things to one side that can wait till later”
“Have faith in yourself. It seems monumental at the start but it gets easier. Our journey of learning as a nurse is just starting and doesn't end when the course does. You won't know everything when you get your pin back and that's ok. As long as you know your strengths and weaknesses and where to get information or help when you need it. Your passion to nursing is more important and will lead you to the find the answers.”
“Although the RTP course is intensive, the module lead and the team are incredibly supportive and very keen to ensure that you succeed in this course. There are additional online courses such as safeMedicate and Skill.net to support our learning and development. Importantly, it is fun and stimulating for adult learners.”