Community Specialist Practitioner Apprenticeship

The Higher Apprenticeship programme is available full time (54 weeks) or part time (106 weeks).

Four pathways are available:

• District Nursing (DN)
• General Practice Nursing (GPN)
• Adult Social Care Nursing (ASCN)
• Community Children’s Nursing (CCN).

Each pathway has a distinct approach to its delivery; however, all share a more practice-focused delivery, with a 60/40 split between clinical practice and protected learning time at Northumbria University respectively. This will allow achievement of your 20% minimum Off The Job (OTJ) hours in line with apprenticeship standards.

Apprentices also benefit from integrated learning with fellow community specialist practitioner apprentices. This higher apprenticeship programme has been innovatively designed and co-produced with a vast range of stakeholders from all pathway routes in both health and social care, to truly reflect contemporary specialist practice needs and service provision requirements.

Full Time and Part Time Overview:

This higher apprenticeship programme is delivered both part time and full time. The full-time 54-week programme (plus 7 weeks incorporated annual leave entitlement) and the 106-week (2 years with 14 weeks annual leave incorporated) part-time programme will provide opportunities to develop your understanding of Community Specialist Practice and capitalize on opportunities for applied learning contextually relevant to your area of specialist practice.

Within your area of specialist practice (DN, GPN, ASCN or CCN), the higher apprenticeship programme adopts a distinctive work-based and teaching philosophy which places emphasis upon a balance of knowledge and skills development designed to deliver a tangible business or individual apprentice benefit. This will ensure as a specialist practitioner, you are suitably qualified to the standards required by the NMC (2022) for specialist practitioners in the community within your specific field of practice.

Higher Apprenticeship
- Postgraduate Diploma in Community Specialist Practice – District Nursing

The Specialist Practitioner Qualification - District Nursing is critical to effective team leadership and caseload management. District nurses are advanced autonomous practitioners who deliver and manage complex healthcare within the home based on need, and across a wide range of illnesses. They use management and risk skills to adapt to changing situations, case load management and care coordination, providing education to staff, patients and carers.

Higher Apprenticeship
- Postgraduate Diploma in Community Specialist Practice - Childrens Community Nursing

Community Children’s Nurses (CCN) are autonomous practitioners working collaboratively with infants, children, young people, and their families/carers ensuring health needs are supported and met in a variety of community settings.

Higher Apprenticeship
- Postgraduate Diploma in Community Specialist Practice - General Practice Nursing

A Specialist Practice Qualification General Practice Nursing (GPN) prepares the GPN to work autonomously addressing the complexities in prevention of ill health and promotion of wellbeing.

Higher Apprenticeship
- Postgraduate Diploma in Community Specialist Practice - Adult Social Care Nursing

Within adult social care settings (care homes, independent care provision, and care closer to home), nurses are normally the lead clinician, carrying a significant burden of responsibility for both clinical and holistic care of individuals.

Admission Requirements:

Admission onto a higher or degree apprenticeship can only take place if applicants are currently employed and their employer has a training agreement in place with Northumbria University.

Applicants should normally have:

• A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in any subject.
• Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and employed as a first level nurse.
• A valid UK driving license with…