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The Guernsey Institute continues to operate its full Bsc (hons) Nursing degree, despite recent news that the Institute’s HSCP course has closed.
Express spoke to the Executive Principal of the Guernsey Institute and the Head of the Institute of Health and Social Care Studies to better understand the difference between the two courses.
“The full nursing degree is a course that allows people to enter without any previous experience or training and leave with a degree,” said Jacki Hughes, Executive Principal.
“The HSCP course allows people to top up training that they already have.”
She said the HSCP course has been so successful that very few people need to undertake it anymore, and new entrants simply begin the full course.
Ms Hughes and Dr Tracy McClean (Head of the Institute) sought to clarify the difference after several answers to Rule 14 questions were published earlier this week.
In them, Deputy Heidi Soulsby received answers to questions about the HSCP course, revealing that the course would be stopped due to a lack of entrants.
She said: "I understand why the BA in Health and Social Care Practice is being run down. At the same time, I am unsure about the necessity of the master's degree... It would be good to know why this is considered necessary in order to progress in the organisation and whether this is standard practice elsewhere."
Dr McClean has since explained the rationale behind the masters degree: "I have held an external examiner post with five different universities over the past 2 decades. Over time it has become evident that fewer practitioners are undertaking degree level courses and more are undertaking masters level courses across the UK. Masters level study is a requirement for senior clinical, teaching and managerial posts within the nursing profession; providing an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, gain insight into the wider picture and perceive practice in a more strategic way.
"The masters course is very much linked with practice with the intention that the student not only develops themselves but also influences the quality of the service they deliver. The programme attracts learners across the health and social care professions and also learners from other sectors providing an opportunity for interprofessional learning which improves communications and relationships across the organisation."
The Guernsey Institute currently offers a fulling nursing degree, supported by a £19,000 bursary and paid tuition fees. Dr McClean said students also benefit from a wellbeing programme that runs in tandem with the degree.
345 nurses have passed through the programme in the last 25 years and 40 students are currently enrolled at the moment.
“The course provides an opportunity for us to have a steady pipeline of nurses coming through,” said Dr McClean.
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