The Dissertation module is a Year 2, 60 credit module of the Mental Health Nursing with Registered Nurse Status MSc Programme, delivered across semester 1 & 2. The module will provide students with the knowledge, skills, understanding and ability to expand their knowledge in an area of interest to themselves, and to be able to evaluate the evidence base which underpins their selected topic. The module aligns with the expectations outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the professional regulator for nurses, midwives and nursing associates in the UK. The NMC set standards of education, training, conduct and performance to ensure that nurses are educated to a high standard in order to deliver safe and effective care at the point of entry to the professional register (NMC, 2018). Available at https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/
The theory and skills taught in this module will introduce students to the professional context of identifying, examining and critiquing the evidence-base. The teaching approaches are designed to enhance students’ capabilities and capacity for self-direction and independent study. Learning and teaching will be delivered via synchronous and asynchronous sessions, engaging a mix of online and classroom-based activities which encourage skills acquisition, critical reflection and development of literature appraisal skills and capabilities. The total theory hours for this module will be no less than 440 hours.
A key focus of the approach for this module is individual supervision and support. Students will be allocated a supervisor who will help guide them in developing their desk-based research project, in the execution of their literature searches, and in the writing of the review and research proposal.
The assessments for this module will take the form of a literature review and a research proposal.