IM0628 - Health Improvement for Nurses Working Across Diverse Environments

What will I learn on this module?

This module occurs in semester 1 of the BSc Nursing Science Programme.

There are three domains of public health practice: ‘health protection’; ‘health improvement’; and ‘health services’. During this module you will explore public health under two of these domains: ‘health improvement’ and ‘health services’. You will come to appreciate that improving health requires nurses to work with individuals, families, communities and professionals from a range of disciplines within and outside the health sector. To achieve this you will critically analyse the roles of different professionals so that you understand how this can strengthen your patient-centered care and support your delivery of health improvement projects relevant to your area of practice.

This module aims to develop: understanding of fundamental public health concepts; critical awareness of key public health issues; and consolidate assessment, communication, including solution focused therapy, multi-professional team working, and evaluation skills relevant to nurses who engage in public health practice.

On this module you will explore the following topic areas:

*Health improvement. You will research the information you need to describe the health status of your service population and profile their health needs. You will study screening, the practical application of health promotion approaches, and the role of advocacy and solution focused therapy in promoting health and wellbeing. This will equip you to help people make healthy choices, reduce health inequalities, and prevent people dying prematurely.


*Health services. You will examine negotiation of health promoting projects, including managing meetings and promoting effective multi-professional team working across agencies. By focusing on reducing health inequalities you will consider how clinical audit can identify ways of improving services or patient outcomes.

How will I learn on this module?

Varied evidence based learning and teaching approaches will be used that recognise and support different learning styles: they will include face-to-face, self-managed and electronic learning.

Face-to-face learning will include lectures that will be paired with exploratory seminars and scenario-based practical workshops. For example, practice-based scenarios will be used to develop your understanding of multi-disciplinary team working and different professional roles to enable you to strengthen your patient-centered care. The seminars will develop a range of transferable skills using an enquiry based learning approach. These skills will include: cognitive mapping; presentation and exploration of material; sharing perspectives; and working with others.

The module also encourages you to take responsibility for your own learning. Self-managed learning will include private study of indicative reading, use of extensive library provision, enquiry-based learning and electronic learning.

The Electronic Learning Portal will provide a range of learning objects such as web links, journal pdf documents, quizzes, video and audio material, and PowerPoint presentations of the module’s key lectures. Scenario-based collaborative exercises will be used to simulate multi-professional working. In addition, the electronic reading lists will highlight to you the texts that will be of use in supporting your journey on this module.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

Academic support of your learning will be provided by the module team. You will be allocated a module tutor who will provide individual support that aims to promote your academic development as an enquiry-based, problem-solving learner. These skills are considered important because they are directly transferable to your public health practice. During the module seminars and practical workshops your peers on the Nursing Science Programme will also be able to provide you with feedback and support as many of the activities aim to facilitate sharing and discussion with one another. Your Guidance Tutor (GT) will support you throughout the whole programme but can also support you with academic work if required.

Your module tutor will support the development of your own unique concept map which you will present for your formative and summative assessments. Your concept map will chart your learning as you journey from the beginning of the module through to your formative and then summative presentations. Scenario based seminars and practical workshops will provide you with ongoing supported opportunities to develop your concept maps. You will also develop your maps as part of your self-managed learning.
.
From the start of the module the process of developing your concept map will be supported by a dedicated full day workshop, a video cast on blackboard, and an e-guidance booklet that will describe concept mapping in relation to your formative and summative assignment requirements. Your formative assessment will require you to present your evidence-based concept map to your peers and module tutor. They will provide you with formative feedback on how you can refine your map’s academic content, its visual clarity and your verbal presentation. Your module tutor will be one of two summative assessors to whom you will present your completed concept map. Your presentation will be video recorded for assessment moderation purposes and for your own learning. You can write prompts or a script to support your formative and summative presentations. They can be written in your primary language and will not be assessed. For each presentation you will be allowed a maximum of 20 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and discussion.

Sessions to support your English Language study skills will run alongside this module. There is a dedicated team of lecturers who aim to support and develop the academic learning and writing of students who do not have English as their first language. The library runs a Skills Plus service that provides helpful electronic and hard copy guidance to support many aspects of your learning and writing within this module.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding:
MLO 1. Demonstrate a practice-based understanding of how multi-disciplinary working, working with service users, clinical audit, health status and health needs profiling can enable you to identify a health improvement issue.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
MLO 2. Develop a plan to address this issue showing that you are able to identify relevant ethical issues and that you can engage individuals, families, or communities towards reducing a health inequality or preventing premature death.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA)
MLO 3. Describe how your participation in the seminars and practical workshops has contributed to your understanding of ethical practice, solution focused therapy, the process of negotiation, conducting meetings and team working.

How will I be assessed?

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
You will present your completed concept map to your module tutor and one other examiner. They will mark your concept map and its presentation against specific criteria expressed on a dedicated Concept Map Assessment Grid. Your presentation will be video recorded for assessment moderation purposes and for your own learning. You can write prompts or a script to support your presentation. They can be written in your primary language as they will not be assessed. You will be allowed a maximum of 20 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and discussion.

You will map:
1.. Reflections on how your participation in the seminars and practical workshops has contributed to your understanding of ethical practice, solution focused therapy, negotiation, conducting meetings and team working. (MLO 3)

2. How multi-disciplinary working, working with service users, clinical audit, health status and health needs profiling can enable you to identify a health improvement issue and address any ethical issues that arise. (MLO 1, MLO 2)

3. A plan to address this health improvement issue showing that you are able to identify and engage individuals, families, or communities towards reducing a health inequality or towards preventing premature death. (MLO 2)

( MLO 1, 2, 3) (100%)


FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
From the start of the module and throughout its course, you will capture your learning of specified formative seminar and practical session activities by creating your own unique evidence-based concept map. It will explore key areas of learning that reflect the module learning outcomes. Its discussions will be supported by citing relevant published evidence.

Your formative assessment will require you to present your evidence-based concept map to your peers and academic coach. They will provide you with formative constructive feedback on how you can refine your map’s academic content, its visual clarity and your verbal presentation. You will not receive a mark for your formative assessment. Your presentation will be video recorded for assessment moderation purposes and for your own learning. You can write prompts or a script to support your presentation. They can be written in your primary language as they will not be assessed. You will be allowed a maximum of 20 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for questions and discussion.

You will map:
1. Reflections on how your participation in the seminars and practical workshops has contributed to your understanding of ethical practice, solution focused therapy, negotiation, conducting meetings and team working. (MLO 3)

2. How multi-disciplinary working, working with service users, clinical audit, health status and health needs profiling can enable you to identify a health improvement issue and address any ethical issues that arise. (MLO 1, MLO 2)

(MLO,1, 2, 3)

Pre-requisite(s)

N/A

Co-requisite(s)

N/A

Module abstract

During this module you will explore how you can develop your practice, within your own unique service setting, so that you can empower the people you care for to make healthier choices. You will explore the type of information you need to describe the health status of your service population so that you can produce a profile of their health needs. By focusing on reducing health inequalities you will consider how clinical audit can help you find ways of improving services or patient outcomes. Skills you will develop include negotiation, the ethical development of health promoting projects, managing meetings and promoting effective team working. In addition you will explore the role and art of advocacy and solution focused therapy in promoting health and wellbeing. Such knowledge and skills will enable you to contribute to reducing health inequalities and to the prevention of people dying prematurely.

Course info

Credits 20

Level of Study Undergraduate

Mode of Study 1 year Full Time

Department Nursing, Midwifery & Health

Location Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University

City Newcastle

Start September 2025

Fee Information

Module Information

All information is accurate at the time of sharing. 

Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.  

Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.

 

Useful Links

Find out about our distinctive approach at 
www.northumbria.ac.uk/exp

Admissions Terms and Conditions
northumbria.ac.uk/terms

Fees and Funding
northumbria.ac.uk/fees

Admissions Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/adpolicy

Admissions Complaints Policy
northumbria.ac.uk/complaints