Employment FOCUS: Enhanced Learning
THE merger of the University of Paisley and Bell College in August not only created Scotland’s largest modern university, with over 18,000 students, but also the country’s largest School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery.
As a result, the university now has four campuses in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley. It now provides local access to Higher Education to 40 per cent of the population.
With this increased health-related expertise the university will now be able to enhance its provision of part time nursing and health training to those already working in the field.
Continuing professional development is a key theme in the health and nursing sectors and the extensive range of courses on offer reflects the latest developments within these areas.
At all campus sites, students will find a comprehensive range of clinically-relevant modules.
Students can choose from modules in the areas of cancer care, palliative care, critical care and psychological interventions. The strength of this provision is reflected in the fact that over 2000 students attended these courses last year.
No wthat the university has Service Level Agreements with the Clyde Division of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran and Dumfries and Galloway.
Getting underway in February at University Campus, Ayr, is Community Development in Primary Care, which gives students a better understanding of the relationship between community development and health care-services and howthe use of communitydevelopment can address inequalities in health. The importance of partnership working, community involvement and evaluation underpin this course.
In the same month over at the Paisley, Ayr and Dumfries campuses is Alcohol, Drugs: Policy and Prevention, which provides an introduction to the concept of harmreduction, but also examines the role and influence of education in the prevention of drug andalcohol use and misuse.
At Hamilton in January the Inter-professional Health Issues in Diabetes course gets started, which provides the practitioner with the skills to respond to this growing population of sufferers and present health promotion as a means of educating thepublic about the issues.
Starting at the same time at the same campus is a Complementary Therapies module, showing how non-conventional therapies aid health and interact with traditional therapies.
Heather Simpson, Vice Dean of the university’s School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery, said: "The flexibility of the our progammes means that in many cases students can build on existing qualifications or work experience, enabling them to develop theirskills to maintain a competitive advantage in the ever- changing health sector."
Further information on the School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery continuing professional development options is available from the university’s Centre for Lifelong Learning’s Health & Nursing Studies team on 0141-848 3656 or email hnsu@paisley.ac.uk
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