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Anaesthetic Practice

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  • Level of study:
    Professional
  • Entry Requirements:
    More information
  • Start date:
    Certificates: February
    PGDip: September
    BSc: September and March
    MSc: September
  • Duration:
    Certificate: 1 year part time; BSc: 2 years part-time; MSc: 2-5 years part-time
  • Attendance:
    Part-time
  • Course delivery:
    On-campus (Clifton Campus)
Medical bed

About this course

The Institute of Health and Allied Professions at NTU offers a comprehensive suite of continuous professional development (CPD) courses that have been designed and developed to meet the needs of the local health sector workforce.

The Anaesthetic Practice (post-registration) courses have been developed with have been developed with Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust critical care leads, alongside NTU colleagues from the Institute of Health and Allied Professions.

The principle aims for this course is to provide post-qualification continuing professional development pertinent to the students’ area of work and enhance the knowledge skills and values of staff within anaesthesia. These are core attributes required to develop and deliver a workforce, with the capabilities to deliver a safe and world-class service to anaesthetic / theatre patients.

This course offers the following qualifications. See the modules section below to see what you would study for each qualification.

  • Professional Certificate
  • Postgraduate Certificate
  • Postgraduate Diploma
  • BSc or BSc top-up
  • MSc or MSc top-up

Why do this course?

  • Tailor your learning experience

    to suit your professional development needs, with a range of qualifications available at different levels.

  • Benefit from collaborative course design

    with specialist colleagues from Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.

  • Learn from the experts

    at a university rated TEF ‘Gold’ for teaching and learning.

The course is aligned to the National Standards for British Anaesthetic and Recovery Nurses Association (BARNA) and the National Core Curriculum for Perioperative Nursing.

The course values are rooted in a commitment to practice excellence, and in the development and delivery of anaesthetic care by staff to patients. To enable this, the course is co-produced and developed with clear leadership from senior clinical experts and a focus of delivery in a clinical environment.

Therefore, the award and the associated CPD framework is a means by which individual anaesthetic practitioners, and the health service providers, meet and advance the standards of practice.

You will develop academic and practice skills and knowledge, utilising research, critically exploring evidence, and applying this learning to their professional practice as anaesthetic nurses.

The content will include theory on the physiology and  practice of caring for anaesthetic patients using a system based approach. The taught elements of the course will be via a variety of facilitative teaching techniques in order to address the differing learning styles of the students. These include, evidence based lecture style, scenario based learning and the inclusion of clinical skills simulation.. The learning environment and level of teaching will be the same for each level of study (post registration certificate, (level 6) or post graduate (level 7) The level of study and therefore attainment will be differentiated at assessment only, students will be assessed at either Level 6 or 7.

Student Nursing Times Awards 2026 Finalist

Nottingham Trent University was a finalist for Nurse Education Provider of the Year (post-registration) 2026.

  • student nursing times awards 2026 finalist badge

Module information

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll be studying throughout the course:

This is a Level 6 qualification.

Core modules

This is a Level 7 qualification.

Core modules

This is a Level 7 qualification.

In addition to your core modules, you will choose 30 credits of optional modules. Please note that the Research Ethics and Research Governance modules are 15 credits each, meaning you would need to complete both.

Core modules

Optional modules

This is a Level 6 qualification.

If you are completing the BSc top-up, you will not need to complete the first two modules.

Core modules

This is a Level 7 qualification.

In addition to your core modules, you will choose 30 credits of optional modules. Please note that the Research Ethics and Research Governance modules are 15 credits each, meaning you would need to complete both.

If you are completing the MSc top-up, you will not need to complete the first two modules.

Core modules

Optional modules

We regularly review our course content based on student and employer feedback to ensure they remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or availability in future years. Optional modules will only run where there is sufficient demand. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis to protect the academic and student experience.

How you're taught

Delivery Mode

The teaching strategy is multi-modal and adopts a blended approach, with a clear commitment to face-to-face teaching and learning supported by online learning materials, small group discussions, presentations and practical exercises. Lectures will develop students’ subject knowledge and understanding and will aim to build on previous learning.

Throughout the course, each module will encourage students to not only examine the knowledge and skills requirements for advanced and competent practice, it will also explore specific themes, based upon experiences in practice. In this way students will be able to integrate learning across the “theory and practice” divide and to emphasise the importance of the practice component. Where appropriate, learning on the course will be led and enhanced by the contributions of external professional staff with specialist expertise. This co-delivery of education will enable learners to benefit from both clinical and academic expertise to augment their learning and provides a symbiotic approach to professional development.

Clinical Area

Working in a Theatre/ Anaesthetic  setting is a compulsory component of the course to enable you to develop the necessary competencies required for the course. You will spend time in a variety of  clinical areas working with dedicated Clinical supervisors who will guide and develop your skills and knowledge and assess you in practice alongside other competent anaesthetic and theatre staff .

You will continue to work your standard shift patterns this will include unsociable hours including days, nights, weekends and bank holidays.

How you're assessed

  • Critical evaluation
  • Critical reflection
  • Case study analysis –
  • Skills stations –
  • Observations of practice - observations may be carried out by mentors, managers or peers depending on the level and context of the module
  • Multi Choice Questions (MCQ) -
  • Clinical Competency assessed against the National Standards for British Anaesthetic and Recovery Nurses Association (BARNA) and the National Core Curriculum for Perioperative Nursing – via portfolio.
  • Observed structured clinical examination (OSCE)
  • Academic presentation.

Entry requirements

UK students

Applicants will be registered nurses or healthcare professionals currently working in a theatre setting (if any doubt exists as to whether the clinical area will meet the clinical competency requirements a discussion should be held with the course lead regarding the possibility of a clinical placement )

  • Applicants for the Professional certificate must have a level 5 qualification, applicants for the Post graduate certificate must have a level 6 qualification or evidence of the ability to study at Level 6
  • Applicants should have at least 1 years theatre experience
  • Applicants must be supported by the managers and have an appropriate clinical supervisor to assess their competencies

To meet the course requirements you need to undertake 4-week placements in 11 areas (e.g., General, Urology, Trauma & Orth, Burns and Plastics, Obstetrics, Paediatrics, ED., etc.). If you have any queries about securing placements, you can speak to the course team once you have submitted your application. You should be supernumerary and work a total of 80.5 hours (7 long days) in each placement area. Whilst on the course you should be working the remainder of your hours in your own current place of work.

International students

Unfortunately this course is not available for international students.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

Fees for courses starting between September 2025 and March 2026.

  • ProfCert and PGCert - £2,700
  • BSc - £5,000
  • Postgraduate Diploma - £5,400
  • MSc - £8,100

Fees for courses starting between September 2026 and March 2027.

  • ProfCert and PGCert - £2,750
  • BSc - £5,100
  • Postgraduate Diploma - £5,530
  • MSc - £8,300

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.

This course is not suitable for applicants who require a student visa.

However, we do accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our Bachelors and Masters degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please see our information about international qualifications.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Your modules will point you to key textbooks and recommended reading. Many are available online, and in our libraries, but some students choose to buy their own copies. You’ll receive resource lists showing where to access eBooks, digital resources and physical copies. Our friendly Library team is always on hand to help you find what you need.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Campus and facilities

The purpose-built Health & Allied Professions (HAP) Centre is home to our world-class teaching, practice, research and scholarship in the Institute of Health and Allied Professions (IHAP).

Our self-contained, community-focused Clifton Campus has been designed to keep our students busy between lectures. Catch-up with your coursemates in the Pavilion’s barista café and Refectory; brainstorm group presentations in chic and stylish study spaces; enjoy some proper R&R in The Point, home of our Students’ Union. The campus also hosts the multimillion-pound Clifton Sports Hub, offering great options for everyone — whatever your interests, and however competitive you’d like to get!

You’re also right next to the bright lights of Nottingham — one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and one of Europe’s top 25. All through termtime, a dedicated on-campus bus service will get you to the heart of the action (and back) in under 25 minutes. You’ll find a city stuffed with history, culture, and well-kept secrets to discover at your leisure: enjoy lush green spaces, galleries, hidden cinemas and vintage shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night.

Take our virtual tour to get a real feel for the campus.

Applying

UK students

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can.

Download and complete our application form and return it to SOC.cpd@ntu.ac.uk. Please make sure you have read through the above course entry requirements carefully before you do.

This course is not open to international students

Keeping up to date

After you've applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process - so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder. You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU in our postgraduates’ guide.

Good luck with your application!

Please read our notes on the University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.

Apply now

International students

This course is not open to international students.

Application support

If you have any questions, just drop us a line – we’re here to help every step of the way. You can fill in our online form or give us a call on +44 (0)115 848 2999.

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