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Degree-only nursing course approved

The University of Southampton has hailed an 'historic moment' after the Nursing and Midwifery Council gave it the green light to train all its nursing students to degree level.

It makes the university the first in England to put in place an all-graduate system ahead of new UK standards imposed by government. It was announced in November 2009 that from 2013 nobody aiming to become a nurse will be able to do so without a degree in a bid to increase patient care standards.

The nursing and midwifery regulator has said Southampton can put that in place from September after it complied with tough criteria to make sure the teaching programme is top-quality.

Professor Jessica Corner, dean of the faculty of health sciences, said: "This is an historic moment for nursing - we have been pressing for this for a very long time. From September we will be preparing a new generation of nurses for the NHS.

"Nurses now require a high level of technical competence, clinical knowledge and decision-making skills in addition to their more traditional caring role. By qualifying to degree level, our graduate nurses will have the range of skills they need to deal with the challenges of modern nursing."

The university has been producing trained nurses with degrees for more than 20 years, with South Central Health Authority commissioning each place. Its degree-only offering will be up and running before the Government deadline and the first of its BSc graduates will leave in 2012.

Southampton University also asked its staff and students, as well as members of the public, the give feedback on the content of its new nursing courses so that the views of future patients and their families could be incorporated.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Original article: http://www.nursinginpractice.com/article/24559/Degree-only_nursing_course_approved