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Imagine being able to calm the chaos of a busy ward with your expertise. A child’s hopeful smile as they find comfort in your care. The moment a patient takes their first steps toward recovery, knowing you’ve been there every step of the way. This is what being a nurse is all about — embracing moments of impact, resilience, and humanity.
Nurses are at the heart of meeting various healthcare challenges, and numbers have proven time and time again that there will never be such a thing as having too many. In the UK alone, 75% of people aged 75 and older are managing multiple long-term conditions, and rising numbers of those under 65 are facing chronic health struggles. Among children and young people, the situation is no less urgent: as of 2023, one in five individuals aged eight to 25 likely had a mental disorder.
It’s clear that addressing these challenges demands more than just more hands; it calls for highly skilled, advanced practitioners equipped to bring relief, hope, and expertise that reaches beyond the bedside.
Source: University of Liverpool – Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
This is where the University of Liverpool steps in. Its century-long legacy informs an MSc Nursing programme that evolves experienced nurses into clinical leaders, health innovators, and visionaries who can tackle the issues beneath these staggering numbers.
Developed with input from healthcare organisations and industry leaders, the programme provides in-depth learning across the four pillars of nursing: communication, leadership, education, and research. Optional modules allow focus on specific interests — from critical care to mental health promotion and managing the emotional toll of diagnosis. The School of Allied Health and Professional Nursing ensures interprofessional learning across all of its courses, in order to prepare students for the real world of work – mirroring the collaborative, multi-disciplinary nature of real-world healthcare teams. Therefore, some modules are mixed and nurses will learn alongside therapeutic radiographers, as an example.
Regardless of how you customise your experience or the opportunities you take on, you will gain a local and global perspective. This MSc encourages you to compare and contrast the professional environment of the NHS with service organisations and delivery in other countries.
“I wanted a degree that would be globally accepted, and the University of Liverpool is a member of the Russell Group,” shares student Cat Phillips. “We also have modules that are compulsory and modules that are optional as well, so there’s flexibility… You can pick what resonates with you and what you would like to do.”
This flexibility extends to the programme’s structure, allowing you to deepen your expertise on a schedule that suits your needs. Apart from offering part-time and exit award options, it is delivered through traditional lectures, interactive workshops, group projects, and self-directed online activities.
The University of Liverpool takes this commitment further with its specialised pathways to more niche areas of practice. For example, the Adult Nursing with Registered Nurse Status MSc is an intensive, two-year programme merging academic study with hands-on clinical practice.
It focuses on evidence-based care, leadership, and working within multi-disciplinary teams. Expect to gain experience across various healthcare settings, from inpatient wards to community services. Upon completion, you can apply for professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as an adult nurse.
The Mental Health Nursing with Registered Nurse Status MSc is an ideal choice if you are keen on leading compassionate, evidence-based practice in hospitals, community settings, and forensic environments. It will expose you to the latest mental health nursing practices and the real-world challenges of working with patients from all walks of life.
On this route, you will be immersed in clinical practice and expected to manage complex mental health needs, from crisis intervention to long-term care strategies. In the process, you will refine your clinical abilities and grow as a leader within the multidisciplinary teams you will soon be coordinating.
Source: University of Liverpool – Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Student Adeola Durodola is gearing up to do just that. Originally from Nigeria, she arrived in Liverpool in early 2022, transitioning from her previous role as a creche assistant to embrace a new path in mental health nursing. Thanks to Liverpool’s commitment to support, she could immerse herself in her studies, eventually winning the Thelma Ennis Year Two Prize — the highest achievement in her practical exam.
“I attribute my success to the support I received,” she says. “The university’s International Student Support Team was always available to answer any questions I had, and our tutors maintained open-door policies to support us. I also sought help from the university’s Finance Unit, our Academic Advisors, and my fellow students, which made the transition smoother.”
Looking ahead, Durodola plans to complete her preceptorship in the UK before continuing her professional journey in Australia, gaining additional qualifications and broadening her clinical experience. Ultimately, she aims to return to Nigeria and establish a nursing home in honour of her late father.
Just months away from completing her degree, she’s set to join the ranks of Liverpool graduates making meaningful strides in healthcare. MSc Nursing alumna Siwen Shen is a prime example. Now a clinical nurse at China’s Jiang Su Province Cancer Hospital, she credits her MSc for enhancing her critical thinking and clinical skills — abilities she believes “may save patients’ lives.”
Explore the University of Liverpool’s postgraduate Nursing courses.
