Why Choose Brunel
By Marjory Fish
Brunel offers Occupational Health (OH) students the opportunity of shared, evidence-based theory and practice learning with other Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (SCPHN) students for Health Visiting (HV) and School Nursing (SN). The course leads to registration on part 3 of the NMC Register. Brunel is one of the universities that is offering OH as part of the three SCPHN pathways simultaneously and has a long and successful track record in the education and training of the three pathways.
The simultaneous teaching is a demonstration of the existence of common, professional activities and skills that are considered essentially transferable in nature; whilst at the same time carefully preserving the identity and level of pathway specialist input as indicated in the NMC Standards of Proficiency SCPHN (2022). OH students learn about the physical, chemical, mental, environmental and ergonomic occupational health hazards and how to promote and maintain highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all types of occupations and workplaces. Students are in university 50% and practice 50%. Brunel offers a part-time course over two years with one day a week in university or full-time course with two days a week in university over one year.
Our expert lecturers are experienced OH SCPHNs with some still in practice as well as experts in other OH-related fields including Law. The lecturers possess many years of experience across different business sectors including oil and gas, construction, railways, the NHS and banking and finance amongst others. OH training at Brunel is within the rapidly growing College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (CHMLS). The information on CHMLS is available here.
Brunel’s CHMLS now has a growing portfolio which includes NMC approved pre-registration nurse training and a Brunel approved CPD course for clinical partners and collaborators who accept students on clinical placements. The growing portfolio enhances Brunel’s vision for the future of OH nurse training prior to, and beyond pre-nursing registration. The nursing leadership are currently part of a national project to open up OH for pre-registration nursing student placements. Post graduate diploma (PGDip) SCPHN students can now prepare for their dissertation (MSc) during the PGDip study for evidence-based advice or improvement of their OH student placement area.
To further develop the taught evidence-based OH knowledge, Brunel endorses the content and supports courses organised by The At Work Partnership (AWP), publishers of an OH journal and one of the leading providers of occupational health information and training. The lecturers take part in OH related networking platforms and forums to enhance their knowledge.
Brunel is proud to share a track record of employability and stability in employment of previous Brunel OH students of the last twenty years leading some large London NHS OH departments or are successfully self-employed in OH nationally.
Marjory Fish
SCPHN Lecturer, Occupational Health Module Lead
Occupational Health (OH) Lead on the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) course at Brunel University London. Module Lead for the SCPHN Different Fields of Practice and the MSc programme on Facilitating Learning and Teaching in Clinical Practice. Supervisor for OH MSc dissertation
Robert Gordon University Aberdeen Scotland
By Lynda Bruce
BSc in Occupational Health– a Two-year distance learning degree Programme.
Our curriculum covers a broad knowledge and understanding of theories, principles, and concepts relevant to occupational health (OH) including:
- Principles of Occupational health
- Workplace health risk management
- Health surveillance
- Workplace health promotion
- Mental wellbeing in the workplace
- Absence management
- Leadership
- Occupational Health Management
Overview of the course at:
BSc OH Detailed Module Information
Entry Requirements
The entry requirement for this programme will normally be a qualification as a health professional in a relevant topic, with a minimum of 240 credits at SCQF level 8 or equivalent. In addition, students are required to be working within occupational health practice part or full time. However, we are happy to discuss alternate access to learning options.
We are currently taking applications for the BSc Occupational Health 2023-2025 see link below. The course commences 18th Sept 2023.
Course Information
The course is available on a university database called Moodle. All the modules / course program is fully online and accessible to suit shifts / work pattern. The students work through each module at their own pace within a recommended timeline. There are formative exercises to complete and share on Moodle, the tutors provide feedback.
RGU offer virtual classroom sessions in the evenings. These sessions usually start at 7pm, (although some sessions especially with external speakers can last 2 hours) allow students face to face interaction with other students and tutors and provide opportunity for collaboration and engagement with external speakers as well as discussion of module content and time for assignment support. We record these sessions for anyone unable to attend.
Students are encouraged to participate in offline student groups through social media, so they have peer support.
There are eight modules in total over a two-year period allowing for summer break. Each module runs for roughly 7.5 weeks. The course commences annually mid -Sept 2023 and interviews started in January 2023. The last submission is usually late May followed by a summer break.
We anticipate that during each module (32 weeks annually) the student will require as a minimum 10-hour study time a week some employers will allocate study time.
RGU has three Occupational Health lecturers supported by other lecturers, associate lecturers and subject experts who offer additional insights.
The Academic programme begins with an invitation to a virtual orientation welcome meeting the week before the course commences at 7pm to meet the OH team.
Each student is allocated a personal tutor who will speak to each student at least once every term and additional appointments with any of the lecturers are always available. We use Microsoft TEAMS for communication.
If you have any queries. Please contact me Lynda Bruce at l.m.bruce2@rgu.ac.uk
Lynda Bruce
Occupational Health lecturer, NEBOSH trainer, Occupational Health Consultant
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