Adult Nursing & Social Work

Adult nursing and social work is a dual-qualification degree that prepares you for registration in two distinct but deeply connected professions. Nurses and social workers serve many of the same client groups and work in the same care environments, yet they bring different but complementary knowledge, skills, and legal frameworks to their work. A nurse's clinical assessment and medical care expertise, combined with a social worker's ability to navigate statutory responsibilities and support complex social and family situations, creates a practitioner of unusual range and capability.

At Edge Hill you will study this four-year full-time programme, which leads to eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a qualified adult nurse and to apply to register with Social Work England as a social worker. This dual route is one of very few available at UK universities and it requires significant commitment: the programme is intensive, combining the full academic content of two professional degrees with clinical and practice placements in both nursing and social work settings. You will study human physiology, pharmacology, and nursing assessment alongside social policy, human development, law, social work theory, and the communication and reflective practice skills that both professions demand.

Graduates of this dual programme have a distinctive and unusual qualification that is valued across health and social care settings where integrated practice is the model. Roles in hospital and community settings, integrated care teams, mental health services, older adults care, and the interface between health and social care are all accessible. The dual qualification also gives graduates flexibility to practise primarily in one field while bringing the knowledge and perspective of the other.

Many graduates pursue specialist development in one profession after qualification, while others work explicitly in integrated roles that cross the boundary. Career prospects in both adult nursing and social work are strong and sustained.