Department of Health
School of Health, Sport and Food
Welcome to our Department of Health
Thank you for taking the time to come and check out what we offer at University College Birmingham, the highest ranking university in the region as voted by students at the 2023 Whatuni Student Choice Awards. Our student support is award-winning too, as is our provision for international students.
If you are looking at joining us to carve out a career in health or nursing, from working on emergency wards to mental health services, here is a glimpse into our student and staff community - and the placements and enrichment we offer - to see if we are the right choice for you.
Professor Kathryn Riley
Director of Nurse Education
Welcome from Professor Kathryn Riley
As a person making huge decisions about their future, you have made a great choice in considering us to give you a university education you can be proud of and that leads to a rewarding career in health and nursing.
All degrees within our department are approved by the professional regulators, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). But more than that, they have been written in partnership with local healthcare providers and service users from the region, fully preparing you for your first role as a registered healthcare professional.
There’s so much to look forward to if you decide to join us. Excellent teaching, placements and career opportunities, and training in world-class facilities, including an incredible health simulation suite. Read on to find out all our exciting news, including being shortlisted in the Student Nursing Times Awards.
*Kathryn worked clinically for 16 years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham before moving into education
“This is a university with incredible facilities and student-centred staff. And that includes myself – you are always welcome at my informal ‘Talk with the Dean’ sessions, your chance to say what’s going well and what we can improve on.”
What’s happening
Shortlisted for best student experience in national nursing awards
University College Birmingham has been shortlisted for Best Student Experience in the national Student Nursing Times Awards…
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Mental health nursing degree launched to meet shortage of frontline workers
University College Birmingham has invested in a raft of cutting-edge technology to support students on its new ment…
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"Authentic" hospital placement wins at Student Nursing Times Awards
An "authentic" hospital placement opportunity available to University College Birmingham nursing and physiotherapy students…
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Accelerated apprenticeship to turn nursing associates into full practitioners
A brand new accelerated degree apprenticeship to train nursing associates working everywhere from emergency wards…
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Nursing associate apprenticeship offers specialist skills boost for health sector
A new apprenticeship programme at University College Birmingham is set to provide a boost for the health sect…
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Nursing placement news
What an exciting year it's been for our nursing students on placement!
- First years learned medical and surgical care in acute trusts and in the community, and had exposure to adult patients with mental health and learning disability care needs. Some were involved in the award-winning Student Led Clinical Learning Environment ward project at Solihull Hospital, which won best placement at the 2022 Student Nursing Times Awards.
- Second years learned about the provision of 'Person-Centred Care’ across lifespan, and how to provide care for adults in critical care, accident and emergency environments, theatres and acute wards.
- Third year nursing students select a specialist placement. Areas this year have included a placement within the prison service, gynaecology and sexual health, palliative care, cardiac care and district nursing.
- Prior to Registered Nurse qualification, students spend 14 weeks on their 'transition to professional practice' placement, which provides an opportunity for them to be assessed leading and managing care for a small number of students and demonstrating their developing teaching and supervision skills to other students and healthcare support workers.
Physio placement news
- Our physio students start placements in the second year and this year's cohort have worked in cardio-respiratory wards, rehabilitation units, football clubs, acquired brain injury units, community physiotherapy and out-patient clinics.
- Students have developed their own patient clinic, run by students with a lecturer educator. They assess and provide treatment plans for the community, staff and students with lower musculo-skeletal conditions, including ankle, knee, calf strains and other injuries.
Building communication, teamworking, leadership, management and patient assessment skills, it's all excellent experience for working as a registered physiotherapist in the future.
We are proud to offer work-based qualifications through apprenticeships in the professional areas of nursing, nursing associates and assistant practitioners in partnership with employers such as University Hospitals Birmingham, Cygnet Healthcare and Health in Justice. And we now work with Polaris Medical private ambulance providers on an apprenticeship around paramedic science. A really exciting time to be one of our apprentices!
Stephen Garvey
Deputy Dean (Teaching, Learning and Digital)
School of Health, Sport and Food
Meet Stephen Garvey
My role is to ensure we stay at very forefront of progress across the education sector and across industry, building innovative technology and skills such as immersive virtual reality into your educational experience.
We are committed to providing face-to-face teaching as we know students value this quality time with their lecturers and fellow students. But to support your academic studies, we also have a sophisticated lecture capture system that provides accessible recorded lectures, where possible.
We are very proud of the exceptional and sustained record of teaching excellence we have in the provision of our vocational educational experiences, and the future-focused curriculum we have to offer you.
*Stephen is a registered dietitian with a background in research
Our teaching and learning
Whether you are studying nursing or physiotherapy, our aim is simple - to turn you into a stand-out professional. Since we launched our degrees in these fields, we have earned a reputation for the highest quality courses and a learning experience that sets us apart from bigger universities.
Our degrees are designed to develop you personally and professionally, with graduate advantage, employability and enrichment sessions threaded throughout the curriculum, sitting alongside really interesting theory modules. Our partnership with the University of Warwick, a top-ranking Russell Group university, also brings extra opportunities including access to guest speakers and additional resources.
Theory
Our courses are developed and taught by experienced lecturing staff, who are also registered nurses or physiotherapists. This means they can draw on their clinical expertise and years of experience to make scenario-based discussions, debates and concepts come to life, supporting the linking of theory to practice.
You will learn so much from our lecturing teams, who are passionate about their profession and eager to inspire and nurture the next generation of healthcare professionals.
We also have many invited guest lecturers and service users from practice participate in our courses, sharing their knowledge and experiences to enhance your learning.
Students also have a lot to bring and as a team, we will also learn a lot from you! We encourage you to share your perspectives and viewpoints, especially when reflecting on your own life and placement experiences.
Practical
Placements are key to success as employers want you to have real experience. We have excellent links with our healthcare placement provider organisations across the region, so we can allocate you to a diverse range of placements including hospital trusts, community, care home, private, voluntary and independent settings.
This exposure to different learning environments opens opportunities for you when you qualify. And you will receive simulation-based education in our excellent Health Skills and Simulation Suite and anatomy skills teaching rooms at our award-winning Moss House.
Support
Our support is exceptional, so much so, our students voted to make us the winner of the Student Support award at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2022.
Throughout your studies, you will not only have a personal tutor, but a link tutor during placements and module leaders to support you through academic modules. And we have a whole range of additional support services available, providing you with as much or as little support as you need to succeed in your degree. Our smaller teaching groups enable all students to grow and flourish, with strong peer support and friendship.
Our Learning and Teaching Strategy 2021-24 is key to how we approach the educational journey, focusing on three main pillars that set out our commitment to your learning and teaching experience while you are studying with us.
- Pillar 1 – Provide accessible and inclusive teaching and learning across a wide range of vocationally-led courses
- Pillar 2 – Develop next generation opportunities and skills through innovative, future-focused curriculum and pedagogy
- Pillar 3 – Shape local and global sectors, promoting sustainable futures and global citizenship
Read our Learning and Teaching Strategy
Our students
Kevin Shenouda
Kevin picked University College Birmingham for his Physiotherapy degree after a twist of fate inspired him to pursue a rewarding career in rehabilitation
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Ingrid Waite-Moncrieffe
Ingrid always wanted to be a nurse, but felt daunted after years of being out of education. Enrolling on our nursing degree, she is now making her dreams come true.
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Michael Blackham
Spurred on by the pandemic, former skincare specialist Michael enrolled on our brand new nursing degree, undertaking an “exhilarating” hospital placement in his first year.
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Gabriella Drysdale-Reid
Gabriella was working as a dental nurse when she realised her true calling and hasn't looked back since starting University College Birmingham's adult nursing degree.
Read moreNursing and physio facilities
Our university facilities were shortlisted in the 2022 Whatuni Student Choice Awards and include a health skills and simulation suite with replica hospital ward complete with simulation manikins. There is also an immersive technology video wall powered by the very latest virtual reality equipment – more on this soon.
For physiotherapy (and nursing) students, our Anatomage table is a full-size e-cadaver to enhance anatomy and physiology lessons through visual exploration of all the layers of the body, organs and body systems. You can zoom in/out to view the body parts at cellular level or full-size.
Our courses
Health T-level
Get the foundation of skills and knowledge you need for a future career in health care by studying our T-level course. Gain a nationally-recognised qualification equivalent to…
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Access to Higher Education Diploma (Social Science and Health)
If you are considering nursing or working within the Health sector, the Access to Higher Education Diploma combines building you…
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Pre-Access to Higher Education Certificate (Skills in Health)
Interested in returning to study related to the health sector, but don’t yet meet the entry requirements for Level 3 courses? Our…
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Nursing (Adult) BSc (Hons)
Dream of becoming a nurse? Featuring multiple placements and supported by our outstanding facilities, this innovative course will prepare you for a rewarding career…
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Nursing (Mental Health) BSc (Hons)
Start your journey towards a rewarding career in mental health nursing. Our NMC-accredited course will prepare you for entering this sector through extensiv…
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Physiotherapy BSc (Hons)
Kick-start a career as a physiotherapist by studying our Physiotherapy degree. This course will give you advanced training to diagnose and rehabilitate across a range…
Read moreMeet your lecturers
Sarah Darling
I have been a registered nurse for the last 24 years working in acute medicine, accident and emergency, cardiology and general surgery.
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Shannon Smalling
I have been a registered physiotherapist for 6 years, specialising in MSK physiotherapy within the NHS and private organisations.
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Kathryn Riley
I worked clinically for 16 years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, in Renal Medicine and Haemodialysis, and then moved into Nurse Education for 12 years.
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Stephen Garvey
I have had a varied career initially training as a chef, completing an NVQ in Catering, Hospitality and Restaurant Supervision and Professional Cookery. I’ve worked in a range…
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Helen Eldridge
As a mental health nurse with more than 20 years of experience, programme lead Helen is eager to share her wealth of knowledge for working in this field.
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Sarah Smith
After qualifying in 2003, the majority of my clinical work has been in large, acute hospitals in the North and West Midlands, most recently, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingha…
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We look forward to seeing you on campus
As you prepare to join us, here's a refresher on some of the essentials: