Nursing

Healthcare providers across Scotland can benefit from the OU’s unique open-access programmes which enable their staff to become nurses.

Helen Kafantari Maciver at Western Isles Hospital. Photo by Leila Angus. Staff at all NHS Boards in Scotland can participate in the OU Future Nurse programme. The funded programme includes routes for those already working in healthcare support worker roles to become registered nurses.

We also work in partnership with employers in the independent healthcare sector to help them to develop their staff.

OU students can remain in employment to ‘earn as they learn’ and employers can retain their workforces.

OU Future Nurse Programme - Pre-Registration Nursing Degrees:

Bachelor of Science (Honours) Nursing degrees - can enable healthcare support workers to become nurses.

These degrees are approved by the Nursing Midwifery Council and all four fields of nursing practice are offered: adult, mental health, learning disability, and children and young people.

Places are funded by the Scottish Government and the OU’s open access ethos and distance learning approach means that the university is open to everyone, regardless of qualifications or location; no qualifications are required for most OU courses and students can study where and when suits their lives.

Nursing does have minimum numeracy and communication skills requirements which are set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The OU Future Nurse Programme has one intake date, in October of each year, with applicants needing to undertake a full recruitment process. This process commences at the beginning of each calendar year.

2025 entry

Our programme information booklet (.pdf, 355KB) has information on the programme, including the entry requirements and how to apply for October 2025.

Please note that all applicants must have achieved the equivalent of SCQF Level 5 in Literacy (English) and Numeracy (Maths) and be able to provide evidence of this at the time of application. The programme information booklet provides more information on this including how to check if you have achieved them, and ways to achieve them if required.

Applications will open in Spring 2025. To ensure that you receive updates on the programme, please complete the enquiry form within Section 14 of the programme information booklet.

Certificate and Diploma:

Courses suitable for healthcare workers also include:

Certificate of Higher Education in Healthcare Practice - this standalone qualification could be a stepping-stone on the healthcare support worker career framework, or to the OU Future Nurse degree programme.
Diploma of Higher Education in Health and Social Care - for those looking to develop their career within a healthcare support worker role but not looking to go on to the OU Future Nurse degree programme.

Employers can sponsor their students for this range of qualifications. Other potential financial support options are on our fees and funding page, including the part-time fee grant for undergraduate students with personal incomes of less than £25,000.