Qualified in Specialty (QIS)
It is a requirement that Neonatal Units of all designations meet a minimum staffing level of 70% of their Registered Nursing workforce be Qualified in Speciality and that staff attend accredited courses to become so.
In the West Midlands, we are well served with courses aimed to provide this level of education.
We have 3 partner HEIs with whom we work to ensure courses are delivered regularly, are cost-effective, time efficient, and have learning outcomes to ensure we have a knowledgeable and clinically competent workforce on completion.
National work is underway to ensure the standardisation of the QiS course, and both the Network and our HEI partners have been instrumental in helping deliver this work. Along with the HEIs, we have been ‘future-proofing’ our courses to best serve our Stakeholders going forward.
QiS begins with Foundation. The Network facilitate the delivery of the Foundations in Neonatal Care Course. This accredited module delivers the fundamental principles of neonatal care to Rn’s, RM’s, RNAs and AHPs. Utilising the resources of the whole Network and underpinned by our strategy of ‘Connections in Neonatal Care’, this 12-week Core 1 Module is delivered by the Network with academic accreditation from Keele University. (see Foundations in Neonatal care (QiS Core 1 for further details)
Yeilding either 15 Level 6 (undergrad) or 15 Level 7 (post-grad) credits, it is run twice a year, in March and September, and currently costs £250 per student.
2024 Intakes- 5th March and 17th of September.
Applications can be made using the appropriate portals below:
Applications need to be completed 6 weeks before the courses commence.
Additionally, Birmingham City University also delivers a Core 1 Module, ‘Fundamentals in Neonatal Care’ as part of their Neonatal offerings. This module can be undertaken by RN’s RMs and RNAs, either ‘stand-alone’ or as part of the wider whole QiS course. The modules run twice a year, Sept and December is10 weeks long and cost £820
Yields 20 credits at L6 or Level 7
Core 2 Modules, resulting in full QiS status, are also run at both Keele and BCU.
Both Universities deliver two intakes a year, offered at either L6 or L7
Keele- January and June, 15 weeks taught,30 weeks competency completion.
£2700 per student, but this includes a Provider NLS course embedded in the course content. Keele PFNIC Core 2
Yields 45 Credits at L6 or L7
Module Lead: Joanne Cookson
BCU- 27th November and 27th of February 2025. 20 weeks taught .30 weeks competency completion.
£1640 per Student.
Yields 40 Credits at L6 or L7.
Module Lead: Laura McGuire
Students MUST have completed either the BCU Fundamentals (Core1) Module OR the Network Foundations in Neonatal Care course to access the Core 2 Modules.
Coventry University also runs a ‘QiS’ course, but at the time of writing, little is known of course content and cost except it is taught at L6 only. It is understood that revisions are being made to bring the offering into line with the new proposed national standards. Information will be updated when it is made available to us.