BSc Nursing Practice (CPD) / Course details

You may undertake this unit as part of the specialist cancer MSc or BSc degree pathways, or as a ‘stand-alone’ CPD unit.

The unit is predicated on an ethos of close collaboration between the University of Manchester and dedicated Breast Care Teams from both The Nightingale Centre and The Christie, with contributions from breast care specialists across the region.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with approximately 57,900 women and 400 men being diagnosed every year in the UK (CRUK, 2026). This equates to around 160 people a day. Indeed, 15 out of 100 (15%) of all newly diagnosed cancers in the UK are breast cancer (CRUK, 2026).

WHO (2025) estimates that in 2022, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 670,000 deaths globally. 7.8 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer. Breast cancer occurs in every country of the world in women at any age after puberty, with increasing rates in later life and a rising incidence in younger women.

It is widely recognized that breast disease often evokes feelings of fear and dread, giving rise to a range of psychological and psychosocial problems. There is a growing recognition that this cohort of individuals need support in adjusting to their diagnosis and accepting subsequent treatments. It is acknowledged that breast cancer nurses with appropriate training and expertise should be integral members of all MDT’s.

You will be given the opportunity to develop, extend and integrate your existing knowledge and skills in relation to the delivery of care to this client group. The unit will enable you to explore a range of issues affecting the organization and delivery of breast care across institutional and community settings, enhancing your knowledge and skills in relation to risk factors, screening and the facilitation of the therapeutic frame within nursing care; including critical consideration of MDT working, holistic symptom management and effective communication with individuals and families living with a breast disease diagnosis. Current and emergent treatment options, policy developments and research will be critically discussed alongside concepts such as assessment, personalised care, quality of life and supportive oncology.

Enable nurses working with individuals who have breast cancer:

• To develop and extend knowledge and skills in both the theory and practice of breast cancer care
• To improve interpersonal skills to detect and address psychological sequelae of breast disease
• To increase skills of reflection, analysis and critical enquiry into current issues relating to breast cancer care, including the evaluation of current research, policy guidance and protocols to promote optimal breast cancer care
• To recommend changes to enhance multi-disciplinary team working (MDT) and improve wider service provision for individuals living with breast cancer
   

The unit is delivered online via a combination of asynchronous lectures, directed study, problem-based and independent learning. Opportunities to participate in optional synchronous group discussion with speakers are offered each study day to recap and reflect on content, followed by dedicated tutorials – discussions are recorded so that students can access and revisit issues. Two synchronous days are timetabled for mandatory formative presentations in the final week of the unit.

A1: Critically analyse and evaluate the nursing role in gaining and applying the specialist knowledge and skills in relation to breast care practice.
A3: Critically examine the ethical, legal, political and professional issues and evaluate how they relate to the management of the individual with breast disease.
 

B1: Critically examine and reflect on the evidence in relation to psychological consequences surrounding a diagnosis of breast cancer.
B2: Critically appraise the concepts of health, holism, rehabilitation and palliation in the context of breast disease and evaluate their utility in breast care.

C1: Critically appraise their interpersonal competence and evaluate what benefit to patient care the acquisition of new skills may have.
C2: Critically analyse and evaluate the role of the nurse in relation to health education, promotion and early detection of breast disease.
 

D1: Critically appraise and evaluate how a research-based approach, which reflects a holistic philosophy of person-centred care, can promote high quality nursing interventions within a multiplicity of settings.
D2: Critically consider the role of teamwork including voluntary and statutory agencies and evaluate how this might provide an enhanced quality care for individuals.

Formative presentation and draft work feeding into summative case-study of 3,500 words

Students will normally have the opportunity to receive feedback on formative work submitted prior to the summative assessment. Other feedback opportunities will also be available in class and online discussion boards. Online feedback is provided in Grademark. Provisional feedback based on internal marking will be made available prior to the Exam Board on the basis that these marks are yet to be ratified at the Exam Board and therefore may be subject to change. A standard feedback mechanism in Grademark is utilised across all postgraduate programmes within the School which provides detailed and constructive feedback on each component and aspect of assessment and identifies areas of strength and those aspects which could be enhanced.

Student feedback is obtained through open discussion forums on Canvas, in class discussions, via formal University unit evaluation forms and also qualitative, in house evaluations at the end of the unit. 

Cox, C. L., Zumstein-Shaha, M. (Eds.) (2020) A Theory of Cancer Care in Healthcare Settings, Routledge, London.

Divan, A, Royds, J. (2020) Cancer Biology and Treatment, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Ellis, P. (2026) Evidence-based Practice in Nursing, Learning Matters, London.

Haynes, S.N., Meyer, L.H., Evans, I.M. (2022) A Breast Cancer Guide for Spouses, Partners, Friends, and Family: Using Psychology to Support Those We Care About, Routledge, New York.

Kissane, D. W., Bultz, B. D., Butow, P. N. et al (Eds.) (2017) Oxford Textbook of Communication in Oncology and Palliative Care, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

McCarthy, P., Loren J. A. (Eds.) (2020) Breast Cancer? Let Me Check My Schedule!, Routledge, London.

O’Riordan, L. (2025) The Cancer Roadmap, Harper Collins, London.

Pasqualini, J. R. (2019) Breast Cancer: Prognosis, Treatment and Prevention, CRC, London.

Payne, M., Greening, S., Owens, R., Shakir, R., Woodcock, V., Morris-Stiff, G. (2025) Oxford Handbook of Oncology, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Price, B. (2025) Delivering Person-Centred Care in Nursing, Learning Matters, London.

Rolling-Ferrell, B., Paice, J. A. (Eds.) (2019) Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Saunders, C., Jassal, S., Lim, E. (2019) Breast Cancer: The Facts, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Shin, J. A., Ryan, D. P., Jackson, V. A. (2022) Living with Breast Cancer, John Hopkins University, Maryland.

Steligo, K. (2023) The Complete Guide to Breast Reconstruction, John Hopkins University, Maryland.

Teplinsky, E. (2026) Beyond The Pink, Hachette Books, New York.

Watson, M., Kissane, D. W. (Eds.) (2020) Sexual Health, Fertility and Relationships in Cancer Care, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Weese, J. L. (2024) Breast Cancer: Multidisciplinary Pathways for Cancer Care in the Community, Elsevier, London.

Journals and Resources
Cancer Nursing Practice
European Journal of Oncology Nursing 
Clinical Breast Cancer 
npj Breast Cancer 
Breast Cancer BJN

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Breast Cancer Group)
RCN
https://www.rcn.org.uk/Get-Involved/Forums/Cancer-Forum/Research-and-Innovation

Breast Cancer Now 
https://breastcancernow.org/

Cancer Research
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/living-with/resources-books