University of Plymouth Truro School of Nursing – The Knowledge Spa

Delivering BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health), BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health), and MNurs (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health and Mental Health) in Truro. In addition, Cornwall campus for dentistry students
The Knowledge Spa

The Truro School of Nursing allows you to become a nurse in Cornwall while feeling part of the bigger community in Plymouth, it’s the best of both worlds. I have learned and developed a wide range of nursing techniques right from the very beginning of the course, together with communication skills and academic knowledge. The academic side of the degree has taught me to be a critical thinker, and overall the course has helped me develop my organisational skills.

Aixa Cooper – BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health)

Our nursing campus in Truro

The University of Plymouth has a long-standing history of educating the health professionals of tomorrow. Based on the site of the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske, the Truro School of Nursing (Knowledge Spa) provides modern, high-quality facilities to ensure excellent delivery of health education and training.
The school intends to better serve students and placement partners in Cornwall by delivering excellent nurse education in an accessible location, as it enables students who are beyond the commuting distance to the Plymouth or Exeter campuses to enter onto select nursing programmes, without having to commit to long travel times. You will benefit from being part of a smaller cohort, which allows students to form a close-knit community.
Our students have provided feedback in the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS) the benefits of being part of a smaller co-hort.
“Smaller groups enabled better learning and more opportunities to work in groups. With lecturers being very supportive.”

Our courses

Learn more about the three nursing courses we offer at the Exeter School of Nursing, including:
  • course details
  • entry requirements
  • fees, cost and funding
  • how to apply.

Our courses

Smiling nursing student with elderly patient (full bleed)

BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health)

BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health) students in group work (full bleed)

BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health)

Nursing students

MNurs (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health and Mental Health)

The University of Plymouth offers a wide range of placement areas that can help broaden your choice of jobs if you are unsure what area to work in, as mental health offers a wide variety of employments.

Laura Jackson – BSc (Hons) Nursing (Mental Health)


Our facilities

Purpose-built clinical skills laboratories, including ward settings allow you to put your learning into practice in the most realistic surroundings possible. As a nursing student at Truro you will share, with medicine and dentistry students, modern lecture and seminar rooms, computer facilities and a modern health focused library; all the facilities you would expect of a first class university.

Knowledge Spa, Truro, Cornwall
The Knowledge Spa
Knowledge spa
The Knowledge Spa
Developing Professional Competence for non-graduate Social Workers ('Bridging Module') (Level 6) hero image 4

The Knowledge Spa

The Knowledge Spa is a state of the art, £14 million facility, opened in 2004 by HRH Prince Charles on the site of the Royal Cornwall Hospital. It was developed in partnership with the University of Plymouth’s Faculty of Health, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry and the NHS with a multimillion pound extension, incorporating the Peninsula Dental School, and is the base for our health courses in Truro.

The Knowledge Spa is the Cornwall campus for nursing and dentistry students, and is also home to the Truro Campus of the University of Exeter Medical School, as well the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust Departments for Learning and Development.

Nursing students at the Knowledge Spa Truro

Our teaching

Entrants into the school receive the same high quality teaching and curriculum as your peers in Plymouth, with all courses accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Our Truro School of Nursing features inter-professional learning, whereby you will learn clinical skills alongside medical students. You will have the opportunity to explore local projects in areas such as eHealth, improving health and wellbeing through technology.

Being based on the site of the Royal Cornwall hospital allows for a closer alignment of theoretical technical and in-practice learning, and gives a feel of being heavily involved in an NHS environment from the outset of your course. In addition, our close links to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and the private, voluntary and independent sector, ensure the enhancement of clinical expertise delivered throughout the programme. Clinical placements in these settings are an essential element of the programme and prepare students for nursing in the real world.

Truro nursing students are guaranteed placement opportunities in and around Cornwall, and not further afield.

Nursing student at the Knowledge Spa

Getting here

Knowledge Spa
Royal Cornwall Hospital
Treliske
Truro
Cornwall
TR1 3HD

By car
The easiest route to Cornwall is via the M5, and then continuing on the A30 or A38 via Exeter. It takes around 5 hours from London to Truro. Sat nav ref: TR1 3HD

By rail
The regular train service from London Paddington to Truro takes around four to five hours. Truro is less than an hour away from Penzance by train.

By coach
There are regular coach services from Birmingham or London to Truro. Coach travel times are around seven to eight hours. 

Proximity to Plymouth main campus
Our Truro campus is approximately 60 miles to Plymouth. It is approximately an hour-and-a-half by car or an hour-and-fourty-five minutes via train.

Find us

Explore Truro

As a University of Plymouth student studying at our Truro School of Nursing, you are able to not only explore the beautiful city of Plymouth but also Truro.

Truro hosts a variety of events across the city, such as art exhibitions, concerts and performances. Visit visittruro.org.uk to find out more.

There are many places to discover in Truro; it has a rich history and heritage. Explore venues such as the Hall of Cornwall, which has a mix of different types of entertainment, the beautiful and historic Truro Cathedral, in addition to museums and many sites of national beauty. There is also a wide range of nightlife across the city centre.

In Truro, Pydar Street and King Street are teeming with independent shops and quirky boutiques. The Farmers Market on Lemon Quay is open every Saturday and Wednesday and is a great place to pick up some fresh local produce. It is also home to a range of chain and boutique shops.

Cornwall is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, almost a third of the whole region is a protected landscape. There are many beautiful coastlines, woodlands, river valleys and coastal walks to explore.

Truro
Truro
Truro

We want you to enjoy living and studying at the University of Plymouth, build life-long friendships and feel supported during your time with us. We understand that it is important to find the right place to live during your studies.

Many of our students decide to stay at home and commute, whereas some decide to source accommodation.

Treliske student accommodation in Truro is a brand new development ideally situated for medical, nursing and dental students training at Treliske Hospital (the Knowledge Spa). The student accommodation has double beds throughout and en-suite rooms available, on-site laundry and secure electronic entry to the buildings.

The student accommodation is available to students from the University of Plymouth who are working or studying on the Treliske Hospital site. Treliske provides the perfect base for your training, with all-inclusive bills, free contents insurance and high-speed Wi-Fi and broadband, you can relax and focus on what's important.

Accomodation

Complimentary educational resources and support

At the University of Plymouth we understand the importance of you getting the most from your time as a student, you need a great place to study and support your learning.
We offer confidential academic support and guidance through workshops and tutorials and a wide range of online resources on topics such as time management, academic writing and referencing, critical thinking and analysis. Some services we offer are delivered via web or telephone support to our Truro School of Nursing students, with some services available directly on site. Full services can be accessed via our Plymouth main campus.
Find out more about Student services .
To help, financially, with your transition into life as a student of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Plymouth, the University provides the following:
  • Occupational Health clearance and Disclosure and Barring Service checks, which are a condition of any offer of a place on the programme. This potentially saves applicants in the region of £195–£245 (circa £45 for DBS checks, and £150–£200 for Occupational Health) although in some cases the costs can be much higher
  • e-learning resources to all students on the programme
  • three tunics and three pairs of trousers, for use in the clinical environment, worth circa £60
  • the ‘Medincle’ medical spellchecker software is provided free of charge
  • books from the Skills for Health Training Package are provided for each student.

I decided to become a nurse because I wanted to be that person a patient remembers was there for them on every step of their journey and made a difference, big or small.

Rachel Palmer – BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health)

Joy O'Gorman nursing student
Joy O'Gorman
Emma Abbs
Emma Abbs
The Knowledge Spa
“I would absolutely, whole-heartedly recommend undertaking the course with the University of Plymouth in Truro! I do not believe that I would be where I am today without the help and support that I have received from everyone from the Knowledge Spa, both student colleagues and staff. The location and multi-faceted use of the Knowledge Spa is second to none in terms of healthcare experience.”
Jack Roberts – BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health)