Are you considering becoming a Nurse? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:
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Nurses are trained to care for ill and injured people, and for those who are hampered by their age or by a disability. By providing healthcare and advice, nurses help individuals and their families to live more comfortable lives.
Nurses can work in a wide variety of different roles and settings. Their tasks are likely to include:
· acting as the first point of contact for their patients
· observing, monitoring and recording patients’ conditions
· reassuring patients who may be anxious
· counselling patients and their relatives.
Nurses work as part of a care team, liaising with doctors and many other healthcare professionals.
They normally work 37.5 hours week. This may include weekend and night shift work. There are many opportunities for flexible working hours.
Nurses work in:
· hospitals, GP surgeries and clinics
· the community, supporting patients in their homes
· nursing and residential homes
· hospices
· industry, within occupational health services
· prisons, education and the Armed Forces.
There are growing opportunities in nursing. There is a shortage of qualified nurses in the NHS and an increasing number of nursing posts in the community.
The NHS is the largest employer of nurses. There are also opportunities in private and voluntary hospitals, care homes, education, industry, the military and the prison service.
Nursing candidates must pass an occupational health and criminal records check.
Entry for adults
There is no upper age limit to start training as a nurse. Universities and colleges may lower their entry requirements for mature candidates.
Training
On completing their course, nurses must register with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) to be eligible to practise.
Registered nurses can take further training, to become clinical specialists or to qualify as nurse practitioners. They may also qualify via a two-year course in one of the other three branches of nursing.
As medical science is constantly developing, continuous professional development is an essential part of the job.
Entry for young people
Nursing entrants study for a diploma or degree at university. All courses involve placements in local hospital and community settings. Entrants who already have a relevant degree can take a postgraduate course.
Nursing is organised into four branches:
· adult nursing
· mental health nursing
· learning disability nursing.
· children’s nursing
Courses start with a Common Foundation Programme, which is shared by all branches and covers the basic principles of nursing. Students then go on to do a specific branch programme. Before starting a course, applicants almost always have to choose the branch of nursing they want to specialise in. Very occasionally they can change branches at the end of the Common Foundation Programme.
The minimum age is 17.5 years (17 years in Scotland).
Universities set their own entry requirements for degree and diploma programmes. They may require five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), including English, or equivalent qualifications, for entry onto diploma courses. A levels/H grades or an equivalent, including a relevant science subject, may be required for entry onto degree programmes.
Full-time diploma courses last three years. Degree courses last three or four years.
Other routes provide work experience or academic study, leading to a pre-registration programme. These include:
· Foundation Programmes - normally one year of full-time study. They provide students with the knowledge to study at a higher level. Successful completion will meet the entry criteria to professional programmes such as nursing or physiotherapy.
· Foundation Degree Programmes - these are normally two years full time, or three years part time, and prepare students for nursing or another health-related profession. Entry criteria can vary from GCSEs, to NVQ Level 3, to no formal qualifications. Successful completion usually leads to entry into the second year of a pre-registration programme of study.
· NHS Cadet Schemes - normally a two-year programme leading to a pre-registration nursing programme. These are for applicants with few or no formal qualifications.
· Access courses/Pre-nursing courses (Scotland) - provided through further education colleges in Scotland for those without the entry requirements for the range of nursing programmes.
· Healthcare Students (Scotland) - a flexible programme which allows healthcare support workers to undertake the HNC Health Care programme, endorsed by NHS Education for Scotland. On successful completion, students enter the second year of a pre-registration nursing diploma or degree.
· Junior Scholarships - provided through further education colleges and the NHS University for those without the entry requirements for the range of nursing programmes.
Applicants who are 16 to 19 years old may be able to start through a nurse cadet Apprenticeship scheme in England. These are run by various NHS Trusts in England and involve an initial training programme, successful completion of which awards an NVQ Level 3 or Access to Nursing qualification. Further study towards a nursing diploma then leads to registration as a nurse.
Apprenticeships which may be available in England are Young Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships, Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships.
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