Menu
Nursing offers you the chance to make a difference to people’s lives and have a career with excellent employment prospects. Whatever your role, being a Nurse is as rewarding as it is challenging. Your training will also give you the practical and technical skills you need throughout your career.
Duties can include:
You will specialise in one of four areas:
As an Adult Nurse you will be working with adults of all ages. They may have one or more long or short-term physical health conditions which could include heart disease, injuries from an accident, pneumonia, arthritis, diabetes or cancer. You will be part of a multidisciplinary team that can include Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists, Radiographers and Healthcare Assistants.
As a Children Nurse you can be involved in everything from nursing a sick new born to an adolescent road accident victim. Children have very specific health needs and you need to understand how a healthy child develops towards adulthood to minimise the impact of illness. You will need to consider the care and support needed by the wider family, including parents and carers.
As a Learning Disability Nurse you will work to provide specialist healthcare and support to people with a learning disability, as well as their families and support staff, to help them live a fulfilling life. You may also help people to learn the skills needed to find work. The main areas of your role as a Learning Disability Nurse involve improving or maintaining a person’s physical and mental health, reducing barriers to them living an independent life and supporting the person in living a fulfilling life.
As a Mental Health Nurse your role is to promote and support a person’s recovery and enable them to have more involvement and control over their condition. Your role is to build effective relationships with people who use your services, and also with their relatives and carers. You might help one person to take their medication correctly while advising another about relevant therapies or social activities. Mental Health Nursing is a demanding but rewarding career choice. Helping people back to mental health is every bit as valuable and satisfying as caring for those with a physical illness.
You need to be have excellent communication skills, be well-organised, confident and able to cope with potentially challenging situations. You will need to be able to work independently, although you will work as part of a team. Being highly organised, flexible, observant and able to prioritise effectively is also important.
To become a Registered Nurse you should be fully trained and registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. You must have a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Nursing. Entry requirements for the degree can include A-levels or an entry to degree programme (including a Level 3 Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care). Some experience of working in a Social Care or Health setting will also be beneficial. There are different nursing degrees available at Coventry University, Scarborough, University of Hull and University of York.
It is possible to qualify as a registered nurse by the apprenticeship route. You would need to discuss this with your employer and find an appropriate education provider.
We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to talk to us about apprenticeships and traineeships, email hyp-tr.apprentices@nhs.net
Welcome to Med Shed.
An interactive resource to help you find your career with us in the local NHS.
There’s a lot to see and lots to explore so come back and visit us regularly…