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Nurse
Nurses look after people who need medical care. They plan how to meet patients’ needs, and carry out practical tasks such as checking temperatures, giving injections and dressing wounds. Apart from hospitals, they work in community settings such as GP surgeries and local clinics.
Work activities
Nurses specialise in one of four areas, known as branches:
- Adult nursing.
- Children’s nursing.
- Learning disability nursing.
- Mental health nursing.
Within these branches, nurses’ work is very varied. Some patients have short stays in hospital, and in places like community clinics and GP surgeries, a nurse might be seeing lots of patients in a short space of time. For example, a nurse might deal with a broken arm or give an injection against a tropical disease to someone who is going on holiday. However, nursing some patients, such as people with cancer, can take place over months or years. This type of nursing relies on a close, trusting relationship between nurse and patient.
Within nursing, there are many areas of work, depending on the branch. Examples include intensive care, cancer care, theatre and recovery and care of older people. Wherever they work, nurses care for the overall wellbeing of the patient, not simply their medical needs. This means that nurses have to think about and plan how to meet all the individual’s care needs, including their emotional needs, taking into account any social or personal problems they might have.
They must listen and talk to the patient, answering questions and dealing with any anxieties or concerns the patient might have. Nurses often also talk to the patient’s family or carers, updating them on the patient’s progress or explaining treatment, for example. Nurses are usually responsible for several patients at a time. Together with doctors and other medical staff, they create a plan to care for their patients. All nurses are part of a wider care team, made up of people like doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, healthcare scientists, dietitians, healthcare assistants and other types of nurses. Having worked with the team to create a care plan, nurses use their clinical and observational skills to assess how well the plan is working. Nurses have to keep very careful, accurate records. They might need to change the care plan, depending on their observations. Nurses work closely with doctors, therapists and other clinical staff, bringing changes and developments to their attention.
Practical nursing might involve tasks such as:
- Checking temperatures.
- Giving drugs and injections.
- Dressing wounds and changing bandages.
Routine care duties, such as making beds and helping the patient to eat, wash and dress, are often the responsibility of healthcare assistants, rather than nurses. Increasingly, nurses are taking on new duties, after taking further training. Some nurses are able to do things such as perform minor surgery, prescribe medicines and treatments, make and receive referrals, and run clinics. Many types of nursing rely on sophisticated technology, such as lifesaving and monitoring equipment. Nurses might have to control or monitor various types of equipment. Apart from care tasks, nurses might also be helping patients to learn or re-learn the skills they need to live independently at home or in their community.
Personal qualities and skills
To be a nurse, you’ll need:
- A friendly, caring nature to build relationships with the patients.
- Tact and sensitivity.
- The ability to treat each patient as an individual.
- Strong observation skills to read the signs that a patient’s condition is changing. This includes signs of emotional change, like the onset of depression.
- To be able to keep up with new procedures and treatments.
- The ability to listen to patients and their families, reassure them and explain things clearly.
- Practical skills and the ability to use various types of equipment.
- Physical fitness (in most areas of nursing, you’ll be on your feet a lot).
- Number skills, for example, to take body measurements such as blood pressure.
- Patience and tolerance to cope with demanding situations.
- Emotional strength to deal with distressing situations.
- The ability to follow health and safety procedures.
- Effective teamwork skills.
Pay and opportunities
NHS employees are paid on a rising scale within defined pay bands called the Agenda for Change. Newly qualified nurses star on band 5, earning £28,407 (as of November 2023). You’ll receive an annual pay increase till you reach the top of the pay band. You will also have opportunities to progress in your career, which brings the potential for extra pay.
Nurses typically work between 37 and 42 hours per week. Shift work is usual. Some employers offer flexitime working, and overtime is common. Work is physically and emotionally demanding.
Employers include the NHS (in hospitals and in the community), the armed forces, schools, colleges and universities, private healthcare providers, the prison service and some private companies. Opportunities for nurses occur in towns, cities and rural areas throughout the UK. There are also opportunities to work in other countries (some countries require extra qualifications).
Where are vacancies advertised?
Vacancies are advertised on the NHS Jobs website, in local/national newspapers, on the Government’s Find a Job service and on job boards.
Entry routes and training
To qualify as a nurse, you must usually complete a pre-registration degree course in nursing. Nursing degrees usually take three years to complete (four in Scotland). There are a small number of part-time degree courses for people employed as assistant practitioners in the NHS. You might be able to use previous learning or practical experience to complete your degree in a shorter time. This is through accreditation of prior (experiential) learning or APEL. Some universities reduce the pre-registration time by as much as one year. Examples of previous learning might include a relevant degree subject or practical experience of nursing, care or a related area.
Some courses have a general title, such as “nursing”, while others tell you which branch you will follow in the title, such as “nursing (adult)”. Some universities and colleges of higher education don’t offer all four branches. Completing the degree will lead to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (a requirement to practise in the UK). Having qualified through one of the four branches and gained some experience, you can gain “post-registration” qualifications and work in a broad range of specialist roles such as district nurse, occupational health nurse, theatre nurse, health visitor or school nurse.
It is now possible to undertake a number of nursing apprenticeships:
- Nursing associate (level 5 / higher)
- Registered nurse (level 6 / degree)
- District nurse (level 7 / degree)
A degree apprenticeship in the role of registered nurse allows you to qualify in four years, with more focus on workplace experience and on-the-job training than a traditional degree. You will also study towards your academic qualifications at university on day or block release.
There are lots of possibilities for progression. You could move into a management or research position. Some nurses progress to trainer posts, teaching student nurses. You can also take further advanced or specialist training, for example, to become a district nurse, health visitor, school nurse or midwife.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.
Qualifications
For a degree in nursing, the usual entry requirement is three A-levels. Some universities ask for at least one science subject. Psychology and sociology can also be useful. GCSEs at grades 9-4 in your A-level subjects are often required.
A further two to three GCSEs at grades 9-4. English and maths might be specified. Entry may also be possible with alternative qualifications such as a relevant NVQ level 3, Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 National, or the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.
To begin a higher or degree apprenticeship, you will need two relevant A-levels plus GCSEs in English and maths. In some cases, an A-level in a science subject may be required, as well as science GCSEs.
Adult opportunities
Age limits: It is illegal for organisations to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.
Many students apply for either a student loan or receive additional financial support from the Learning Support Fund. Candidates can also apply for funding from relevant charities. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) administers a number of post-registration scholarships and awards for experienced and qualified nurses. The RCN also offers scholarship awards for pre-registration nursing students.
