Nurse

Nurses work in a variety of roles in hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes and many community settings. By providing care and advice, nurses help individuals and their families to lead healthier lives and to combat illness. Nurses are usually the first point of contact for people seeking medical attention; they check and record the progress of patients, reassure patients who may be anxious and work closely with other health professionals to ensure that patients' individual needs are met.

There are four main branches of nursing and, even within these, the work can vary considerably: a children's nurse might be looking after a very sick baby on a life-support machine; an adult, ward-based nurse could be checking temperatures, giving drugs and administering blood transfusions; a theatre nurse would be working with doctors and other healthcare professionals during operations, preparing and handing instruments, or helping patients to recover after operations; a mental health or psychiatric nurse would be working with patients suffering from problems such as alcohol dependency, anxiety, depression or severe eating disorders; a learning disability nurse could be working with patients in their own homes or in a residential care centre.

Entry level
To qualify as a nurse, you would have to take a university-based diploma or degree programme leading to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Your course would involve placements in local hospital and community settings. If you already have a relevant degree, you can take a postgraduate course.

You would start with a Common Foundation Programme, which covers the basic principles of nursing, before going on to follow a specific branch programme (adult, children, mental health or learning disability). The minimum starting age is 17.5 years (17 years in Scotland).

The usual requirement is five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), including English, or equivalent qualifications, for entry to diploma courses. A levels/H grades or equivalent, often including a relevant science subject, may be required for entry to degree programmes. Full-time diploma courses last three years. Degree courses last three or four years.

Postgraduate courses last at least two years and usually require a first degree in a subject such as biology or behavioural science.

Making the grade
On completing your course, you must register with the NMC to be eligible to practise.
You can then take further training, to become a clinical specialist or to qualify as a nurse practitioner. You 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.

Personal qualities
You would need to work effectively as part of a healthcare team, to be physically fit and emotionally strong, to have excellent people skills and to be able to remain calm in a crisis.

You must be able to inspire trust and confidence, willing to help patients with intimate tasks and to put people at ease in stressful situations.

Looking ahead
There is a shortage of qualified nurses in all brances in the NHS and an increasing number of nursing posts in the community. You should therefore have no difficulty in finding a job.

The NHS is the largest employer of nurses but there are also opportunities in private and voluntary hospitals, care homes, education, industry, the military and the prison service.

With experience and further training, you should find good opportunities to develop your career. In the NHS, for example, you could gain promotion to leadership roles with wider responsibilities, such as sister, charge nurse or nurse consultant, or you could move into general NHS management. Alternatively, you could take further training to become a midwive, health visitor, district nurse or occupational health nurse.

With four or five years' post-registration experience, you could apply to offer health advice by telephone as part of NHS Direct in England and Wales or NHS 24 in Scotland.

Alternative suggestions
You could also consider training as a dietitian, health visitor, mental health nurse, midwife, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, radiographer or speech and language therapist.

Take-home pay
The starting salary for NHS nurses is just over £18,000, on a scale rising to £19,500. Promotion to the next Grade could take you up to £23,000. If you progress to the highest level, you could earn over £50,000 a year as a nurse consultant. Additional allowances are paid for posts in and around London.

Salaries are likely to be higher in the private sector.

Effects
Nurses usually work 37.5 hours a week. Depending on your chosen branch, you might have to work on a shift basis, including nights, weekends and public holidays, although not usually more than 37.5 hours in total. There are many opportunities for flexible or part-time work.

Sources of information
NHS Careers: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
NHS Wales: www.wales.nhs.uk
NHS Education for Scotland: www.nes.scot.nhs.uk
Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery: www.nipec.n-i.nhs.uk
Nursing & Midwifery Council: www.nmc-uk.org
Royal College of Nursing: www.rcn.org.uk

CRCI: JI

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