How to become a nurse

CONTENTS

1. Routes to becoming a nurse

2. Skills you'll need

3. Finding work experience

4. How to get a job as a nurse

5. What it's like to be a nurse

Routes to becoming a nurse

Nurses are leaders in compassion and care. They’re responsible for treating the ill and ensuring their quality of life is improved. Nurses are required in communities worldwide, whether in a clinical or community setting and work with both children and adults.

You’ll need to be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) to become a nurse in the UK. You can register once you’ve completed an NMC-approved undergraduate degree.

The four types of Nursing degrees typically studied are:

• Adult
• Children
• Learning disability
• Mental health

Most Nursing degrees will have a mix of theoretical and practical-based learning. You'll be working directly with clinical patients, learning to promote patient wellbeing, planning treatment, and making meaningful changes to people’s lives.

Undergraduate degrees

Undergraduate Nursing degrees often take three years to complete. Some courses offer an integrated foundation year, which adds one extra year to the beginning of the degree.

You can access an NHS bursary via the NHS Learning Support Fund to help pay for your studies. You’re entitled to £5,000 per year towards tuition fees, and don’t have to pay this back. You'll be afforded an extra £1,000 per year if you choose mental health or learning disability nursing.

You can learn more about what to expect from a Nursing degree in our Nursing subject guide, including entry requirements, what topics you’ll cover and how you’ll be assessed.

Degree apprenticeships

A degree apprenticeship is another undergraduate option. You’ll still study, but you’ll do so part-time alongside working and earning. These courses are employer-led and will take three or four years to complete.

You can search for apprenticeship vacancies via NHS Jobs and Find an apprenticeship. The requirements for entry are set by both the employer and the provider of the course. Your employer pays for the course, not you.

Postgraduate degrees

A postgraduate Nursing degree will allow you to specialise within a particular field or move into teaching and research. An undergraduate Nursing degree is a minimum entry requirement.

Master’s degrees, postgraduate certificates and postgraduate diplomas are all available. Most take a year or two to complete. Some unis also offer PhDs.

Skills you’ll need

Successful nurses often have the following skills:

• Compassion for others and an empathetic disposition
• Attention to detail
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work collaboratively
• IT and literacy skills
• Can break down complex information into simple terms

Finding work experience

Having prior work experience can help your application onto a Nursing degree. This could be paid or unpaid and may involve you volunteering within a community setting or working part-time at a hospital or clinic.

Try looking for work at a:

• Local NHS Trust
• Hospital
• GP surgery or clinic
• Rest home or retirement village
• School or daycare centre
• Charity like St John Ambulance
• Youth organisation such as Scouts or Guides

How to get a job as a nurse

You’ll need an approved Nursing qualification to work as a nurse. This should be at degree level or through a degree apprenticeship. You’ll also need to register with the NMC.

Registration with the NMC is done through the NMC website. You’ll receive an email from the NMC confirming when you can register. You’ll receive this once you complete your course and your university has uploaded your details to the NMC database. The registration fee is £120.

You can start searching for jobs on NHS Jobs and NHS Scotland Jobs when your NMC registration is approved.

What it's like to be a nurse

Nursing is a dynamic career. A typical day can be challenging yet exciting.

Depending on your role and specialisation, your tasks could include:

• Taking blood pressures, temperatures, and pulse rates
• Assisting doctors with examinations and deciding what care to give
• Giving injections and drugs
• Cleaning and dressing wounds
• Supplying drips and blood transfusions
• Using specialist equipment
• Monitoring and recording patient progress
• Supporting patients and their relatives
• Helping people to live independent and fulfilling lives

You could be working in an NHS or private hospital, care home, hospice, prison, or a client’s home. Patients could be of all ages, with short-term or serious health conditions. Nurses work as part of a supportive multi-disciplinary team alongside other professionals like doctors, psychologists, healthcare assistants, occupational therapists, social workers, and radiographers.

When qualified, you’ll have regular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) meetings to discuss your future career goals. A working week is typically 37.5 hours, and you may have to work evenings, weekends, and overtime. Salaries for nurses are on the Agenda for Change system (the NHS staff grading and pay scale), usually on band 5. The NHS give you access to generous pension schemes, holiday allowances and health service discounts.

Is a role as a nurse right for you?

Nursing is challenging, but it’s a role that involves vastly improving people’s lives. You’ll build trusting relationships with each patient as well as their relatives and carers. You must be able to treat each case individually and juggle many priorities. Be prepared to work long hours and be on your feet for extended periods of time.