Becoming a nurse is a gratifying job as you can work in a variety of areas while helping others at the same time. Some of the places in which you can find employment after you have become a qualified nurse include occupational health services, nursing homes, residential homes, hospitals, GP surgeries, clinics, prison service, cruise ships, armed forces, or educational facilities.

As a nurse, you will not be focusing your attention of certain illnesses or diseases but your attention will be on the needs of the person. You will provide care to the person in need, offer advice, and even counsel the person and their family.

Requirements

To become a nurse in the UK you will need either a diploma or a degree course. You can find the course at most universities with placements in hospitals or other community facilities after completion of the courses. The courses are 50% practical and 50% theory. 

The first year of nursing education is called the Common Foundation Programme. This will give you an insight into the basic principles of nursing. After this year, you will then need to choose a specialty such as children’s health, adult health, learning disability care, or mental health care. 

Understanding the difference in the specialities

For qualified nurses working with children, you will only be caring for children from birth until age 18, which can include adolescent services or specialist baby units. Children and adults are not the same when it comes to illnesses and either is the way in which they need care. Qualified nurses for children understand what children need and can provide support and advise to parents. After qualification, children’s nurses can find employment in not only hospitals for children, but also child protection, intensive care, burns and plastics, and cancer care units. 

Nurses for adults provide a wide range of care for adults which includes employment opportunities in various settings such as cancer care, emergency, women’s health, practice nursing, critical care, school nursing, health visiting, health care centres, nursing homes, and residential homes. 

A learning disability nurse will provide care for individuals with various learning problems. The majority of employment for nurses in this field often is centered on working in a group setting where there are a group of individuals living together in a flat or house and need 24 hour support. However, employment can also be found in hospitals or specialist care units.

Many mental health nurses find employment with social workers, GP’s, psychiatrists and can work with individuals in their homes, health centres, and specialist hospital services. You can also specialize to work in such areas as substance abuse, children’s mental health, adolescent mental health, and rehabilitation. 

If you go for a diploma, the educational courses will last three years. On the other hand, if you prefer a degree program the educational courses will last three or four years. 

Becoming a qualified nurse in the UK is a very rewarding job as you will be able to care for individuals and help families understand the illnesses or how to care for their loved ones after you care is no longer needed.