What you’ll learn
Why choose children’s nursing as a career? Because it is extremely rewarding and every day is different. You get the opportunity to care for children and their families at their most vulnerable, making a difference to their experience and enabling them to grow and thrive. Children have very specific health needs and you will learn how a healthy child develops. You will be working in the community and alongside health professionals, such as health visitors, social workers and hospital staff. You might be involved in immunisation programmes, helping new mums feed their baby, working in child protection and safeguarding or working with children in intensive care.
How you’ll learn
Children’s nursing is a three-year degree. The Nursing and Midwifery Council have certain standards that apply to all courses. It will be 50% theory and 50% practice and you have to experience care for children in a variety of settings. Each university is slightly different, but in the main you will find there are lectures, seminars and clinical skills, where students have the ability to develop expertise by practising them in a safe environment. There is self-directed study as well as working with experts. Sometimes you will be at university, sometimes in hospital or other settings. Altogether, you will have to complete 2,300 hours of practice and 2,300 theoretical hours to qualify.
At Northumbria University, one of the largest providers of nursing and midwifery programmes, it uses innovative technology, such as high fidelity simulation and immersive technology, where you walk into a room such as a theatre or A&E department to replicate the environment of a clinical practice.
Entry requirements
Children’s nursing remains the most popular nursing course and there are fewer places available across the country than a traditional nursing degree. Entry requirements vary but the most important A-level is biology. Another science qualification, or a social science such as psychology or sociology, will help your application. You may need to attend an interview. Some universities, such as Hull, require evidence in your personal statement of relevant childcare experience, either through paid or voluntary experience or as part of a course. Apprenticeships are available for all fields of nursing.
What job can you get?
A wide range of opportunities are available to you in a variety of settings. You may want to specialise and do additional qualifications such as health visiting, school nursing, or paediatric intensive care. You can also go into teaching, research or management. Children’s nurses are in demand and you will have a strong career trajectory ahead of you.
