Are you unsatisfied with your current job?
Are you feeling unfulfilled?
Would you like to do something more meaningful?
Do you have a passion for helping others?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it can be a sign that a nursing career is the right choice for you. Contrary to what you may think, it is never too late to become a nurse. Some know right from the beginning of their professional career that a nursing career is what they want, others realise it later on.
Here we explain how you can become a nurse, even if you are currently working in a different profession.
Is nursing the right career choice for me?
Before we explain how you can become a nurse, we will help you determine whether nursing is the right career for you. While nursing can be a very rewarding profession, it is not an easy one so before you commit, you have to be sure that you are up to the task.
One of the most important things to ask yourself when thinking about whether or not to pursue a career in nursing is ‘do you enjoy and feel the need to help people?’ As a nurse, you will be helping others for a living so it is important that you do not feel tired or annoyed when they come to you to ask for assistance. In nursing, your whole career will be built around making sure that patients are being taken care of.
Then you need to think about whether you have a genuine interest in nursing. Having a quick thought that it would be nice to be a nurse while watching a medical TV show is not enough to give you a solid foundation for this career. Do you read nursing magazines? Do you seek to find out more about medicine? Do you daydream about being a nurse? If so, you might have a real interest in nursing and you should try to do it professionally!
Finally, an important thing to consider is whether you can handle stress associated with being a nurse. When working in a hospital you will see a lot of sad cases and there will be moments where you and the doctors will not be able to help certain patients. It can be very difficult to deal with stress and sadness that causes so you have to be sure that you will be able to cope with it.
First steps in becoming a nurse
If you are sure that nursing is your dream career, you can start undertaking steps that will help you become a nurse. An important thing to note is that to be able to work as a registered nurse, you have to have qualifications that allow you to have entry onto the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Register. To be eligible for the title of registered nurse you should at least have a Diploma of Higher Education in nursing but most nurses also have a relevant degree.
In addition to academic qualifications, to work as a nurse you need to gain professional training. Getting some work experience and becoming familiarised with working in a hospital can help you be successful at nursing. There are many training courses and programmes you can apply for.
A good place to start your journey to becoming a nurse is to become a Healthcare Assistant in a care home. They usually accept inexperienced applicants and provide them with training. When working for a care home you can get experience in taking care of patients and interacting with them and their families. Many tasks that Healthcare Assistants perform are similar to those that nurses do so you can gain important skills and later develop them.
How much can I earn as a nurse?
Nursing salary differs depending on whether you work for the NHS or in the private sector. If you decide to work for the NHS, your starting annual salary will be £24,907 unless you are based in London where you can expect to earn slightly more. This amount represents band five.
As you keep working as a nurse and getting more training and experience your salary will increase according to the following bands:
| Band six | £31,365 – £37,890 |
| Band seven | £38,890 – £44,503 |
| Band eight | £45,753 – £87,754 |
| Band nine | £91,004 – £104,927 |
If you become a nurse for the NHS, however, you will have access to numerous additional benefits on top of your salary. The main ones are:
- Getting 30-50% more than the standard rate for working during unsociable hours such as night shifts, weekends, or bank holidays
- Having 27 days of paid leave per year on top of bank holidays
- Being able to access counselling sessions for free
- Being able to take part in various professional training courses
- Receiving more than statutory minimum if you go on maternity or paternity leave.
If you decide to work in the private sector, you might be getting paid more than nurses working for the NHS but you will not have access to the numerous benefits mentioned above. It is difficult to give an estimate of how much you will be earning if you get a nursing job in the private sector because it is unregulated and salaries differ.
Private sector covers working for care homes, private hospitals, private schools, as well as various agencies.
What are the benefits of working as a nurse?
Various perks associated with working for the NHS are not the only advantage of working as a nurse. Probably the biggest benefit of working as a nurse and the reason why so many people decide to make nursing their lifelong career is the fact that every day you make a positive change in the lives of others.
As a nurse you can actually make people’s lives better and you are helping those who need this help. These things make nursing a very rewarding career and allow you to feel proud of yourself.
Moreover, as a nurse you can actually connect with your patients and build friendships with them. That makes the job much more enjoyable.
On top of that, nursing is a very dynamic job. Each day is different and exciting so it is impossible to be bored.
Even though there are many challenges that come with working as a nurse, all the effort and hard work are worth it when you see that someone is feeling better thanks to you.
How to transition to a career in nursing?
So getting a career in nursing might seem easy if you are only just starting university and you can just sign up for a degree in nursing. But what about those who are currently working in other professions but have decided that nursing is their true calling?
Transitioning from your current career to work as a nurse is possible and you should consider it now that the UK is facing a shortage of nurses and is actively looking for new nurses.
There are part-time courses available across the UK that give you a lot of flexibility to keep working as you are preparing to become a nurse. If you already have a science or social science degree you can do a postgraduate course in nursing in just two years.
If you do not want to do a nursing degree, you can consider one of the following options:
| Nursing degree apprenticeship | A mix of on-the-job training and classroom learningYou will get experience in your chosen area of studyTake around 4 years to completeThe training received during the apprenticeship counts towards a registered nursing degree |
| Nursing associate | Tasks similar to those of a healthcare support worker but more complexA mix of academic learning one day a week and on-the-job learning the rest of the time Work across various fields of nursing including adult, children’s, mental health, and learning disability |
There is no such thing as being too old to train as a nurse. Every year many mature students apply to become nurses. While you can transition from your current career to nursing at any point in life, you have to get relevant knowledge and qualifications before you can start working as a nurse.
If you have any questions or want to get more information on how to become a nurse, get in touch today by calling +44 131 610 8868. At Niccolo we are committed to helping people secure their dream job in nursing.