Are you the type of person that loves caring for others? Do you enjoy hospital documentaries on TV? Can you work well under pressure? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then maybe nursing is the perfect career for you.
With more than 660,000 registered Nurses in the UK, you’d be joining the long list of incredible individuals that have chosen nursing as a job path. Thanks to fantastic education funding and jobs for life, it is becoming a more popular vocation across the nation.
But how do you know if nursing is right for you? What if you don’t like blood or are a bit squeamish? How can I try a care position to see if it is good for me?
These are some common questions, so don’t worry. Our guide will help to answer your queries, helping to give you some tips and advice before committing to a new line of work.
Are You Interested In The Care Industry?
So, how do you even know if you’re interested in this sector? Well, to start, you may enjoy shows that are based in a hospital. There are many hospital documentaries and programmes such as 24 hours in A&E that are real life series, showing the ins and outs of life on the ward.
They can be extremely graphic and gruesome, showing true action that happens daily. This could be something that interests you and can be the place where you first thought you could do something like this. Try and imagine yourself in the positions of the nurses, wondering if it is something you’d enjoy doing.
Do You Love Helping People?
A big part of this role is to really enjoy helping people. Every day, you’ll be running around, exhausted and fatigued, but still, need to find that energy to help others.
Many registered nurses are extroverted and friendly individuals. They can spend the whole day around people and feel comfortable. Your job will be to make sure others feel as if they are in a comfortable and safe environment, so you need to stay positive even when feeling drained.
Do You Have A Good Work Ethic?
Leading on from the last paragraph, you’ll learn it is a tiresome position. You won’t be able to rest and relax every five minutes because you will be on your feet all day. You’ll often be busy, even at times you’ll have a shorter, or even miss your lunch break because it is so manic. Teamwork is a skill to have.
But why is teamwork important in nursing? Well, each day you’ll be collaborating with others, such as nurses, paramedics, doctors and healthcare assistants. Having a good work ethic is essential for registered nurses. Having that skill will help you out a lot. Your colleagues, as well as your patients, are counting on you to work at your best, without slacking off or being forgetful.
Do You Communicate Effectively?
Communication is a skill you’ll need for most jobs, but especially this one. So, why is communication important in nursing? Nurses need to be able to communicate with patients and staff well, adapting the way you speak to certain people.
Poor communication skills may lead to a stressful and overwhelming environment for patients, so you may want to work on this beforehand. Think about how you’d like to be treated in the hospital.
Are You Willing To Learn Through Practice And Theory?
You may have to spend long hours learning about how to care for patients, focusing on anatomy and physiology, acute patient needs and many other areas. Lots of the studying will be anatomy-based, meaning there will be plenty of factual information to absorb.
If you had an interest in physiology and biology at school, then this should be fun for you. You’ll be examining how different drugs react to the body, how digestion works and others. From this, you’ll apply your knowledge to practical experience, where you find out first-hand what is involved by shadowing others.
Do You Have Good Emotional Strength?
Becoming close to patients is natural in a hospital. You spend lots of time with them, bonding and building a relationship. However, when the worst situation happens, they pass away and it can be tough to come to terms with this.
You need to be strong and be able to handle these situations. Reflecting can be helpful. Why is reflection important in nursing? It allows you to come to terms with the situation, helping to identify areas you can learn and develop from.
Are You Able To Adapt Well?
Every day on the job will be different. There will be regular changes, sudden unexpected shifts to the environment and lots of pressurised situations. You’ll need to be able to deal with these tasks that are thrown at you.
These are great ways to develop your character and challenge yourself to learn new skills which you can use again in the future, passing your knowledge on to other students who will be in your position. The NHS is always evolving, so you have to be able to adapt to the adjusting climate.
Can I Be A Nurse If I’m Scared Of Blood?
Absolutely. You can be a nurse if you are squeamish and afraid of blood. There are so many different roles and avenues that this career path can take you, many that don’t require you to manage blood. There are plenty of jobs, including teaching that is done at a desk.
So, don’t be worried, you won’t need to give up on your goal if you are squeamish. You may have doubts about the sights, sounds and different smells that a hospital has, but there are some ways to combat this if you want to follow your dreams.
How Do I Overcome Being Squamish?
If you truly want to work in this profession, you can overcome your fears through different methods, such as practising and experiencing them. We can overcome anything we set our minds to if we want something badly enough.
Inserting IV’s, seeing people naked, working with blood, it can be the first time this happens for many of us. However, the majority will say that once you’ve experienced it, there is nothing to fear and it isn’t as bad as they thought.
So, if you still feel a bit worried about if you can make it through your studies, below are some tips to get you started.
| Further Your Education | Instead of going into things immediately, there are other ways you can develop and improve your skills. Furthering your degree can be a great way to climb the ladder. Many individuals that hold management or leadership positions have gone into further education. They now teach in schools and universities, working as legal nurse consultants. |
| Test It Out First | Before you jump head first into a degree, try and experience a little bit first. This can be done through networking and finding someone who you can shadow around, giving you a first hand opportunity of what it takes, as well as gaining valuable advice along the way. |
| Search For Your Ideal Profession | After completing school, don’t be alarmed, you don’t have to be thrown straight into the deep end. There are many opportunities to work in different areas, such as patient rehabilitation and home health. Research areas that are more ideal for semi-squeamish nurses. |
| Understand What Studying Will Involve | Everyone has to practice first before they can work on a ward or in a hospital. Reading textbooks and learning though coursework is all good when you’re only looking at images of wounds and skin conditions. As training intensifies, you’ll begin to use mannequins, then live patients. After time, this will become second nature, forgetting all about what you were scared of. |
What Is The UK Nursing Salary?
After a 3% pay rise in 2021, there has been a recent change to the bands and earnings for nurses in the UK. It is a rewarding role, with benefits and career flexibility. In the UK, the average wage of a nurse is roughly between £33,000 to £35,000 a year.
So, you’re a beginner. Let’s take a look at the band system for 0-1 years of experience in the industry. Below is a table showing the average salaries.
| Band | Minimum years of experience | Pay |
| 1 | 0-1 | £18,546 |
| 2 | 0-1 | £18,546 |
| 3 | 0-1 | £20,330 |
| 4 | 0-1 | £22,549 |
| 5 | 0-1 | £25,655 |
| 6 | 0-1 | £32,306 |
How Can I Find Out More About Becoming A Nurse?
With so many jobs available at the moment, there has never been a better time to take this opportunity. Whether it is working for a school, business, government or a private facility, the best way to start is to research the role you’d like to take.
You can use various job boards to see where your interests and talents are best suited and apply for work experience or part-time roles in that area, building confidence and experience.