Did you know that there are more than 660,000 registered nurses in the UK?
Are you considering becoming a nurse? Well, you’re not alone.
Nursing is becoming more popular in the United Kingdom. With financial support for studying and being one of the most employable industries in the nation, there are plenty of benefits to choosing this career path.
Currently, the NHS is the fifth largest employer in the world and having a UK nursing degree is transferrable to many countries worldwide.
But how exactly do you become a registered nurse? What do you need to study to work in nursing? What are the steps to become successful in the industry?
This article will cover all you need to know about how to become a nurse in the UK.
What Is A Registered Nurse?
A registered nurse is a qualified medical professional, dealing with various areas of individual care. This can in many places, such as care homes, hospitals, GP surgeries, voluntary organisations, the military and in the community.
In the United Kingdom, to be employed as a nurse, you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). To register, you are required to have undertaken professional education in a specific field of nursing. They can be:
- Adult nursing.
- Child nursing.
- Mental health nursing.
- Learning disability nursing.
What Is A Nursing Degree?
Did you know – £5,000 of financial support is available for every year of your degree if you are eligible.
In the UK, most nurses will qualify by studying for a degree in nursing. With nursing degrees, a lot of the course will be learning with practical study, gaining valuable hands-on experience. This will be in both community and hospital settings.
Firstly, you must decide on the area you want to specialise in. The four areas are:
| Adult nursing | Providing individual care to all ages of adults with long-term health conditions, short-term health concerns or accidental injuries. |
| Child nursing | Providing individual care to all ages of children. Care includes helping new-borns or adolescents and providing support children living with long-term conditions as well as their parents or guardians. |
| Mental health nursing | Specialise in providing care to individuals living with a mental health condition, advising on therapies, helping with taking medication and supporting relatives and carers. |
| Learning disability nursing | Providing specialist healthcare to all ages through supporting people with learning disabilities, helping them to live fulfilling, independent lives and improving or maintaining mental and physical health. |
There may be two of these courses that you are interested in. In this case, certain degrees will give you the option of studying in two of the fields. After gaining a qualification in your chosen area, you will then be able to work worldwide as a nurse.
What Are The Entry Requirements For Nursing Degrees In The UK?
Entry requirements vary across the UK for nursing degree courses. We recommend contacting universities to see what qualifications are acceptable. Most university websites will have the entry requirements underneath the specific course.
However, each university will have its own entry criteria, but usually, to study nursing you will need at least two A-levels or equivalent qualifications at level 3. Supporting your studies, you will need GCSEs including maths, English and one science study, typically biology or human biology.
Sometimes, there will be specified A-level or equivalent subjects needed for the course. For example, psychology may be required for a certain course. Meanwhile, some universities offer foundation year courses. These are great for anyone without the required entry qualifications.
Is There Financial Support Available For Nursing Degrees At University?
From September 2020, there is at least £5,000 available for eligible undergraduate and postgraduate student nurses to fund their studies through a maintenance grant. An extra £3000 is available for students wanting to work in an area with major shortages.
What’s better is that these students don’t need to pay this back. There is plenty of financial support for students available, with the government aiming to recruit more NHS staff.
How Do I Apply For A Nursing Degree?
Did you know – 94% of students get a job within six months of finishing their nursing course?
To make an application for a nursing course, you will go through UCAS. UCAS have some helpful advice for applying on their website, as well as guidance on writing a personal statement.
If you are more interested in part-time courses, you should reach out to the universities of your choice and see what the application process is.
You can also take a look at the NHS Careers website. Here, you can find an overview of the types of nursing degrees that are available in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. If you’d prefer to take your studies from home, the Open University may be an option for you to look at. You can find more about online degrees below.
Are There Online Nursing Degrees Available?
With more and more universities becoming online-based, some nursing degrees are available to study online. There are adult nursing courses with theoretical content taught online, allowing students to blend home life with study.
Are There Any Other Ways To Become A Nurse?
There are some other methods of becoming a nurse. The first example is through the official nursing apprenticeship. Apprentices will work part-time on different placements, then spend the other time studying in a higher education institution. This route will take four years to complete, rather than three via studying.
To begin a registered nurse degree apprenticeship or RNDA, you will need level 3 and maths and English qualifications. You may already have a level 5 qualification as an assistant practitioner or nursing associate. If so, an apprenticeship may be a ‘top up’ RNDA or ‘conversion’ to a registered nurse course.
If you are an international nurse looking to work in the UK, there is some advice online for the steps you need to take. The UK is always looking for skilled and determined staff to help the NHS improve.
Quick nursing statistics in the UK.
| Total Statistics | Number of Nurses By Field |
| 669,854 nurses in the UK registered with the NMC | 540,527 are adult nurses |
| 321,655 nurses and midwives working in the NHS | 90,203 are mental health nurses |
| 52,286 are children’s nurses | |
| 17,179 are learning disability nurses |