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CHAPTER 1
WHAT THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS
An overview of the general entry requirements for
pre-registration nurse education
Pointers on helping you choose the right university
“ After all these years if you asked me to do it all again I would. Nursing is the best job I have ever done. A recently retired registered nurse with over 40 years' nursing service ”
This chapter starts with a comment from a nurse who has just retired after a 40-year nursing career, and it is shown as a means to inspire you when you are thinking of choosing nursing as your future career. You must also be aware, however, that nursing is not for everyone and that things have changed since this nurse started her training (it is no longer a training programme, but an educational process). Many people, both inside and outside of the profession, might say the changes have been for the better; some would suggest that they have been for the worse.
Nursing is a varied, challenging and rewarding career for those who would like to make a difference to the lives of people locally, nationally and internationally. Nurses and nursing staff take responsibility for the care they provide and answer for their own judgements and actions. They constantly respond to new challenges and act as a leader, carer and clinician.
Experienced nurses find fulfilling careers in positions of responsibility, often running nurse-led clinics or taking leadership roles up to executive level. Nursing is changing rapidly, with increasing focus on public health and disease prevention. It is possible to develop career pathways in clinical, research, education and management roles.
Nurses don't just work in hospitals. There are opportunities to work in, among others, GP surgeries, clinics, nursing and residential homes, occupational health services, voluntary organisations that run hospices or residential care, and the pharmaceutical industry. Nurses also work in university education, on leisure cruise ships and in the military.
Some readers of this book will have embarked on a programme of nurse education already; this chapter aims to entice those who are thinking of nursing as a profession and provides information concerning the requirements needed to enrol successfully on a programme of study. For some this might seem like having to jump through hoops; however, knowing what hoops have to be jumped through is important!
There are over 90 universities (approved educational institutions) in the UK offering programmes of study that lead to registration. It takes 3 years to become a nurse unless a student is able to demonstrate that they have already met some of the course requirements (sometimes called advanced standing). Nurse education is based in the universities and is delivered in direct partnership with NHS Trusts and other organisations (for example, the independent and voluntary sector), which provides nursing students with practice learning opportunities in health and social care settings.
The education programme is split 50/50: 50% is spent in practice, so that students are able to learn how to provide direct nursing care. The remaining 50% of the programme is spent learning the knowledge and technical abilities needed to underpin and support practice, usually on a university campus.
There are four fields of nursing and you need to decide upon the field in which you intend to register:
SECTION SUMMARY
There are four fields of nursing. All nursing programmes are offered to degree level. Nursing is practised where ever there are people, so the notion of nursing being solely hospital-based is outdated.
Your university of choice
Choosing the right university for your nursing studies will depend on a number of factors. Below is a list of what you may need to consider or take into account.
Does the university offer the field in which I intend to register?
Is the geographical location suitable?
What placement opportunities are on offer?
Do I have the right entry requirements? (i.e. UCAS points.)
Does it have good quality assurance processes? (Include the uni...
