If you want unrivalled flexibility and the daily satisfaction that comes from changing people’s lives, consider a nursing degree. “The biggest reward of being a nurse is being able to give something back. It’s about the privilege of being able to step into somebody’s life at a time of joy or crisis and really make a difference,” says Prof Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, director of nursing at Health Education England, which oversees workforce development in the English health service.
Graduates can expect to find a job immediately, as a nursing degree has one of the highest employability rates of all degrees. Nursing is also increasingly becoming a career of choice for school-leavers. Last year, more 18-year-olds than ever before were accepted on to nursing degrees in England, according to analysis by Ucas, but many more student nurses are still needed. Across the ages, most applicants were offered their first choice of university, but a record 11.7% found a place through clearing.
Prof Brian Webster-Henderson, a mental and adult health nurse, chairs the UK’s Council of Deans of Health, representing university health faculties. He says: “There is definitely an increase in the number of school-leavers coming into nursing. The scope of nursing is changing; people are attracted to the diversity of roles and career pathways.”
Student nurses specialise in one of four areas of care: adult; child; mental health; and learning disability. The three-year full-time degree is split equally between academic study and placements, so students apply their knowledge in the workplace right from the start. Qualification also brings registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council professional regulator, which entitles you to work anywhere in the UK.
Nurses, who can expect a starting salary of £22,128, work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, GP practices and prisons, in an ever-increasing number of roles. With additional training, a qualified nurse can become a midwife or a health visitor and support vulnerable young families in the community. And today it’s not uncommon to find nurses running their own specialist clinics, writing their own prescriptions, leading cutting-edge research, and helping to teach junior doctors at medical school.
“Nursing can offer so many career choices, both nationally and internationally. The world really is your oyster,” says Bayliss-Pratt. And advanced clinical practitioner nurse Anissa Djerbib, who works alongside GPs in an out-of-hours service and lectures at Sheffield Hallam University, adds: “There are so many opportunities to diversify – whatever time I am at in my life, there will always be a way to manage my personal life and my career.”
The graduate nurse
Cherie Lawrence, 24, qualified last year as a mental health nurse and works at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS foundation trust.
“I became a mum at 17 and had postnatal depression. I wanted to make myself feel better and didn’t just want to take tablets, so I did a community mental health course and just got hooked. I’d also always admired nurses, what they did and how they carried themselves, so I joined an access to nursing course and was supported to get on to a degree programme. I was the first in my family to go to university, but there was a lot of support and people helping me.
“At university I did a wide range of placements and in terms of experience and with the support I had, I felt confident I had the skills I needed when I graduated. When I finished my degree I was offered four jobs. In fact, I was offered my first job when I did my first placement, as there is such a need for more nurses and so many opportunities to get into the profession.
“I work on a ward for children and adolescents with mental health issues such as depression or low mood. It’s challenging, but there is quite a lot of therapy time with patients too, such as days out or going shopping. I love my job. It’s really rewarding, because I can see that I am making a difference to people’s lives – I can see that happening in front of me every day.”
Find out more information about careers in nursing at healthcareers.nhs.uk/knowaboutnursing
