Registered Nurse

As a registered nurse working in social care you will be working with people and their families, carers and partners to promote health and prevent ill health.

Your aim is to improve quality of life for people and get the best possible outcomes and experience of care.

Wherever your nursing practice takes place it will be very much part of peoples lives and you will develop a professional relationship to ensure you meet their nursing needs. Depending on your field of practice you may choose to specialise in learning disability nursing or mental health nursing.

Role overview

Your nursing role will mean you will work with adults of all ages and their partners, families and carers.

• Working with individuals and their families to understand their healthcare needs.
• Monitoring the quality of care they're receiving and be professionally accountable for its delivery.
• Taking a personalised approach to the health and care needs of people. 
• Working with people and their families to understand their wishes.
• Coordinating care with different professionals such as nursing associates, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers. 

You may work in residental care or in individual's homes to provide care and knowledge.

Skills and experience 

The most important skills to have communication and interpersonal skills. You will need to communicate and often advocate for care needs with a wide range of people including professionals. You will need to understand the importance of personalised care and be able to listen to people to understand how you can support them to make choices about the care they receive. You will also need good decision-making skills, be able to teach and advise to ensure quality of care outcomes and experience.

Qualifications 

There are many routes to nursing including the traditional degree course at university. Entry requirements can vary depending on where you’d like to study and the academic level you wish to study at. Most university courses will as for a minimum of five GCSE at Grade 4/C or above and two A levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. If you already have a degree, it may mean you can study at postgraduate level. 

Opportunities 

Nursing is a constantly moving professional practice invested in innovation and better outcomes and experience for people who draw on care and support. As part of your role you will be supported to learn and develop ensuring your practice is contemporary and you have the knowledge and skills expected of the role and the NMC your regulator.

Progression may mean leading teams, specialising is a particular field or education. There are many opportunities to progress and move between health and care to develop further skills and experience. 

You can find out more about nursing on the Health Careers website.