Introduction to Nursing & Healthcare Practice

Nursing & Healthcare Practice subjects are challenging, but highly rewarding, and are more commonly described as a vocation than just a job.

A Career in Nursing

Nursing is a fast changing profession, with fantastic opportunities to develop careers in a variety of areas. Nurses work with people of all ages:in roles which prevent ill health, as well as those which focus on managing illness. Nurses don't just work in hospitals - their role spans the community, working in patients' homes, or in GP surgeries, plus areas such as prisons, schools, workplaces and specialist clinics.

Complete guide to nursing & midwifery courses in London

If you want to be a nurse or midwife in the 21st century, you have to get a degree in the relevant subject. Getting a nursing diploma is no longer an option – the nurses of the future will all be graduates.

Mental Health Nursing Degree Courses

As with any caring profession, an interest in people is essential for any budding Mental Health Nurse. While your study will almost certainly incorporate a great deal of research and you will be expected to attain a high level of knowledge about various mental health conditions, ultimately you will be being trained to care for those who suffer from them. If you enjoy helping people and making a real difference in their lives, and have a non-judgemental attitude to those who are 'different', a career in Mental Health Nursing could be ideal for you. As mentioned above, you will also need the intellectual curiosity, and capacity, to understand the complex mix of Psychology and Biology that goes into creating a mental health condition, so a background in these subjects will be a great help to those starting out in the field. 

Nursing Degree Courses

For some people with an interest in the medical or caring professions, the hands-on approach of Nursing can provide a much better fit than qualifying to become a doctor. While the focus is much more on patient care than diagnosis and treatment, Nursing still requires a good knowledge of the sciences, and biology in particular. It is also a very demanding course and profession, physically and emotionally, so try and have a chat with someone who already works in it to see if it's right for you before applying. There is also the option of specialising in certain types of nursing so do your research on these different areas before committing to a course.

There are four main nursing specialisms: adult nursing, children’s nursing, mental health nursing, and nursing for those with learning disabilities. You can choose to study one, or sometimes two, of these specialisms during your pre-registration nursing course.

Becoming a nurse is challenging, rewarding, and with more job satisfaction than many other careers. You’ll be entering into a career where your actions will be making a huge difference to the lives of both your patients and their families during their time in your care.

Nursing: Nottingham University

This is an incredibly exciting time to become a nurse. Our profession is undergoing a radical educational and professional transformation, with nurses taking on greater responsibilities and enjoying more opportunities than ever to progress in a range of fascinating specialist areas.

Nursing:Your Skills

Studying a vocational course like nursing gives you a range of professional and technical skills, including the ability to function effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and to support and advise patients and their families. You also develop the ability to assess, analyse, monitor and evaluate the care you deliver. A reflective approach to professional practice is very important.

Why Study Nursing?

From 2013, all courses that allow entry into nursing have been regraded to degree level. Until 2009, only a quarter of all nurses studied for a degree; they did a diploma instead. Although the time taken to achieve the qualification is in some cases the same (3 years, although some Diploma courses were 2 years), the academic focus has become more intense.