by Simon Wright
Monster Healthcare Expert

Nursing in today’s NHS will give you the chance to develop your full potential and a career for life. You’ll need a caring nature, an ability to interact with people – not just patients, but their families, and other members of your healthcare team such as doctors, therapists and scientists as well as the support workers working alongside you.

Entry Requirements
Minimum requirements (these are being reviewed and may change during 2005 – to keep up to date, visit www.nhs.uk/careers):

The standards for entry into a nursing or midwifery diploma or degree programmes are set by the Nursing & Midwifery Council.

Nursing Diploma Programmes

You will need at least one of the following:

• 5 GCSE/GCE O levels, grade C or above (including English and a Science/Maths subject for entry to midwifery, unless you have already obtained qualifications marked * below)
• Or 5 CSE’s Grade 1
• Or GNVQ Intermediate level plus one GCSE/GCE O Level, grade C or above
• Or GNVQ Advance Level or NVQ Level 3*
• Or a QAA accredited Access to Higher Education course
• Or EDEXEL Foundation (BTEC) National or Higher National Diploma

Nursing Degree Programmes

Most education institutes will require at least two A Level passes

Nurse Cadets or Modern Apprenticeships

For people with fewer formal qualifications, there are an increasing number of Nurse Cadet Schemes available.

These schemes usually consist of an initial training programme of up to two years, leading to someone being able to achieve the qualifications necessary to enter into nurse training (NVQ Level 3 or completion of an Access Course).

The training programme will include a range of placements within your chosen NHS location. Cadet Schemes are primarily designed for people between the ages of 16 and 19, and are not restricted to nursing and midwifery careers.

To find out whether Cadet Schemes are operating in your region, contact your local NHS Workforce Development Confederation or visit www.wdc.nhs.uk.

Midwifery

There are two routes to qualification as a midwife:

• Direct – a 3-4 year diploma or degree programme in midwifery
• Post-registration – first you qualify as a Registered Nurse in adult nursing, and then keep a shortened 78-week programme in midwifery.

Once qualified, and as your experience grows, you can research and develop special areas of practice, become involved in services such as family planning or move into teaching or management.

Starting Out

During the first year of your nursing degree or diploma, you will be introduced to all of the four ‘specialists’ or branches of nursing as part of the Common Foundation Programme. In years two and three, you will focus on the branch that interests you most.

The Student Years

Life for Student Nurses and Midwives is no different to those of any other student. Each year you’ll usually have 40-45 weeks of course work and 7-12 weeks annual holiday, usually around Christmas, Easter and the summer depending on the individual University.

As a student, you will be introduced gradually to shift work during clinical placements. It’s important that you experience the full cycle of ‘round the clock care’, so expect to work a few weekends during your training.

Lifetime Friendships

From the time you begin your training, you’ll make friends who will probably stay friends for life (many nurses and midwives who have trained together end up working in the same hospitals and even delivering each others babies!).

You’ll discover your own hidden depths and facets of your personality that you never knew you had, rise to meet new challenges, and take immense satisfaction from the successes achieved every day by you and your colleagues.

The great thing about deciding on a career in nursing or midwifery is that it’s highly likely that you will always have work. However, some areas of England are experiencing high levels of student intake to nursing and midwifery diplomas and degrees (Devon and Cornwall for example). In these cases, you should be prepared to look into opportunities in other areas of the country. It may mean that even when qualified, there will not be the range and scope of job opportunities available to you in exactly the location you wish to work.

These circumstances are, however, constantly changing and your skills will always be required. Most likely you can return to your first choice location later in your career.

There are over 400,000 nurses working today – some of them have been part of the NHS for years, others have returned after time raising families or working abroad for example. Few professions offer such a range of specialities, varied career paths and promotional opportunities.

There is a range of other NHS benefits that you may not appreciate quite yet (such as the NHS Pension Scheme!). Others will ensure that you are able to maintain a good work/life balance whatever your circumstances or career aspirations.

Te NHS not only offers flexible working options to all its staff, it also operates a ‘step on, step off’ policy that means you can take a career break and then come back, whether to the same area of nursing, or change direction to another field.

You’ll be supported throughout your career to ensure that your skills continue to be expanded to your best capabilities. In a few years, you could be running a whole ward or department, lecturing, teaching new students to follow in your footsteps, or doing research into groundbreaking new methods of treatment and care.

Pay in the NHS is getting better. Newly qualified nurses, Grade D, currently earn from £16,525 to £18,240 whilst Grade E Staff Nurses (and most midwives start at this grade) earn between £17,660 and £21,325. A Nurse, Midwife or Health Visitor Consultant can earn anywhere between £35,035 to £48,185!

For more information on salaries, visit www.nhs.uk/careers/ or http://content.monster.co.uk/salarychecker/.