Nursing ambitions to care for children
You’ll need a degree in children’s nursing, leading to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) if you want to specialise in nursing children.
Relevant paid or voluntary experience may help when applying for a degree in children’s nursing.
If you already have a healthrelated degree, you may be able to join a nursing degree on the second year of a course.
You could get into this job through an apprenticeship and then take a child nursing degree.
The NMC has more information on registering if you qualified as a nurse outside of the UK.
You’ll need to pass occupational health checks and background checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
You may be able to get NHS funding to pay for your course fees and help with your living expenses.
You’ll need: • Good observational skills The ability to make decisions and act quickly when you notice changes in children’s health The ability to comfort, reassure and gain children’s trust Excellent listening skills The authority and confidence to deal with children or parents in stressful circumstances The ability to teach parents or carers basic nursing skills Your day-to-day tasks may include: • Working with doctors to assess the needs of ill, injured or disabled children • Deciding what level of
nursing care is required • Working closely with parents and carers to help them cope with having an ill child in hospital, and how to care for them after returning home • Interpreting children’s behaviour to recognise if their health has become worse The help you give could include: • Checking temperatures • Measuring blood pressure
and breathing rates • Helping doctors with physical • •
• • • examinations Giving drugs and injections Cleaning and dressing wounds Carrying out blood transfusions and drips (intravenous drips) Using hi-tech medical equipment You’ll work closely with other professionals including healthcare assistants, doctors, social workers and hospital play specialists. You’ll usually work 37.5 hours a week, which can include evenings, weekends, night shifts and bank holidays.
You’ll work in a special children’s hospital or hospice, on a children’s ward in a general hospital or, after further training, in paediatric intensive care.
You could also work at a GP practice or child health clinic.
You could have the opportunity to work in Northern Ireland. Vanrath Strategic Recruitment has career opportunities in Northern Ireland for qualified nursing staff. • •
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