1. Nursing

2. What qualifications will I need ?
Nursing is now one of the most popular university subjects with 5 applications for each place
CCC or BCC would be a common offer made for degree courses or a mixture of Merits and Distinctions from vocational courses
Some courses will require Biology A level or another science. Most will ask for GCSE grade Cs in English, Maths and Science
Check with your teachers to find out your predicted grades. Make sure they are good enough to meet likely offers
Offers will be made on the basis of your predicted grades NOT on what you think you can get at the end of the course
Check the ‘Course Specific Requirements’ on the Entry Profile for each course on the UCAS website

3. Types of nursing
Adult Nurse: Adult nurses work with diverse health conditions, both chronic and acute. Work may be based in hospital wards, clinics or, community settings and you may do shift work to provide 24-hour care.
Mental Health Nurse: Nurses who choose to specialise in mental health nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others. Increasingly, care is given in the community. 60% GP referrals stress related
Children’s Nurse: Children's nurses deal with a range of situations, including babies born with heart complications, teenagers who have sustained broken limbs, and child protection issues. Children's nursing takes place in hospitals, day care centres, child health clinics and in the child's home. This type of nursing has the most applications

4. Learning Disability Nurse: Learning disability nurses work in partnership with family carers, to provide specialist healthcare. Learning disabilities nursing is provided in settings such as adult education, residential and community centres, as well as in patients' homes, workplaces and schools. Learning disability nurses work as part of a team alongside GPs, psychologists, therapists, teachers and social workers.
District Nurse: District nurses visit people of all ages, often in their own homes, GP surgeries or a residential home. Many patients are elderly, others may have disabilities, be recovering after a hospital stay, or have a terminal illness.
Neonatal Nurse: Neonatal nurses work with newborn babies who are born sick or prematurely.

5. Work experience
It is important to show evidence in your personal statement and at interview that you are a genuinely caring person and that you are used to interacting with other people in different situations:
Supporting younger students in your school or college
Voluntary work
Working in a youth club
Helping older people
Charity work
Working with the disabled
If possible, some work experience
in the NHS

6. NHS Careers website

7. Two very useful PDF booklet on NHS Careers website

8. Find out about health issues on the NHS Choices website

9. Keep up to date with health news on the BBC Health News website

10. Use the links on the BBC Health website

11. Useful Reading
Progression to Nursing, Healthcare and Social Work UCAS Books
The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction, by William Bynum. Oxford University Press
Epidemiology: A Very Short Introduction by Rodolfo Saracci
Medical Ethics: A Very Short Introduction by Tony Hope, Oxford University Press
Subscribe to the Student British Medical Journal
Careers in Nursing PDF booklet on NHS website
Subscribe to the Nursing Times and use the website

12. Useful Websites
Royal College of Nursing especially How to Become a Nurse of Midwife pages
Nursing and Midwifery Council:
NHS Careers website
NHS choices to find out about health issues
Day in the Life is an extremely useful website which gives invaluable advice on: