Nursing Degrees

gabbitas
Jan 14, 2016
2 min read

The popularity of the nursing degree has increased radically since 2013 when all new nurses had to have a degree in nursing. Over 200,000 applications are made every year and about 24,000 (11%) gain a place on a course.

Entry Requirements

There are no strict subject requirements to study nursing but good grades in English and a science subject at GCSE are certainly helpful. A range of A levels and B Techs are accepted by some universities.

Course content

The degree course is 3 years long (4 in Scotland). It starts with a Foundation year studied by all nursing students which covers an introduction to nursing and caring skills with additional modules on human biology, psychology, communication and patient health. In the second year students can choose to specialise in different areas, such as mental health, adult nursing or children’s nursing. A children’s nursing specialisation would feature units on holistic care for children with acute needs, applied clinical biology, pain management and ethical, legal and social issues in child health. The courses include many weeks on clinical placements in hospitals, clinics and other healthcare settings. Some of these placements can be taken abroad. A dissertation is normally part of the final assessment.

Fees

Student nurses have their tuition fees paid by the NHS.

Career prospects

Most graduates go on to work in the NHS, the country's largest employer. Others may go on to work abroad, in private practice, pursue work in social services, the pharmaceutical industry. the armed forces or the prison service or in specialities including community nursing, drug rehabilitation, hospices, care homes, physiotherapy and radiotherapy.

Top places to study

The Complete University Guide rates these as the top 5 universities for nursing according to student satisfaction; entry standards; an assessment of the quality of the university's research; and graduate prospects.