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Five steps you can take towards becoming a nurse

Monday, March 20th, 2017 | Blog
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Nurses provide one of the most important roles in healthcare, and it is no surprise that we are regularly asked “How do I become a nurse?”. The answer is not an easy one, as the path to becoming a nurse is a fairly long one, but the result is being able to work in one of the most rewarding jobs available.

 

Unlike HCA and healthcare roles, a nurse requires several years of training alongside placement experience before a person can apply to be recognised as a licensed nurse. The general consensus for many people that want go into nursing is that they are too old and would not be able to. We’re here to to give you some tips to help you move in the right direction, and decide if nursing is the right direction for you.

1. Decide your path

The first thing you can do when deciding if you want to be a nurse is research the path you want to go down. There are many different careers in nursing and the first steps you take can have either a detrimental or positive effect on your career. There’s loads of resources available online that will inform you of what positions involve. Your first port of call should definitely be https://www.nmc.org.uk/; a website that offers an impressive array of information on nursing as a profession and the different specialist fields.

 

It’s also worth checking out https://www.discovernursing.com/diagnostic, a tool that will take into account your current education and experience, whilst also analysing your personality and dislikes. The end result will be the nursing speciality that most suits you and what you will need to reach it.

2. Join a health care agency as a home carer or HCA

Prior experience in the healthcare industry is never going to be anything other than a positive. It shows that you have experience with patients, whilst also having experience of working in the roles that you will spend your nursing career working alongside. This extra level of understanding will make you a better nurse.

 

Kare Plus has home care positions available in select locations across the country, to find out if your local area has home care positions available, please use our branch locator. you can also visit our jobs page here.

3. Attend evening classes at your local college

One of the prerequisites for starting a nursing degree is a minimum of five GCSEs grade A - C, alongside A-levels in in a relevant field. Most colleges offer evening classes, giving those that work full time the chance to earn qualifications during their spare time. This means that it is never truly too late to become a nurse, as many people decide to join the profession later in life after decided they wanted to change careers.

4. Keep up to date on the profession

Nursing is consistently changing and evolving as a profession. New laws and legislations are constantly being brought in, making it incredibly easy to fall out of the loop. Anyone who wants to become a nurse should be vigilant and alert to changes in the industry, the best way to keep up is to use the internet to follow the latest news.

Here’s a few websites you can use to keep up to date:

 

5. Nursing Apprenticeships

Starting this September, the NHS and select hospitals will offer apprenticeships to young people wishing to become a nurse. The apprenticeships are adaptable to individual applicants experience, giving those who have already worked in healthcare a slight head start. Trainee nurses can learn on the job whilst also earning a wage. To find out more please visit the gov.uk website.

 

If you’re already a nurse, are there any tips you’d like to give to any aspiring trainees? Alternatively, if you’re thinking of becoming a nurse and want to ask some questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and we will get back to you.



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