Nursing

A nurse is someone who is trained to care for the sick or infirm, especially in a hospital.

The first thing to decide is which field of nursing you want to study in, so use the links below to find more about them. In all of these fields you’ll have the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people each and every day. The four fields of nursing are:

• adult nursing
• children’s nursing
• learning disability nursing
• mental health nursing

Midwifery

Midwives provide care and support to women and their families while pregnant, throughout labour and during the period after a baby’s birth.

You’ll be the expert on childbirth and your responsibilities are likely to be diverse. You’ll provide:

• provide full antenatal care, including parenting classes, clinical examinations and screening
• identify high-risk pregnancies
• monitor women and support them during labour and the birthing process
• teach new and expectant mothers how to feed, care for and bathe their babies

You could be working with women from a variety of backgrounds and you will need to be confident enough to communicate with different people. Some women and their families might be homeless, socially excluded, have disabilities or be very young. Other clients may be from certain cultural or religious backgrounds.

How to become a midwife after College?

To become a midwife you’ll need to train and study for an undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree or diploma, or secure a place on a midwifery degree apprenticeship. Entry requirements vary depending on where you’d like to study or work. You can find full-time midwifery courses using our Course Finder tool. You can search for apprenticeship vacancies on the NHS Jobs website and the Find an apprenticeship website.

Diagnostic Radiographer

Diagnostic radiographers use the latest technology to look inside the body in different ways. You'll use a range of imaging technology and techniques to determine what disease or condition is causing a patient’s illness, including:

• X-ray to look through tissues to examine bones, cavities, and foreign objects
• Fluoroscopy to see a real-time image of the digestive system
• CT (computed tomography) which provides views of cross-sections of the body
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to build a 2D or 3D map of the different tissue types within the body
• Ultrasound to check circulation and examine the heart, as well as in antenatal work

Assistant Practitioner

Assistant practitioners are experienced staff working in support roles alongside qualified healthcare professionals.

Assistant practitioners (sometimes known as associate practitioners) have skills and experience in a particular area of clinical practice. Although they are not registered practitioners, they have a high level of skill through their experience and training.

Assistant practitioners work across the NHS in most departments, so you could be working in:

• Respiratory medicine: Testing and assessing lung function
• Occupational therapy: Assessing people’s need for aids and equipment at home
• Operating theatre area: Scrubbing and assisting in surgical and other procedures, or monitoring patients recovering from surgery
• Personal, social, therapeutic, and rehabilitative care: Providing care such as bowel care and management, catheter insertions, etc.
• Dietetics: Encouraging people to make healthier food choices
• Biomedical science: Analyzing samples in a lab
• Mental health services: Supporting adults or young people with mental health issues
• Stroke rehabilitation: Helping people recover in their own homes
• Emergency medicine: Treating patients so they can return home as soon as possible
• Radiography: Helping to diagnose or treat a patient's illness
• Health centre or GP surgery: Changing dressings and monitoring medication
• Hearing services: Working as a hearing aid dispenser

As an assistant practitioner, you'll always work under the direction of a health professional such as a nurse, dietitian, physiotherapist, podiatrist, or biomedical scientist. Your level of training and experience means you can often work alone, without supervision. You'll carry out agreed procedures, referring to a professional for guidance when necessary.

Dietitian

Dietitians translate the science of nutrition into everyday information about food.

You'll advise people and help them make informed and practical choices about their food and nutrition. You'll assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems. You'll also teach and inform the public and health professionals about diet and nutrition. Your aim is to promote good health and prevent disease in individuals and communities.

Dietitians are skilled at translating scientific and medical research related to food and health into practical guidance for the general public.

In the NHS, you'll work in hospitals or in the community. However, outside the NHS, dietitians also work in the food industry, education, sport, media, public relations, publishing or research. Some work on a freelance basis.

You'll work with individuals and communities with both healthy and sick people. You could, for example, work with people who:

• have digestive problems
• want to lose weight
• need to put on weight after an illness
• have HIV
• have an eating disorder
• want to improve their sports performance
• have an allergy.

Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapy is a varied and exciting career that lets you make a difference, offering flexibility and excellent job prospects. You'll work with patients daily to improve their care and lives.

As an occupational therapist, you'll help a wide range of patients with different issues, such as:

• Helping someone adapt to life after major surgery
• Assisting people with mental illness in returning to everyday activities like work or volunteering
• Enabling elderly people to stay in their homes by providing adaptations like level access showers or stair lifts

One of the most exciting aspects of being an occupational therapist is the variety. You'll encounter different patients and conditions, and have the chance to work in multi-disciplinary teams in various settings, from hospitals and clinics to charities, prisons, and social services departments.

Occupational therapists work with individual patients and their families, as well as groups. They collaborate with other health professionals and may supervise the work of occupational therapy support workers.

To become an occupational therapist, you'll need to train and study at the undergraduate degree level (through a full-time course or degree apprenticeship), or if you already have a relevant degree, at the Master's level through a 2-year accelerated program. Entry requirements vary depending on where you choose to study.

Orthoptics

Orthoptists work independently or with other eye specialists like consultant eye surgeons (ophthalmologists), optometrists, and nurses.

Degree courses for orthoptics are available at three universities in the UK and take three or four years. These courses include a lot of practical work with patients as well as the theoretical knowledge you'll need.

To get onto an orthoptics degree course, you'll need:

• Two or three A-levels, including a science, along with five GCSEs (grades A-C), including English language, maths, and science

Or alternative qualifications such as:

• BTEC, HND, or HNC, which includes science
• Relevant NVQ
• Science-based access course
• Equivalent Scottish or Irish qualifications

Paramedic

Paramedics respond to 999 and 111 calls and are trained in all aspects of urgent and emergency care. They work from ambulances, cars, motorbikes, and bicycles.

To become a paramedic, you can take one of two routes:

1. The university route
2. Employment by an ambulance service as a student paramedic or a paramedic degree apprentice

Each university and ambulance service has its own entry requirements, so it's important to check carefully.

Podiatry

Podiatry is an exciting and varied career that lets you make a difference, offering flexibility and excellent job prospects. You'll work with patients daily to improve their care and lives.

As a podiatrist, you'll work with people's feet and legs. You'll diagnose and treat abnormalities and provide professional advice on foot and leg care to prevent problems. In the NHS, you'll often see patients at high risk of amputation, such as those with arthritis or diabetes.

To get onto a podiatry degree course or degree apprenticeship, you'll usually need:

• Three A-levels, including a biological science (or equivalent level 3 qualifications)
• Five GCSEs (grades 9-4/A-C), including English language, maths, and science (or alternative qualifications at level 2)