Non-registered staff education Training is not mandatory for most people undertaking non-registered staff roles such as Healthcare Assistant. But the majority of NHS employers use "in-house" training for such staff, including induction programmes and ongoing education to achieve a recognised qualification. Some collaborate with local education colleges for theoretical input, and may award a recognised qualification. Some NHS employers ask for some type of health or social care qualification for recruits: for example, an
SVQ/
NVQ or
HNC/
HND under qualification names including health care,
social care, and
health & social care.
Pre-registration degrees Project 2000 began in 1990 and was designed to move nursing education from hospitals into universities. Prior to Project 2000, nurse education was the responsibility of hospitals and was not based in universities; many nurses who qualified prior to these reforms do not hold an academic award. From 2011, students studying a pre-registration nursing programmes in Scotland were required to complete a degree. Since September 2013 all UK pre-registration nursing programmes are at degree level. Some Higher Education Institutions offer a graduate entry course for nursing. This is for students who have already gained a degree in another subject and want to register as a nurse. It is undertaken over two years. It is also possible to complete nurse registration through the nursing degree apprenticeship route, where students are sponsored by their employer.
Format Nursing courses adopt a 50/50 split of learning in university (lectures and examinations) and in practice (supervised patient care within a hospital or community setting). Nursing courses usually take three years and 4,600 hours. The first year is the common foundation program (CFP), which teaches basic knowledge and skills required of all nurses. Skills include communication, taking observations, administering medication, and providing personal care. The remainder of the program consists of training specific to the student's chosen branch of nursing. The four branches of nursing training offered at university level (not including midwifery) are: • Adult nursing • Child nursing • Mental health nursing • Learning disabilities nursing
Midwifery education Midwifery training is similar in length and structure, but is sufficiently different that it is not considered a branch of nursing. 18-month programmes allow nurses already qualified in the adult branch to register as both a nurse and a midwife. Two year courses allow graduates of other disciplines to train as nurses. This is achieved by more intense study and a shortening of the common foundation programme.
Student Bursary Student nurses in England and Wales receive no
bursary from the government to support them during their nurse training. Diploma students in England receive a universal bursary of £6,000–£8,000 per year (with additional allowances for students with dependent children), while degree students may qualify for a means-tested bursary (often a considerably smaller amount). Degree students are, however, eligible for a
student loan, unlike diploma students.
Wales, all student nurses (regardless of which course they are undertaking) receive a bursary in line with the English diploma course. In Scotland, nursing students receive a bursary of £10,000 per year. All student nurses in Wales study, initially, for a degree, but may choose to remain at Level 2, thereby achieving a diploma rather than a degree. It was announced in the
Chancellor's Spending Review of November 2015 that from 2017 the NHS bursary would be removed for future nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals in England. Welsh and Scottish students remain unaffected.
Post-registration education In order to remain registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council nurses in the UK are required to revalidate their registration every three years. Criteria to meet revalidation include having completed 450 hours of practice in the previous three years. Nurses can add certifications in areas such as
cannulation,
venepuncture,
intravenous drug therapy, and
male catheterisation are common among many others, such as
Advanced Life Support. To become specialist nurses (such as nurse consultants, nurse practitioners, etc.) or nurse educators, some nurses undertake further training above bachelor's degree level. Master's degrees exist in various healthcare related topics, and some nurses choose to study for PhDs or other higher academic awards.
District nurses and health visitors are also considered specialist nurses, and to become such they must undertake specialist training (often in the form of a top-up degree (see above) or post graduate diploma). All newly qualifying district nurses and
health visitors prescribe from the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary, a list of medications and dressings. Many of these (and other) nurses undertake training in independent and supplementary prescribing, which allows them to prescribe most drugs in the
British National Formulary. This has been the subject of debate in medical and nursing circles. As of 2012, more than 25,000 Nurse Prescribers had been qualified.
Overseas nurses The
Nursing and Midwifery Council has a specific process for inducting Registered Nurses trained outside the UK. Prior to October 2016 an outside UK RN would have to undergo an Overseas Nursing Program known in short as the ONP. The ONP had to be undertaken by the candidate after NMC makes necessary checks and issue the candidate with a decision letter stating that the person may join a university to undertake the ONP. However, owing to a shortage of nurses and increasing standards in nursing a new process was introduced to include two part test of competence, including an OSCE. The process includes an English language test, the standards of which have been criticised for being too high. == Roles ==