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Paediatric nursing

How would I go about being a paediatric nurse? Was talking to mum about this earlier who claims it's possible to get an NVQ in Care (2/3) and that's pretty much it.:confused:
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    no, youd have to go to college and get a diploma or a degree in paediatric nursing which is a 3 year course. Most courses are quite well subscribed, but youve got a childcare advantage (havent you?) which would stand in your favour for getting on the course.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    have a look at the nhs careers website.
    i'd think though you'd need to qualify as a nurse and then specialize...
    though i could be wrong :confused:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you can just do paediatrics from the straight off now :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yep, SCC is right, and though the course are definitely oversubscribed (I know Northumbria could fill their course four times over with the applications they get for Child Branch Nursing), you definitely do have an advantage. It is far and away the most competitive field of nursing though, so if you're seriously interested in it you should concentrate now on continuing to build on your good, solid experience with kids and also getting glowing references.

    Oh, and not every University offers Child Nursing, it's worth bearing that in mind :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My best friend qualified as a children's nurse this year, she did a 3 year uni degree (but you do get a bursary and have to work on wards and in the community during your training) and now works on intensive care at the children's hospital.

    It's definitely harder to get onto a children's nursing course than an adult one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At Plymouth they dont seem to be running the diploma course in child nursing, but they do have the degree course if you have the entry requirements
    http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/2871/BSc+(Hons)+Child+Health+Nursing
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    just as a general question and out of interest, what is the difference between child nursing and ordinary nursing? i don't mean that it just involves children, but why say, would an ordinary nurse not be qualified to work with kids?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think an ordinary nurse is qualified to work with kids, but like any other field you can specialise in what you want to do. If you're planning on doing paeds then you can specialise from the start.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In certain instances a Registered General (Adult) Nurse can - and does - work with children and youths, especially in less specialised areas etc. Obviously nurses are sometimes spread so thinly they have to have transferrable skills, though you're obviously going to be placed in a role where your specific skills are utilised whenever possible. In training to be a nurse you cover a little of all the branches (adult, child, learning disabilities and mental health) in your first common foundation year but obviously your specialism is just that and the following years are branch specific.

    From Adult Nursing it's very easy to go on to specialise in different areas, including some specialisms that involve working with children. That's the reason I personally chose to do Adult Branch rather than Child Branch (though I was initially interested in a neonatal specialism) as it gives you a wider and more easily accessible range of options like Midwifery, Community Nursing etc.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At Plymouth they dont seem to be running the diploma course in child nursing, but they do have the degree course if you have the entry requirements
    http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/2871/BSc+(Hons)+Child+Health+Nursing

    Nowhere offers diplomas any more unfortunately as the governement has begun a drive to make it an all-degree entry profession! I qualified 2.5 yeas ago and i know at my uni my year was the last to include degree and diploma. Most unis will probabably assess your ability during the course and decide if you are capable of attaining the degree academically. If they feel you are not they will mark your work at diploma level, and award you that! Politics! My uni was oversubscribed for child branch places, as every year they have 300+ applicants for about 20 places :crazyeyes
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    plenty of places offer diplomas! I was doing a diploma in adult nursing but gave it up last year. I think in England it is actually mainly diplomas that people do becuase you get a much higher bursary for doing it than you do with the degree.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    plenty of places offer diplomas! I was doing a diploma in adult nursing but gave it up last year. I think in England it is actually mainly diplomas that people do becuase you get a much higher bursary for doing it than you do with the degree.

    True. Ours all start as diplomas, and those who want to change to the degree course at an appropriate time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    plenty of places offer diplomas! I was doing a diploma in adult nursing but gave it up last year. I think in England it is actually mainly diplomas that people do becuase you get a much higher bursary for doing it than you do with the degree.

    Yeah, it is actually probably akin to madness to choose to start off studying the degree programme... I think the difference is that the degree bursary is means-tested (which is probably why it's usually a lot lower than the diploma bursary).

    I'd say 95% of the students on my course signed up for the diploma, and the majority of them came out with a degree at the end of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the degree bursary is about £2k a year max, although you have the option to get student loans etc.
    The diploma bursary is aboout £6k a year, plus you dont need all the same entry requirements as you do for a degree, plus you go into nursing at exactly the same band anyway (although apparently having a degree makes a difference when it comes to getting promoted to management levels etc if thats what you want)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sorry :blush: must just be in Wales then, and most definitely Swansea University, who i know dont offer nursing diplomas from the outset. When they did offer diplomas you got the same bursary amount for both degree and diploma, about £5,500
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you get the same bursary in scotland for degree and diploma too. Not the case in England though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Shame...you would think it would encourage more people to do the course!! But then again there are no jobs around at the moment for the newly qualified anyway. It such a shame after all the hard work they put into the course :grump:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well I think the fact that you only need 5 O levels encourages a lot of people to do the diploma, rather than having to have 3 A levels to do a degree.
    Most people who want a degree want a better paid job than nursing I would have thought.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Very true...but it's not as poorly paid as it used to be. I know many degree graduates that earn a lot less than i do. I think the diplomas are a good idea as it opens up the course to a wider number of people, encouraging more nurses to train. If only something could be done about the current vacancy situation :mad:
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