Nursing is one of the safest career options in 2025 amid the AI revolution. Even doctors are at risk of being taken over by AI, but not nurses. This makes it a great choice for a career if you’re interested in medical science. In fact, choosing to study nursing in the UK is another major benefit for you because UK nursing degrees are transferable to most major countries globally.
Also, if you want to serve in the UK, the NHS is one of the largest employers in the world, leading to significant availability of jobs and nursing opportunities. So, all these factors are certain to help you confidently move forward towards your interest in becoming a nurse. But how do you get started? What are the steps to becoming a nurse in the UK?
To help you get a clear idea, here’s a complete guide for all aspiring nursing students.
8 Stepwise Guide to Becoming a Nurse in The UK
There is a serious lack of nurses in the UK and globally, which makes a nursing degree valuable for students. The steps mentioned below are the same for international and UK students alike. The only difference for international students is that they may need to pass internationally approved English tests like IELTS to be eligible for admission to UK nursing schools.
1.Choose The Right Course
Nursing, just like most fields of medicine, has different specialities from which you can choose. In the UK, nursing specifically has several specialities, including nursing for adults, paediatric nursing, learning disability nursing, and mental health nursing. You can start your journey at any of these specialities and upskill yourself further when you’ve completed your nursing degree. All these courses have great job opportunities, so you should only choose based on your interests at this stage.
2. Know The Academic Requirements
If you want to pursue nursing as a career, you need to first clear certain eligibility criteria. Nursing degrees require students to have completed at least four to five General Certificate of Secondary Education (GSCEs). These must include English, Mathematics, and Science. Students must also have biology as their subject in their secondary education or “A-level education” to be eligible. In case students don’t have biology, they’ll need to at least any other science subject to be eligible. Alternatively, students can also opt for BTEC Level 3 in Health and Social Care to gain admission to UK nursing schools.
3. Get Your Nursing Degree
Most nursing degrees in the UK are three years, with a focus on intensive classroom education during the period. Students are required to attend every lecture, which is often packed with up to 200 students attending the same class. The focus of study is on human physiology, and based on your specialisation, students can have separate classes that focus on them. The nursing degree is also quite hands-on, with students getting practical classes where they get to put their theoretical education to use. Once your education is complete, most nursing colleges offer placement assistance, and over 95% of nursing graduates in the UK find employment within 6 months of graduation, assuring your education doesn’t go in vain.
4. Opt For An Apprenticeship Degree If You Want
If you’re in the medical field already or if you want to work and pursue your education at the same time, getting an apprenticeship degree can help you. This course takes four years and allows students to work part-time in the medical field while pursuing their education. This makes it easier for students to find employment after completing their degrees. In fact, it also helps them pursue their education while supporting themselves financially, which is a huge benefit. An apprenticeship degree might be harder to avail of and have additional eligibility requirements, so make sure you check it out accordingly before applying.
5. Register With NMC
Once you’ve completed your nursing education, the next step is to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK. They offer licenses to registered nurses in the UK, and being registered is mandatory for working in the UK. Regardless of their specialisations, NMC registration can help you become employable in various nursing roles across the UK. At this point, if you’re interested, you can also transfer your nursing degree to other countries and opt for their eligibility tests to start working in foreign countries.
6.Find Employment
Once you’ve completed your registration process, you can find jobs from recruitment portals, the NHS jobs website, or private healthcare providers. The key is to be active online and even talk to your nursing school about placement opportunities. Often, universities help students find resources and job opportunities when they’ve cleared their nursing degrees. Once you have found a job, it is crucial that you focus on keeping your skills up-to-date in order to get better opportunities.
7. Upskill Yourself
Upskilling is an important part of growing your career as a nurse. You can go for additional certifications and clearances that allow you to offer specialised nursing support and care. You can also go for higher education in nursing as far as doctorate in nursing, which can help you move into research positions. The choice is yours, but you must move forward to keep yourself indispensable in an industry that’s constantly changing.
Conclusion
There you have it. These are some of the most tried and true steps to becoming a nurse in the UK. If you’re a student interested in this career, there’s never been a better time to pursue nursing, so please follow the steps and take your career to the next level. If you need nursing assignment help at any point, feel free to reach out to Digi Assignment Help. We offer affordable and reliable assignment and nursing essay writing services that can help you cope with the pressure of full-time nursing education. Feel free to check out our website and submit a quotation for your assignment requirements. Our experts will get back to you as soon as possible.
