Meet Kate, 21, and find out about her life as a critical care nurse working in the NHS. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Kate:
I'm Kate, I'm 21 years old, and I'm a nurse.
As a critical care nurse, our main aim is to get the patients better. Before entering the ward, I will always use alcohol gel. This just kills any of the bacteria on my hands before entering the clinical area.
We do hourly observations, so that's constantly checking the blood pressure, temperature, heart rate. By those observations, we can gather whether or not our patient is improving, and getting better, or deteriorating and becoming more poorly.
There are a number of skills that nurses use day-to-day – compassion, empathy, good communication and time management.
When I was around 14-15, that was when I decided I wanted to become a nurse. One of the reasons was because my mum said that I was quite caring and compassionate. So she's just suggested one day: "why don't you try nursing, Kate?"
Also, my grandmother and her three sisters, they all worked in the NHS for many years and they absolutely loved it too.
I really wanted to do a Health and Social Extended Diploma at college, so, to do this, I had to pass my Maths, English and Science in school GCSEs. Within my Health and Social Extended Diploma, I was able to do placements, and this gave me the opportunity to see what it was like being in the care environment.
After qualifying and finishing my uni degree, I started working in intensive care the following Monday.
I absolutely love being a nurse. I just love seeing my patients smile. I love interacting with them, and communicating with them. I feel as though I'm making a positive difference in people's lives, it's just great. There are endless opportunities within nursing and I'm so excited to see what my future holds.
I absolutely love being a nurse and seeing my patients smile.
- Kate is a critical care nurse in a hospital
- It's her job to do regular observations of her patients, to check if they are getting better or more ill
- Kate started working as a nurse the Monday after she finished her university degree.
What to expect if you want to be a nurse
- Nurse average salary: NHS bands 5-6. Read more about NHS bands. Salaries will differ in private healthcare.
- Nurse typical working hours: 37 to 42 hours per week
What qualifications do you need to be a nurse?
You can get into this role via a university course. You can do a degree in adult nursing approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council. Some degree courses let you study another area of nursing alongside adult nursing. You may be able to join the second year of a nursing degree if you already have a degree in:
- a health-related subject
- psychology
- life sciences
- social work
Full-time courses usually take 3 years. You may be able to do a degree apprenticeship in nursing if you work in a healthcare setting like a hospital. The apprenticeship takes around 4 years and is a mix of academic study and on-the-job training.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, NHS Health Careers
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
Find out more
For more information about careers in nursing, you can check out:
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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