If you’re passionate about caring for others and want to make a real difference to people’s lives, a career in nursing and midwifery could be the right career for you.
Nursing and midwifery offer rewarding careers at the heart of healthcare, supporting people through every stage of life.
Whether your goal is to progress to university to become a registered nurse or midwife, or pursue another healthcare profession, you’ll build the knowledge, practical skills and experience needed to take your next step.
Nursing and Midwifery Pathways Explained
Adult Nursing
Adult nurses care for people aged 18 and over who are ill, injured, or recovering from surgery. They work in hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes, and in the community. It’s a rewarding job that needs kindness, good communication skills, and a strong desire to help others.
As you gain experience and qualifications, you can move into different roles:
- Registered Adult Nurse – Working in hospitals, clinics, or in the community.
- Specialist Nurse – Focusing on areas like cancer care, diabetes, or intensive care.
- District Nurse – Visiting and caring for patients in their homes.
- Practice Nurse – Working in GP surgeries, helping with routine care and advice.
Midwifery
Midwives support women through one of the most important times in their lives; pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. They provide care during pregnancy, assist with labour and delivery, and offer support after the baby is born. Midwives work in hospitals, birth centres, and in the community, often visiting families at home.
Once qualified, you can choose from a range of roles, including:
- Hospital Midwife – Supporting women through labour and birth in a hospital setting.
- Community Midwife – Visiting women at home before and after birth, offering care and advice.
- Specialist Midwife – Focusing on specific areas such as teenage pregnancy, mental health, or high-risk pregnancies.
Mental Health Nursing
Mental health nurses care for people experiencing conditions such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and more. They work in hospitals, GP surgeries, mental health clinics, and in the community. Their role includes assessing patients, offering emotional support, giving medication, and working with other professionals to create care plans.
Once qualified, you can choose from a range of roles, including:
- Mental Health Nurse – Supporting patients in hospitals or community settings.
- Crisis Team Nurse – Responding to urgent mental health situations.
- CAMHS Nurse – Working with children and young people in mental health services.
- Specialist Nurse – Focusing on areas like substance misuse, eating disorders, or forensic mental health.
Children’s Nurse
Children’s nurses care for young patients from birth through to adolescence. They support children who are ill, injured, or living with long-term conditions. Alongside medical care, they also provide emotional and practical support to families. Children’s nurses work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, clinics, and in the community.
Once qualified, you can choose from a range of roles, such as:
- Hospital Children’s Nurse – Caring for children on wards, in emergency departments, or in specialist units.
- Community Children’s Nurse – Supporting children and families at home or in schools.
- Neonatal Nurse – Providing care for premature or seriously ill newborn babies.
- School Nurse – Promoting health and wellbeing in school settings.
Emergency Care
Emergency care professionals respond to 999 calls and provide life-saving treatment at the scene of accidents, medical emergencies, and other urgent situations. Paramedics are trained to assess patients, give emergency care, and safely transport them to hospital. They usually work in ambulances but may also be part of air ambulance teams or community response units.
Once qualified, you can work in a variety of roles, including:
- Paramedic – Responding to emergencies and providing urgent care on the scene.
- Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) – Supporting paramedics during emergency calls and helping with patient care.
- Ambulance Technician – Providing care and transport for patients in non-life-threatening situations.
- Critical Care Paramedic – Working in air ambulances or trauma teams, dealing with the most serious emergencies.
- Community Paramedic – Supporting patients at home and helping reduce the need for hospital visits.
Study in our cutting-edge “mini-hospital”
Our Health and Social Care Academy features state of the art educational and healthcare equipment, enabling an innovative, interactive, and hands-on approach to teaching and learning.
Key features include:
- A&E Resus Room and 5-bed ward
- Immersive Suite, that transforms into various real-life settings
- Clinical suite
- Maternity unit, complete with a pregnant manikin and newborn simulator
- Community/Self-contained flat, adaptable to various environments
- Mental Health Ward, equipped with anti-ligature fixtures
- Debrief and Conference Room, a professional space to participate in discussions
Nursing & Midwifery courses
Dental Nursing Apprenticeship – Level 3
Health & Social Care
Apprenticeship
|
18 months
City and Guilds
BSc (Hons) Health, Wellbeing and Social Care (Top-up) – Full Time – Level 6
Health & Social Care
Higher Education
|
1 year
The Open University
Certificate in Higher Education in Health, Wellbeing and Social Care – Full Time – Level 4
Health & Social Care
Higher Education
|
1 year
The Open University
Fd Health, Wellbeing and Social Care – Full Time – Level 5
Health & Social Care
Higher Education
|
2 years
The Open University
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Health Science Professions) (Distance Learning) – Level 3
Health & Social Care
Adult Learner
|
1 year
Skills and Education Group Access
|
Age Group:
(19+)
Occupational Entry in Social Care – Level 2
Health & Social Care
School Leaver
|
1 year
CACHE
|
Age Group:
(16-18)
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Health Science Professions) (Day) – Level 3
Health & Social Care
Adult Learner
|
1 year
Skills and Education Group Access
|
Age Group:
(19+)
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Health Science Professions) (Evening) – Level 3
Health & Social Care
Adult Learner
|
1 year
Skills and Education Group Access
|
Age Group:
(19+)
NCFE CACHE Certificate in Counselling Skills – Newcastle – Level 2
Health & Social Care
Adult Learner
|
8 weeks
NCFE CACHE
Where your course can lead
“The health ward facilities have been great, especially the maternity suite where there is a mannequin to practice delivering babies. Within the course, we’ve learned about person-centred care, safeguarding, and how to treat people with varying needs; this has greatly helped with my work placement, and we utilised these skills in our practical sessions at college.”
Freya Hollinshead
Employers we work with
