Nursing associate
Nursing associates care for sick people of all ages in hospital and in the community, working closely with registered nurses.
Also known as: Nurse associate
- Starter salary£26,000 a year
- Experienced£31,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a nursing associate, you could:
- support patients and their families
- set up drips and take blood samples
- measure and record data like weight, temperature and blood pressure
- clean injuries and give injections and certain medicines
- help with washing, dressing and personal care
- share information about patients' progress with registered nurses
- care for patients with mental health or learning disabilities
Working environment
You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a hospice or in the community.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- a desire to help people
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- sensitivity and understanding
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- knowledge of psychology
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a nursing associate
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You could do a nursing associate foundation degree at university. This usually takes 2 years to complete when studied full time.
Each university sets their own fees and have different funding options.
You should check that the course you choose is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) .
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
Apprenticeship
You can apply to do a Nursing Associate Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship. This will take you 2 years to complete and combines study with training on the job.
Entry requirements
To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
Work
You could start as a healthcare assistant or care worker in a hospital or community care setting.
Once you have some experience, you could apply for a place on the nursing associate higher apprenticeship and train on the job.
Volunteering
Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.
You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it .
Time spent caring for someone you know also counts as having experience in a caring role.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
Career path and progression
If you're already a nursing associate, you can train to become a registered nurse by completing a shortened nursing degree or a nursing degree apprenticeship.
Career tips
You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.
Registration
- you'll need to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleNurse
- Job roleHealthcare assistant
- Job roleChildren's nurse
- Job roleLearning disability nurse
- Job roleMental health nurse
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0