Children and Young People's Nursing
Children and young people's nursing is a clinical profession that demands both specialist scientific knowledge and an exceptional capacity for compassion, communication and family-centred care. Children are not simply small adults; their physiological, psychological and developmental characteristics differ in fundamental ways from those of adults, and nursing children and young people requires practitioners who understand those differences and can apply them in acute, community and long-term care settings. The range of conditions that a children's nurse encounters, from acute illness and surgical recovery to chronic conditions and complex disability, demands clinical versatility alongside strong interpersonal skills.
At the University of Bedfordshire, this three-year full-time degree is designed to give you high levels of hands-on experience alongside theoretical knowledge, with approximately half of your time spent in practice settings. You will develop the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation skills needed to care for children and young people with a wide range of illnesses and conditions across hospital and community environments. Communication skills and compassionate care are as central to the programme as specialist nursing knowledge, reflecting the reality that working with children and families requires both.
On graduation, you are eligible to apply for registration as a children's nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Registered children's nurses work in NHS children's hospitals, paediatric wards, neonatal units, community nursing teams, school nursing services, GP surgeries and specialist paediatric services. The voluntary and private healthcare sectors also employ children's nurses in hospice, respite and long-term care settings. Many nurses go on to develop specialist expertise in areas such as neonatal care, paediatric oncology, child and adolescent mental health or emergency paediatrics.
Advanced practice qualifications, nurse prescribing and academic careers in nursing education and research are further progression routes for registered children's nurses.