Nursing

Children's nursing is a specialism within the nursing profession that focuses on the care of infants, children and young people from birth through to early adulthood, across the full range of health conditions and care settings. Children's nurses work in paediatric wards, neonatal units, emergency departments, community children's nursing teams and specialist children's hospitals, providing care that is sensitive to the unique physical and emotional needs of young patients and to the central role of families in their care. It is a career that calls for both clinical expertise and exceptional communication skills.

At the University of Keele, this three-year full-time programme prepares you to become a qualified children's nurse through a combination of theoretical study and extensive clinical placement experience. You will learn key nursing theory and develop hands-on practical skills in superb clinical facilities, building the knowledge and confidence to care for children and young people with a wide range of health challenges. The programme engages with the particular ethical, developmental and emotional dimensions of nursing children, helping you to develop the professional sensitivity and family-centred approach that children's nursing requires.

Placement opportunities give you experience across a variety of paediatric settings.

Successful completion of the programme leads to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a children's nurse. Graduates work in paediatric hospitals and wards, neonatal care, community children's services, school nursing, children's hospices and specialist paediatric teams. Many go on to develop expertise in areas including paediatric oncology, neonatal intensive care, paediatric emergency nursing and child and adolescent mental health.

Advanced clinical practice, nursing education and leadership are all established career pathways, and the profession offers a genuinely rewarding career with consistent demand for skilled practitioners.