Nursing Science, Registered Nurse
Children's nursing is a specialised branch of the nursing profession dedicated to the care of infants, children, and young people, from newborns through to adolescents. Caring for children requires a distinct set of skills and sensibilities from adult nursing: children are not simply small adults, and their developmental stage, their dependence on family, their communication needs, and their vulnerability require nurses who are trained specifically to work with them. Children's nurses work in settings including neonatal units, paediatric wards, children's outpatient clinics, community child health teams, and schools, supporting children through illness, injury, long-term conditions, and complex clinical needs.
At the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, this four-year full-time extended degree prepares you for registration as a Registered Nurse in the children's field with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The extended degree provides additional time and structured preparation compared to the standard three-year route, making it accessible to students who will benefit from a more gradual development of clinical and academic skills before entering full nursing training. Over the four years, you will study child development, paediatric anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and medicines management for children, safeguarding and child protection, the legal and ethical framework governing children's nursing, and evidence-based approaches to caring for children with a range of conditions.
A substantial part of your time will be spent in supervised clinical placements across a range of paediatric settings in the North East, developing the practical nursing skills and professional judgment needed to care for children safely and effectively.
Qualified children's nurses work across the NHS and in private healthcare, in hospitals, community settings, schools, and specialist services. Career development routes include specialisation in areas such as neonatal nursing, oncology, emergency paediatric care, and community child health, as well as progression into advanced practice, education, and leadership. Nursing children is profoundly rewarding work, and graduates from this programme enter the profession fully prepared to make a real difference to the wellbeing of sick children and their families.