How To Be A Nurse in UK / Abroad

Published

Hi everyone!

I am new to this forum and I live in London, UK. I want to be an adult nurse in the UK and also be qualified to be one abroad and was wondering what is the best route to be one. I’ve realised that I need to do something practical with my life but that’s also rewarding and meaningful. I am an emotional, caring person and I want to help people. 

I have a few questions:

1. What is it like being a nurse? What’s the work/life balance? Do you have the time to do your hobbies? How is it like when you have a family?  What other opportunities could it lead me?

2. Do I need to acquire an Adult Nursing Degree to get the right qualifications to be eligible to work in UK or abroad? If not - then what else can I do? I would ideally like to get my nursing qualification in the shortest amount of time as possible so I can start earning sooner than later.

3. Is it better to work for the NHS or for a private hospital? Is the route the same or do I definitely need a degree in order to work for a private clinic?

4. Is it the same route to be a travel nurse? What is it like to be one if you know?

A bit more information about me - I finished my A-levels in 2015 with no healthcare/science subject. I acquired BCC for my A-levels and a grade D in AS. I also have my Maths and English GCSEs. 

I currently applied for a healthcare assistant programme I found online called Generation Healthcare. Basically a free programme for those who are interested in getting into working for the NHS with no experience that could lead to being trained as a nurse (apparently). This is what I’m trying out first and if I don’t get accepted then I’ll apply for university for next year while I find a regular full-time job as I volunteer for a hospital. This is a link of what it’s all about: https://uk.generation.org/yorkshire/get-into-healthcare/  

Thank you so much everyone! If you have any tips or advice for me I would love to hear it. 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion