Specialised Roles
Within a nursing home care setting, there are opportunities work as a residential care worker or to specialise into roles such as a nursing associate or registered nurse. Find out more about these roles below.
As registered nursing associate working in social care bridges the gap between the healthcare support workers and the registered nurse and works with people and their families, carers, and partners to promote health and prevent ill health.
All roles that involve supporting or working with vulnerable individuals will require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS ) check. Find out more about information about DBS checks involve here.
Role overview:
As a nursing role, a nursing associate will work with adults of all ages and their partners, families and carers.
- Carrying out clinical tasks such as blood pressure, temperature and ECGs.
- Monitoring an individual's condition and behaviour, and sharing this information with the registered nurse.
- Supporting adults of all ages and their partners, families, and carers.
- Working closely with a registered nurse and interacting with different professionals such as doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers.
- Working closely with colleagues to monitor the care and support they offer.
Salary expectations:
The national average salary for a nursing associate is £23,497 in United Kingdom (between £21,000 and £26,000) according to Glassdoor, updated on March 2024. Salary estimates are based on salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by nursing associates in United Kingdom. This may vary depending on region and provider. This may vary depending on region and provider.
Skills and experience:
You will have the skills and knowledge to work in teams to produce a personalised approach to the health and care needs of people. This will be identified through understanding their wishes and plan of care assessed by the registered nurse.
The most important skills are you communication and interpersonal skills. You will need to communicate, contribute and often advocate care needs with a wide range of people including professionals. You will need to understand the importance of personalised care and, alongside a registered nurse, be able to listen to people to understand how you can support them to make choices about the care they receive. You will also need good decision-making skills, be able to teach and monitor to ensure quality of care outcomes and experience.
Qualifications:
The route to nursing associate is at foundation degree level either through direct entry or an apprenticeship route. Entry requirements can vary depending on where you’d like to study but most university courses will ask for GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A to C in maths and English), or Functional Skills Level 2 in maths and English.
Opportunities:
Professional practice in health and care is constantly advancing and invested in innovation and better outcomes and experience for people who draw on care and support. As part of your role, you will be supported to learn and develop, ensuring you have the knowledge and skills expected of the role and the NMC your regulator.
Progression may mean deciding to complete your training to become a registered nurse and your nursing associate training will shorten a degree programme to around 18 months to two years.
As a registered nurse working in social care works with people and their families, carers and partners to promote health and prevent ill health.
Their aim is to improve quality of life for people and get the best possible outcomes and experience of care.
Wherever the nursing practice takes place, it will be very much part of people’s lives and a crucial part of the role is to develop a professional relationship to ensure the nursing needs of each resident is met. Depending on the desired field of practice, registered nurses may choose to specialise in learning disability nursing or mental health nursing.
All roles that involve supporting or working with vulnerable individuals will require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS ) check. Find out more about information about DBS checks involve here.
Role overview:
A nursing role involves working with adults of all ages and their partners, families and carers.
- Working with individuals and their families to understand their healthcare needs.
- Monitoring the quality of care they're receiving and be professionally accountable for its delivery.
- Taking a personalised approach to the health and care needs of people.
- Working with people and their families to understand their wishes.
Coordinating care with different professionals such as nursing associates, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers.
Registered nurses may work in residential care or in individual's homes to provide care and knowledge.
Salary expectation:
The average salary for Registered Nurse is £36,023 per year - between £28,000 and £42000 - in the United Kingdom according to Glassdoor, updated in April 2024. Salary estimates are based on salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Registered Nurse (RN) employees in United Kingdom. This may vary depending on region and provider.
Skills and experience:
The most important skills to have communication and interpersonal skills. You will need to communicate and often advocate for care needs with a wide range of people including professionals. You will need to understand the importance of personalised care and be able to listen to people to understand how you can support them to make choices about the care they receive. You will also need good decision-making skills, be able to teach and advise to ensure quality of care outcomes and experience.
Qualifications:
There are many routes to nursing including the traditional degree course at university. Entry requirements can vary depending on where you’d like to study and the academic level you wish to study at. Most university courses will as for a minimum of five GCSE at Grade 4/C or above and two A levels or equivalent level 3 qualifications. If you already have a degree, it may mean you can study at postgraduate level.
Opportunities:
Nursing is a constantly moving professional practice invested in innovation and better outcomes and experience for people who draw on care and support. As part of your role you will be supported to learn and develop ensuring your practice is contemporary and you have the knowledge and skills expected of the role and the NMC your regulator.
Progression may mean leading teams, specialising is a particular field or education. There are many opportunities to progress and move between health and care to develop further skills and experience.