Adult nurse

Adult nurses are expert members of a medical team. They plan and deliver vital treatment for a wide range of patients with different needs and conditions.

Adult nurses are expert members of a medical team. They plan and deliver vital treatment for a wide range of patients with different needs and conditions.

An introduction to adult nursing

When you’re a nurse, no two days are the same. You’ll work with different people every day, improving the lives of patients and advancing medical innovation and care. As a trained healthcare professional, you’ll lead teams and take on senior positions of responsibility. That’s why nurses are one of the most important parts of our health services. 

Adult nurses form the largest part of the NHS’s workforce. As an adult nurse you’ll plan and deliver treatment as a vital part of a multi-disciplinary team, working with doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, healthcare assistants, and others. 

Of all nursing roles, adult nurses work with the widest variety of patients. They can be any adult age, from any background, and with anything from short to long-term health problems. So to be an adult nurse, you need to be very adaptable and resilient, and good at communicating with all sorts of people and solving problems.

Working as an adult nurse is challenging but satisfying. It’s a vital role where you’ll make a real difference to people’s lives.

There’s a shortage of nurses in the UK, so an adult nursing degree will offer you fantastic employment options. And new annual payments of £5,000 up to £8,000 for all undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students will be available from September 2020.

Nicola, cardiac specialist nurse

'The best part of my job is meeting new people on a daily basis and being able to help them.'
Brightcove source
Video file

Case study

About the job

What does an adult nurse do?

Adult nurses are qualified medical experts who work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, from diagnosis through every stage of a patient’s healthcare journey.   

They deliver clinical treatment and care to adults of all ages. Patients may suffer from one or more long or short-term physical health conditions, such as heart disease, pneumonia, arthritis, diabetes, cancer or injuries from an accident. So as well as their medical expertise, adult nurses need an attentive and supportive nature.

Building a trusting relationship with each patient is essential. As an adult nurse, your aim is to improve your patient's quality of life, whatever their situation. You’ll need to take lots of factors into account and juggle many priorities to get the best possible results for your patients.  

Where could you be working?

As an adult nurse you might work in a hospital, on a ward, or in an outpatient unit or specialist department.

Or you might work in the community, such as in:

  • a patient’s home
  • a clinic, GP surgery, walk-in centre, or nursing home
  • the prison service 
  • the police  
  • the voluntary or private sector 

What are the pay and conditions like?

Adult nurses working in the NHS will usually start on band 5, which goes from £24,214 to £30,112, and you’ll do 37.5 hours per week as standard. 

You might work in a shift pattern if you work in a residential setting. With further experience, training, and qualifications, adult nurses can move into more senior posts with higher salary bands.

If you work in the private or voluntary sectors, or another public sector organisation, your pay and benefits will vary.

What are your career development opportunities?

As you progress through your career there are plenty of options.

You can specialise in an area such as: 

  • operating theatres
  • caring for the elderly
  • intensive care

You could also decide to move into working in management, teaching or clinical research.  

Kayleigh, community staff nurse

'I love getting to know my patients as it helps me understand how best I can support them.'
Brightcove source
Video file

Case study

Is it for you?

Are you a good communicator?

To be a successful adult nurse, you’ll need excellent communication skills. You’ll need to be able to communicate effectively with patients and their families, as well as with your colleagues.

Planning the right care and treatment starts with listening to the patient and their family or carers, to understand their needs. 

Adult nurses need to make sure that their patients are clearly understood by everyone else. You’ll need to be able to advocate for your patients and anticipate their needs. 

You’ll need excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well anywhere and with anyone, including all the other members of your multi-disciplinary team.

Are you adaptable?

Adult nurses care for people from every part of our society. Each patient is affected differently by a range of conditions, so you need to be able to adapt the care and treatment you give.

Are you resilient?

Nursing is a stressful job where traumatic situations are common, but nurses also experience wonderful outcomes and form close bonds. You need to be able to deal with the emotions you’ll encounter every day and stay professional.

You’ll also need to maintain positive mental and physical health, both for yourself and so you can provide the best care to your patients. 

Are you a team player?

An adult nurse works at the centre of a multi-disciplinary team alongside a lot of other qualified medical professionals. 

As well as working closely with patients' families and carers, you’ll be at the centre of a team that may include:

  • doctors
  • occupational therapists
  • pharmacists
  • radiographers 
  • healthcare assistants 

To deliver the best care, the whole team needs to be able to work together effectively. 

Are you a problem-solver?

Part of an adult nurse’s role is to assess patients and make decisions about the best course of action to provide the most effective care and treatment.  

You’ll need to be able to think quickly and address problems as they arise – or even before. With sick patients, trauma cases, and emergencies, nurses always need to be on hand to solve a tricky situation.  

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Key facts

94% of nursing graduates are employed within six months of graduating.

Different routes into nursing

Applying with a degree

To become a learning disability nurse you’ll need to train and study at a degree level in a course approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council. Some degree courses let you study another area of nursing alongside learning disability nursing.

You may be able to join a nursing degree on the second year of a course if you already have a degree in:

  • a health-related subject
  • psychology
  • life sciences
  • social work

Full-time courses usually take three years.

You can find a learning disability nursing course to suit you using the NHS’ Course Finder tool.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need: 

  • five GCSEs 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths, and a science
  • two or three A levels, including a science, or a Level 3 diploma or Access to higher education in health, science or nursing

Applying with an apprenticeship

You may be able to do a degree apprenticeship in nursing if you work in a healthcare setting like a hospital. The apprenticeship takes around four years and is a mix of academic study and on-the-job training. You must be supported by your employer to take this route.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • four or five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), and college qualifications like A levels for a degree apprenticeship

Other routes

You may be able to qualify through an 18-month learning disability nursing conversion course if you're already a registered nurse in a different branch. You'll need to speak to your employer if you want to do this.

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Other fields of nursing

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