Nursing (Child)

Join us and study at Cardiff University that is ranked 1st in England and Wales and 3rd in the UK for Nursing in The Complete University Guide 2021.

Child nursing is an exciting, challenging and rewarding career with family and children at its heart. Validated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) our programme provides you with the skills and knowledge to become a registered nurse within 3 years.

Children’s nurses provide support and deliver multi-disciplinary care to children, adolescents and their families. The role can involve everything from nursing a sick new-born baby to caring for a young person following a road traffic accident. A children’s nurse needs to interpret children’s behaviour and reactions and be able to spot when a child's health deteriorates, which can often happen rapidly. Children have very specific health needs and children’s nurses employ a family and person-centred care approach, where children, young people and their carers are actively supported to become involved in care decisions.

By fully engaging with this programme you will develop skills in family centred-patient care, effective health promotion, learn about the effects and management of acute and long-term childhood illnesses, assess pain and psychological responses to ill health and learn play and distraction techniques as well as many other techniques.

You will be allocated both a personal tutor who will offer you pastoral support and an academic assessor who will support your professional development during the programme.

We have highly equipped skills laboratories in our Clinical Simulation Suite which enable you to learn in a realistic ward, community and emergency simulations. Lifelike simulations using a variety of technology mean you can safely practice and develop essential skills in a supportive learning environment before going out on to placement.

You will spend 50% of the programme undertaking practice learning with varied service providers in Wales, both in hospitals and in the community. You will benefit from placements supported by experienced practice staff to help support you in becoming the best children’s nurse you can be.

Successful completion of this degree will lead to eligibility to register with the NMC as a Children’s Nurse. On qualification, you can work in a range of healthcare settings, both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

Above all else, we strive to ensure that our graduates are ready for the next step in their career and the many opportunities that await them. That’s why 100%* of our nursing students are in employment or further study after 6 months of graduating (*DHLE and HECSU).

As part of a large School based at the largest University Hospital in Wales, we’ll help you to enjoy an academically rich and fulfilling experience throughout your time at Cardiff University.

Key features:

Fully funded place - you’ll have the option to choose a fully funded place on the programme. A full NHS bursary, including tuition fees and a non-repayable bursary for living costs, is available for this programme providing you agree to work in Wales for two years after qualifying (subject to change).

Specialist experiences - you’ll experience a multitude of complex and specialist care decisions on placement and may have practice learning opportunities in a Health Board that hosts the Children’s Hospital.

Clinical specialists - you will be taught by a staff group that possess a wide range of clinical experiences at senior and specialist levels having worked in some of the most demanding clinical settings.

Innovative use of the latest technology - we use augmented reality which will be utilised to teach anatomy and physiology, enabling you to view the internal mechanics of the human body.

Opportunity for international experience - during Year Two, there is an opportunity for you to undertake a placement in an environment of your choice, either within the UK or overseas.