Children and Young People's Nursing
Children and young people's nursing is a healthcare profession dedicated to the physical, emotional and developmental wellbeing of infants, children and adolescents in a wide range of health settings. Nursing children is distinct from adult nursing in important ways: children are not small adults, their physiology changes throughout development, their communication needs vary enormously by age, and their care is inseparable from the care of their families. Children's nurses need both specialist clinical knowledge and the interpersonal skills to work effectively with children, young people and the people who love them.
At Coventry University, this three-year full-time programme combines theoretical learning with practice-based experience, preparing you for professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a children's and young people's nurse. You will study child and adolescent development, paediatric physiology and pathology, neonatal care, children's mental health, pharmacology and medicines administration, safeguarding and the legal and ethical frameworks governing care for children and young people.
Clinical placements are integral to the programme, taking you into paediatric wards, community nursing settings, school nursing, neonatal units, children's outpatients and specialist services. You will develop your clinical assessment, care planning and patient communication skills progressively under supervision, building the professional competence and confidence that employers expect of newly qualified nurses.
On qualifying and registering, you will be eligible to work as a children's nurse across the NHS, private healthcare and community settings. Career pathways include ward nursing, specialist paediatric nursing in areas such as oncology, cardiac, intensive care and neurology, health visiting, school nursing, community children's nursing and leadership and management roles. Postgraduate study in children's health and wellbeing or specialist nursing practice is available for those who want to develop further.