Nursing - Registered Nurse

Children and young people's nursing is a specialist healthcare profession focused on the particular needs of patients from infancy through to late adolescence. Caring for children requires a distinct set of skills and knowledge: children's physiology differs from adults, their emotional and developmental needs require sensitive and developmentally appropriate approaches, and family members play a central role in their care and recovery. Children's nurses work across hospitals, neonatal units, community services, schools and specialist paediatric centres, often in collaboration with doctors, therapists, social workers and education professionals.

At the University of Salford, this three-year full-time programme prepares you to become a registered nurse with a specialism in the care of children and young people. You will study the nursing theory and clinical skills needed to care for children with a wide range of health conditions and needs, from acute and complex care in hospital settings to community and preventive care across the lifespan of childhood. Clinical placements are a central part of the programme, giving you hands-on experience in paediatric settings under professional supervision and allowing you to develop the practical competence and professional confidence that safe, effective care requires.

Successful completion of the programme leads to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a children's nurse. Graduates work across paediatric hospitals, neonatal intensive care units, children's community nursing teams, school nursing, specialist paediatric services and children's hospices. Many go on to develop specialist expertise in areas including paediatric oncology, neonatal care, paediatric emergency nursing and safeguarding.

Leadership, clinical education and advanced clinical practice are all established career pathways in children's nursing, and the profession offers a deeply rewarding career with consistent demand.