Nursing Associate
The nursing associate role was established to provide a new level of skilled nursing practice, sitting between healthcare support workers and registered nurses and supporting registered nurses to deliver care across a wide range of clinical settings. Nursing associates provide direct patient care under the supervision of registered nurses, carrying out clinical tasks including medication administration, basic clinical assessments, patient monitoring, and wound care, while also developing therapeutic relationships with patients and their families. The role is particularly valuable in settings where the demand for nursing care exceeds the supply of registered nurses, and it creates a pathway for people already working in healthcare to develop their practice and, in many cases, progress towards full registered nurse status.
At Edge Hill University, this two-year full-time foundation degree trains you to care for diverse patients across a broad range of practical clinical experiences, developing the skills, knowledge, and professional judgement needed for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a nursing associate. The programme combines academic study with clinical placements that expose you to different care settings, building your practical competence and your understanding of how nursing care is delivered across the NHS and wider health system. The typical entry tariff is 56 points, making the programme accessible to those with a broad range of prior qualifications and experience.
Nursing associate graduates register with the NMC and work in hospitals, community health teams, care homes, primary care, and mental health services. Many go on to bridge programmes that allow them to qualify as registered nurses in an accelerated timeframe, making the nursing associate degree an important step on a career pathway into the full nursing profession. The role is increasingly recognised as valuable in its own right, and with experience nursing associates take on greater clinical responsibility and leadership within their teams.