Careers

Nursing and midwifery

Pre-registration

Pre-registration programmes in both Nursing and Midwifery lead to graduate level qualification over three years.
Increasingly nursing programmes are also available as either a full 4-year Masters or 2-year fast track Masters ( the latter based on a recognised first degree and previous care experience commensurate with the knowledge skills required for pre-registration nursing programmes ). UK pre-registration programmes are professional regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and require 2300 hours of placement and 2300 theory hours during a programme. This requirement makes for a demanding course, with extended 45-week academic years, and multiple academic and clinical assessments.

Nursing and Midwifery programmes lead to a wide variety of career paths including, clinical routes, leadership and management roles, academic and research roles

While direct experience of ClinEdR may be limited, an understanding of research, evidence-based practice and critical appraisal are NMC requirements for all programmes, and the NMC Code, to which all registered Nurses and Midwives must adhere.

Nursing and midwifery

Post graduate Continuing professional development

Once registered, both nurses and midwives undertake a period of preceptorship to help them to transition into their clinical roles. Clinical nursing and midwifery roles are often diverse fast paced, they offer opportunities for a wide range of experience but they also encourage registered nurses and midwives to make decisions to specialise in a specific area s of practice, frequently undertaking additional specialist practice Masters level qualifications e.g District Nursing, Health Visiting or Advanced Nurse Practitoner roles.

Decisions to move to academia or to consider engaging in funded research may be made at a slightly later stage in a nurse or midwife’s career, although increasingly this is changing due to increased opportunities. Clinical education is integral to the roles of nurses and midwives at all levels; all are required to be supervisors of students and staff, educators of patients, users of service and their families and improve outcomes as their focus.

Nurses and midwives are eligible to apply for the NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) programme, which offers research training opportunities, and can also apply for a number of other fellowships.

It can be difficult for registered nurses and midwives to enter academia while maintaining a clinical role. However, there are now growing numbers of part-time and flexible programmes of study available at most higher education institutions. These include as Masters in Research (MRes) and PhD and Professional Doctorate (Prof Doc) programmes tailored to suit working practices.

For some registered nurses and midwives, a move into education and research can require a complete career change. However, this is changing, with an increase in joint appointments and combined clinical/academic roles, although these remain limited. The Incubator wholly supports a change in culture which will provide nurses and midwives with more opportunities to engage in ClinEdR.