Nursing degrees are highly competitive and applications will typically need to show you have the required aptitude and motivation as well as strong academic credentials – usually three A-levels of ABB or better. Your numeracy and literacy will need to be very good, as will your ability to communicate. Working as part of a team under pressure is a critical skill for this role. Most universities will expect 30 points for an International Baccalaureate, and an IELTS score of 7.0 overall, no lower than 6.0 in any one component.

Nursing degrees in the UK typically demand four years full-time study . This includes a wide range of compulsory courses in life sciences as well as placements in different real-world health environments such as community and medical centres. This first-hand experience of the NHS will give you the chance to apply the theory covered in your lectures, tutorials, practical sessions and group work with real patients.

If you want to work as a registered nurse in the UK, you’ll need to complete the Overseas Nursing Programme (ONP). The ONP gives you the freedom to apply for roles in the NHS or the private sector and can be integrated as part of a BSc (Hons) or MSc courses in International Nursing Studies. Once you have an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in International Nursing Studies, you can apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in order to be eligible to work in the UK.

You’ll need to complete 400 hours of supervised practice placement to complete the course. You are legally allowed to work 20 hours a week during term time, and full-time in the holidays, to make up your quota. Wherever you study or undergo your work placements, you’ll be learning on state-of-the-art equipment whilst immersed in Medical English – the global language of care.

The UK has helped to shape professional nursing ever since the 1850s when Florence Nightingale founded the first ever school dedicated to professional nursing at St Thomas’ hospital in London . From administering vaccines to setting standards in the discipline, we’ve led the world and nursing has played a vital role in supporting our world-leading medical research and care. The UK is also home to a world-famous public healthcare model, the National Health Service, which has close ties to universities across the country. Closely integrated with private practice and the wider care system, you’ll be learning best-practice approaches to nursing first-hand from within these modern healthcare environments, alongside leading health professionals from all disciplines.

A UK nursing qualification opens the door to all kinds of job roles directly related to your degree. From becoming an adult or children’s nurse, a health visitor or midwife, specialising in learning disabilities or mental health, or even becoming a paramedic, each offers a very different kind of career experience. The kinds of employers seeking people with nursing skills is just as diverse. You could find yourself working for a private sector healthcare provider or a national one, a voluntary organisation, a school, prison, nursing home, industry employer or even the army. But whatever path you take, you’ll find doors open up anywhere in the world when you have the versatile, real-world skills provided by a UK nursing degree.