Health Visitor Training - The Facts

The Nursing and Midwifery Council have recently published a document aimed at clearing up some misapprehensions about training to become a Health Visitor.

Some of the key points they stress are:

• You do not have to have practised for a minimum period as a nurse or midwife before you enter a health visitor programme. Qualified nurses and midwives can enter the programmes at any stage as long as they can demonstrate that they are able to study at the required educational level.

• It is not necessary to undertake a secondment or sponsorship for a full year as training routes are flexible.

• You do not have to be an adult nurse to enter a training programme. Any registered nurse or midwife is eligible to apply.

You may have seen a previous article on this blog about an anticipated major shortage of health visitors. You might also wish to note that, by a great stroke of fortune, the University of Cumbria is currently offering places on the BSc Hons Course in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) to start shortly at its Lancaster campus.