Nursing and midwifery: A career with choice
Nursing or Midwifery is more than just a job – these are professional careers.
Health and social care in Northern Ireland are provided as an integrated service with a wide range of statutory/public, independent, voluntary and private organisations working together to plan, deliver and monitor health and social care.
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/
This could be an ideal time to consider your future career in nursing or midwifery and whatever your circumstances, you should find a role that suits you. For more information, search the Career Pathways, Career Profiles and Real Life Stories sections to hear from local nurses and midwives.
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Join a respected profession
Nurses and midwives comprise the largest part of the health and social care workforce delivering services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year across the age spectrum and in every health sector (statutory/public; independent, voluntary and private) including primary, community and hospital care, and in schools, prisons and workplaces. They are highly valued for the range and extent of skills and knowledge they have and the quality of care and treatment they provide.
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Make a difference
Nurses and midwives make a positive and lasting contribution, not only to the people they care for, but to the wider community. They do this through their roles as care providers, advocates and educators, working within a team of skilled health professionals and support staff.
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Match your career with your lifestyle
Few professions can offer the diversity of nursing and midwifery, allowing you to match your career with your lifestyle. Varied working hours with the flexibility of shift work means that nurses and midwives can choose to work part-time, leaving time for family commitments, travel or other interests.
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Choose diversity
Working opportunities for nurses and midwives are diverse. For example, nurses can work in hospitals, nursing and residential homes, community settings, schools, prisons and large organisations/industries to name a few. Midwives may work in the community, in a freestanding midwife-led birth centre or in an acute hospital as part of a team caring for women with complex needs. While most nurses and midwives work in a clinical area providing direct care and health care services to patients and clients, there are also opportunities to work in other areas including research and development, education/teaching, leadership and management, public health, quality improvement, commissioning and policy and strategy development.
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Choosing a specialty
For nurses who want to specialise in one particular area of practice the choices are endless.
Nurses and midwives often have the opportunity to rotate through areas that interest them, or they can choose to specialise in one area or work at an advanced level of practice.
Nurses and midwives who choose to work in specific areas for long periods build expert knowledge through experience. They can provide specialised care and use their knowledge to support and train others in the health care team.
