Bachelor of Nursing (Child) (BN) at Cardiff University

Child nursing is an exciting, challenging and rewarding career with family and children at its heart. Validated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) our programme provides you with the skills and knowledge to become a registered nurse within 3 years and offers you the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives.

Children’s nurses provide support and deliver multi-disciplinary care to children, adolescents and their families. The role can involve everything from nursing a sick new-born baby to caring for a young person following a road traffic accident. A children’s nurse needs to interpret children’s behaviour and reactions and be able to spot when a child's health deteriorates, which can often happen rapidly. Children have very specific health needs and children’s nurses employ a family and person-centred care approach, where children, young people and their carers are actively supported to become involved in care decisions. 

While you will specialise in children’s nursing from the start of the programme, the integrated nature of teaching means you will learn with those studying adult nursing and mental health nursing. Sharing ideas between health disciplines will broaden your perspective on healthcare, and help you focus on specific skills you develop in your own field of nursing. As a school we provide a variety of courses recognised by both the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This contributes to a vibrant interdisciplinary environment, with opportunities for shared learning, formative assessments with other health professionals and inter-professional education (IPE) not available at many institutions.

By fully engaging with this programme you will develop skills in family centred-patient care, effective health promotion, learn about the effects and management of acute and long-term childhood illnesses, assess pain and psychological responses to ill health and learn play and distraction techniques as well as many other techniques. This will enable you to deliver high quality child nursing care in a rapidly changing environment.  

You will be taught by motivated and knowledgeable lecturers in the field of child nursing who are influencing healthcare across Wales and beyond through engagement and research. You will be allocated both a personal tutor who will offer you pastoral support and an academic assessor who will support your professional development during the programme.

We have highly equipped skills laboratories in our Clinical Simulation Suite which enable you to learn in a realistic ward, community and emergency simulations. Lifelike simulations using a variety of technology mean you can safely practice and develop essential skills in a supportive learning environment before going out on to placement; empowering you to provide leadership in multi-disciplinary care where innovation and technology are rapidly evolving.

You will spend 50% of the programme undertaking practice learning with varied service providers in Wales, both in hospitals and in the community. You will benefit from placements supported by experienced practice staff to help support you in becoming the best children’s nurse you can be. We have a highly equipped clinical simulation suite which enables you to learn in realistic ward, community home and emergency simulations.  

Successful completion of this degree will lead to eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Children’s Nurse. On qualification, you can work in a range of healthcare settings, both in the United Kingdom and abroad. 

Above all else, we strive to ensure that our graduates are ready for the next step in their career and the many opportunities that await them. That’s why 100%* of our nursing students are in employment or further study after 6 months of graduating (*DHLE and HECSU).