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Nursing

View the employability skills

A graduate in nursing typically will have the ability to:

  • apply creative solutions to health care situations
  • confidently present information orally, in writing and through the use of technology, to provide coherent and logical arguments in the support of decision making
  • engage in, and disengage from therapeutic relationships through the creative use of theories and skills, demonstrating ethical discernment and clinical judgement
  • use practical skills and knowledge with confidence and creativity
  • critically analyse and interpret data for care delivery and management
  • manage oneself, one's practice and that of others in accordance with the Code of Professional Conduct, and critically evaluate own abilities and limitations
  • select and apply knowledge and skills to complex and unexpected situations
  • implement strategies to promote and evaluate partnership working
  • anticipate potential stressful situations and participate in minimising risk
  • demonstrate sound clinical judgement in a range of situations and critically evaluate the effectiveness of clinical judgement in a range of professional care contexts
  • participate in quality assurance and risk management strategies to create and maintain a safe environment.

Nursing is an applied vocational and academic discipline practised in a variety of complex situations. Nursing focuses on promoting health and helping individuals, families and groups to meet their health care needs. The work involves assisting people whose autonomy is impaired and who may present a range of disabilities or health related problems. Nurses work with patients, clients, families and communities in primary care, acute and critical care, rehabilitation and tertiary care settings.

Nurses practise within a social, political and economic context. Through their Code of Professional Conduct, nurses embrace the concepts of inclusion, equal opportunities, individual rights and empowerment of patients and client groups. Professional and patient/client autonomy is a key feature.

The knowledge, understanding and associated skills that underpin the education and training of nurses covers nursing, natural and life sciences, social, health and behavioural sciences, ethics, law and the humanities, the management of self and others' reflective practice and the application of all of these to nursing care of clients and client groups.

Pre-registration nursing education consists of a common foundation programme and four branch programmes to prepare nurses to work in either adult nursing, children's nursing, learning disabilities nursing or mental health nursing.

To check the growing range of resources produced by the Subject Centre to support employability and the use of this profile (including the Skills and Attributes map) go to www.health.heacademy.ac.uk.

This profile, produced in 2004, is based on the QAA benchmark to be found at www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/honours/default.asp.


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