Career Suggestion

Health visitor

Health visitors support and advise families with children aged 0 to 5 to make sure they have a healthy start in life.

Average salary (a year)

£40000.0 to £57000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

37.0 to 42.0

You could work

evenings on a rota

You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or by working toward this role.

Apprenticeship

If you're a qualified and registered nurse or midwife, you may be able to apply for a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.

This takes up to 2 years to complete and combines on-the-job training with academic study. You'll need the support of your employer to do this.

Entry requirements

To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:

  • to be a registered nurse

More Information

  • search for apprenticeships on NHS Jobs|https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Work

You can apply for health visitor training if you're a registered midwife, or a nurse in any branch of nursing.

You'll need to complete the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Health Visiting course. You can find a course approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council .

Your training can be full time or part time and will last between 1 and 2 years.

More Information

Registrations

you'll need to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council

Career Tips

You could work with babies, infants and young children alongside their families and carers.

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Further Information

You can get more advice about how to become a health visitor from Health Careers.

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • active listening skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to understand people’s reactions
  • knowledge of psychology
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

You'll usually need a full driving licence to visit families and health centres throughout the local area.

Day-to-day tasks

As a health visitor, you could:

  • advise new parents on baby feeding, hygiene, safety and sleep
  • support parents with their children's development needs
  • help with a child's speech and language development
  • advise families about healthy eating and nutrition
  • co-ordinate vaccination programmes for children
  • organise clinics and drop-in centres
  • keep accurate records and make sure they're up to date
  • work with social services and other organisations to help keep children safe

Working environment

You could work at a client's home, at a health centre or at a GP practice.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.

With experience, you could:

  • specialise in an area like working with teenage parents or people who need mental health support
  • become a team leader, community matron or work in wider healthcare management
  • move into education, training and assessment, or academic research

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