Adult nursing vs child nursing

If you think child nursing is your calling go for it. I'm a medical student and really keen on Paediatrics. However, I would be cautious to go straight into working with children. This might mean you'll have to practice clinical skills and patient skills straight away with children (and parents!). Even though I'm interested in Paediatrics, I'll have to do medicine more generally and work on general wards before I can specialise which will allow me to practice my skills with adults and gain more experience. Maybe this is something you could do too?

Thanks for the advice. I originally wanted to study medicine and specialise in paediatrics but I don't think I will get the grades so just working on my plan B which is nursing.

Hi @x.xellen96,

If you can't decide between child and adult nursing, you may be interested in studying our MSci Nursing course. Our course is an integrated-Masters level nursing degree, where on successful completion you’ll be able to register in two fields of nursing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Therefore, you could choose to study MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult and Child). Throughout the programme you will undertake placements related to your primary and secondary fields of nursing. In addition, there will be opportunities to undertake dual field placements. Please note, the nursing field listed first in the course title is your primary field of nursing the nursing field listed second in the course title is your secondary field of nursing.

Alternatively, we also offer PGDip nursing courses. These are for qualified nurses who hold current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and are looking to train in a second field of nursing. Therefore, this course could be an option for you if you decided to studying an undergraduate degree in one field of nursing and then wished to become dual qualified at a later date.

I hope this helps

Pippa
Course Enquiries Team

Hi, I am going to be applying to uni this year and definitely want to do nursing but I don't know whether to go into child nursing or adult nursing. I understand there's more opportunity with adult nursing but I have worked with children in the past and like children. Are there like pros and cons that someone could list for both or any students who can tell me their experience. Help meh ples xx

Hi @x.xellen96,

If you can't decide between child and adult nursing, you may be interested in studying our MSci Nursing course. Our course is an integrated-Masters level nursing degree, where on successful completion you’ll be able to register in two fields of nursing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Therefore, you could choose to study MSci (Hons) Nursing (Adult and Child). Throughout the programme you will undertake placements related to your primary and secondary fields of nursing. In addition, there will be opportunities to undertake dual field placements. Please note, the nursing field listed first in the course title is your primary field of nursing the nursing field listed second in the course title is your secondary field of nursing.

Alternatively, we also offer PGDip nursing courses. These are for qualified nurses who hold current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and are looking to train in a second field of nursing. Therefore, this course could be an option for you if you decided to studying an undergraduate degree in one field of nursing and then wished to become dual qualified at a later date.

I hope this helps

Pippa
Course Enquiries Team

Hi Pippa,

How do your dual registered nurses maintain their competence in both areas for re-validation?

Hi there. I’m starting uni in a couple weeks to study MNurs adult and child nursing and I understand that unless you work in an area where you work with both adults and child eg A&E, GP practises you will have to work bank on the opposite. I’m very interested in paediatric oncology, but doing this will mean I would have to do bank shifts in an area where I would work with adults. It’s a certain amount of hours in 3 years in order to keep up dual registration.

Hi, I am going to be applying to uni this year and definitely want to do nursing but I don't know whether to go into child nursing or adult nursing. I understand there's more opportunity with adult nursing but I have worked with children in the past and like children. Are there like pros and cons that someone could list for both or any students who can tell me their experience. Help meh ples xx

Hi Ellen,

It’s great to here you are considering applying to do nursing.
Southampton University offers a MNurs in Adult and Child Nursing. This means that you can study and have placements in both adult and child areas meaning you do not have to decide!
Here’s a link which tells you more about the course and it’s structure: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/nursing-adult-child-degree-mnurs

There are so many opportunities in both branches of nursing, through placement and the experience you gain at University you will realise that there are even more roles in nursing than you first thought. Placement is a key aspect of learning in any field of nursing you choose and it enables you to apply the theory you have learnt at University into practice.

I study BSc Children’s Nursing at Southampton and I have loved my first year and could not recommend it enough. It has really opened my eyes into the role of a children’s nurse which, as it says in the name, is caring for children but also caring for the parents/carers which can sometimes be forgotten about in children's nursing.

I hope this has given you some useful insight and I wish you the best of luck.
Let me know if you have any further questions.

Caitlin 😊
BSc Children’s Nursing
Official University of Southampton Rep

Hi Caitlin,

Do you know how many places the dual course has? Also has re-validation been an issue for people trying to maintain registration in both adults and children or would they just do a return to practice instead if they wanted to change fields and what would that entail? thanks

There are quite a few unis that offer different dual nursing courses, enough to fill out all five ucas options with options remaining. From my knowledge (as a fresher for dual adult and child at UoS) dual registration may be kept up by either working in a field with both adults and children such as A&E or GP etc. but you can also work bank shifts in the opposite field to that in which you are working to maintain your dual registration

Hi Caitlin,

Do you know how many places the dual course has? Also has re-validation been an issue for people trying to maintain registration in both adults and children or would they just do a return to practice instead if they wanted to change fields and what would that entail? thanks

Hi @BCD1,
Thank you for your questions.

The dual adult and child nursing course at Southampton University roughly has around 40 students. However, it is important for me to emphasise that this can vary from year to year.

In terms of revalidation the guidelines are set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. In order to stay registered as both an adult and child nurse there are different options. For example working in an area which covers both such as A&E or a GP practice, a different option would be working bank shifts in an adult setting if you work on a children’s ward. Currently the guidelines are that 450 hours of each field of nursing must be completed every 3 years of being registered.

I hope this has answered your questions.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Caitlin 😊
BSc Children’s Nursing
Official University of Southampton Rep

Hi Caitlin,



Thanks for your reply. 450 hours does seem a lot over 3 years if you are already working full time in another role to be able to keep your practice up in both. Do you know anything about the return to practice options if you haven't been able to do the hours?



thanks