District nurse
District nurses care for people outside of hospital in patients' homes, GP surgeries and residential care homes.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
In this role you could:
- give drugs and injections and treat wounds
- check breathing and take temperatures and blood pressures
- help doctors with physical examinations and set up drips
- monitor the quality of care a patient receives
- give emotional support and advice to patients and their families
- teach basic caring skills where needed
Working environment
You could work in the community or at a health centre.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- become a senior district nurse or a community matron
- provide advanced care as a specialist community practitioner
- move into general health service management or become head of community nursing
- work in research, education or health promotion
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- sensitivity and understanding
- excellent verbal communication skills
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- knowledge of biology
- active listening skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
How to become
You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or working towards this role.
You might be able to do a district nurse degree apprenticeship.
You can train with the NHS or a private provider of healthcare services.
Entry requirements
To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:
- to be a registered nurse
More Information
You can apply for training if you're a registered nurse with 1 or 2 years' experience in any branch of nursing.
You'll complete a course in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - District Nursing, approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Your training will last 1 to 2 years and include practical community placements.
You could contact your local health trust or your employer about student training sponsorship opportunities.
Registration
- you'll need to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Career tips
You'll be expected to understand how the NHS values apply in your work when applying for a course or apprenticeship.
Further information
You can get more advice about how to become a district nurse from Health Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.