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Health Visitor

Health Visitors are specialist community Public Health Nurses, who work with parents and children. The support they provide is essential in making sure children get the best start in life.
 
You will work with children and their families to identify health or developmental needs, promote health and wellbeing, and work to reduce inequality by ensuring that all children receive the support they need. This is a rewarding and inspiring role, where you could work with families 1:1, in community centres and with groups of other professionals. 

Health Visitor is also known as Public health nurse.

Role Characteristics

  • Support parents and carers during their transition to parenthood in the weeks following the birth of their baby
  • Provide support and advice with breast feeding, infant feeding and healthy eating for young children
  • Assess children’s growth and development needs
  • Promote the best start in speech, language and communication including identifying any additional support needs
  • Support parents and childrens mental health
  • Advise on minor illness, home safety, safe sleep and accident prevention

Skills

  • Active listening
  • Advice giving
  • Empathy
  • Observation
  • Taking initiative
  • Communication

Day in the life

Watch this video to find out more about being a Health Visitor.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

  • GCSEs
  • BTEC
  • A-Levels
  • Undergraduate degree
  • Degree apprenticeship
  • Postgraduate degree

How to become

You will normally need 5 GCSEs including English, maths and sciences. You will normally need 3 A-Levels in a relevant field. You will then need to complete an undergraduate degree in Nursing or Midwifery. 
 
To apply for the specialist Health Visitor training programme, known as the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Health Visiting, you need to be a registered Midwife or Nurse and have two years experience. 

It is important to check your preferred course provider's entry requirements for guidance.

To practice as a Health Visitor, you must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in health and care.

You could go into teaching within the community, working as a practice assessor or supporting clinical academic research. Or you could move into an academic position as a lecturer or researcher at a university.

Location

  • Community Settings
  • Hospitals
  • Peoples Homes
  • Schools, colleges and universities
  • GP Practices
  • At Home

Working hours

  • Full Time
  • Part Time
  • Weekdays
  • Casual Hours
  • Overtime
  • Flexible Hours

Leeds Opportunities

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Access to university
BSc Midwifery (Blended Learning)
We are proud to offer one of the few blended learning midwifery degrees in the UK, in partnership with NHS England.
Organisation
University of Leeds
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Access to university
Access to Higher Education (Midwifery)
Our Level 3 courses are designed to give learners the UCAS points needed to progress to university. The courses are fully online courses, where you can access the course materials and assessments 24 hours a day. 
Organisation
Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
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Access to university
Access to Higher Education (Nursing)
This qualification is the ideal stepping stone for those seeking to further their education and career prospects, offering a flexible and supportive route into higher learning.
Organisation
Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
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Volunteering
Volunteering in Health and Care
Find out more about volunteering opportunities in Health and Care
Organisation
Volunteering Opportunities
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Undergraduate Degree
BSc Midwifery
This degree course prepares you to become a midwife, using a student-centred approach of problem-based learning which helps supports complex decision making and teamwork. This develops your autonomy to apply twenty-first century thinking to clinical practice, whilst becoming an innovative and dynamic registered midwife.
Organisation
University of Bradford
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Undergraduate Degree
BSc Nursing (Adult)
Develop the knowledge, expertise, and attitude to begin your career as a registered nurse. You'll learn to lead and coordinate care on this nursing degree.
Organisation
Leeds Beckett University
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Undergraduate Degree
BSc Nursing (Adult)
The three-year full-time degree in Nursing leads to a professional nursing qualification and eligibility to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Organisation
University of Bradford
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