Health visitors work with families in their own homes to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent illness.

Salary range: £30,401 to £43,772

How to become a health visitor

You can get into this job through:

• working towards this role

Work

You can apply for training if you’re a registered nurse or midwife. Any branch of nursing is acceptable.

You’ll complete a course in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing – Health Visiting, approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council.

Courses can be full time or part time and last between 1 and 2 years.

More information

Registration

• you’ll need to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council

Further information

You’ll find more details about how to become a health visitor from Health Careers.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You’ll need:

• customer service skills
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to use your initiative
• to be flexible and open to change
• sensitivity and understanding
• to enjoy working with other people
• the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
• knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and requirements

You’ll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

What you’ll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

• giving advice to new parents on feeding babies, hygiene, safety and sleeping
• supporting parents with their children’s development needs
• coordinating child immunisation programmes
• organising special clinics or drop-in centres
• supporting children with special needs
• advising on how to reduce the risk of accident and injury
• working closely with social services and other organisations to safeguard and protect children

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.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to team manager, community matron or a management role in another department of the NHS.

You could also go into nurse education and training.

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