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

This usually takes a year and 6 months to complete and is a mix of learning at work and study at an accredited university.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• to be a registered nurse

You can apply to become a school nurse if you're a registered nurse or midwife.

You'll usually need to do an approved programme in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - School Nursing. 

This approved programme can take 1 to 2 years to complete.

You'll need:

• knowledge of medicine and nursing practices
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• sensitivity and understanding
• a desire to help people
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks

You'll usually need a driving licence for this job.

In this role you could:

• raise awareness of health issues like smoking and drugs
• promote healthy living, including sex and health education
• give immunisations, vaccinations and carry out screenings
• train teachers on healthcare issues and advise on school health policy
• support children with medical needs like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy or mental health issues

You could work at a school, at a pupil referral unit, in the community or at a college.