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- Help provide in-home health advice and support for families with young children, or others with specialist health needs
- You'll spend time travelling to people's homes where you'll provide advice and help
- You'll need a caring approach and the ability to cope with distressing issues
As a health visitor, your job will involve promoting more healthy and active lifestyles to families and individuals in their homes.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Give advice to new parents on feeding babies, hygiene, safety and sleeping
- Support parents with their children's development needs
- Coordinate child immunisation programmes
- Organise special clinics or drop-in centres
- Support children with special needs
- Advise on how to reduce the risk of accident and injury
- Work closely with social services and other organisations to safeguard and protect children
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You may also spend time advising older people on health-related issues, working with the travelling community, and supporting vulnerable adults who are homeless or have an addiction.
You could work at a client's home, at a health centre or at a GP practice. Your working environment might be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need customer service skills, the ability to work well with others and use your initiative, be flexible and open to change, sensitivity and understanding, knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses, and the ability to innovate.
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 - Health Visiting, approved by the Nursing & Midwifery Council.
You'll also need clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
CAREER PROSPECTS
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.