How to become a registered community nurse
Official title: Registered community nurses
Also called: Staff nurse, District nurse, Practice nurse, Community nurse, Community matron, Community sister, Community care nurse, Community staff nurse, District nurse manager, Community charge nurse, Community liaison nurse, Community nursing sister
Registered community nurses provide general nursing care for the sick, injured and others in need of care, and assist medical doctors with their tasks in settings outside of acute hospitals, such as clinics, health centres or visits to patients’ homes.
Main tasks
- Plans, manages, provides and evaluates nursing care services within a community care setting
- Provides basic care and monitors patients' general health such as blood pressure or body temperature
- Administers drugs and medicines, applies surgical dressings and gives other forms of treatment
- Assists medical doctors in conducting examinations and other medical procedures
- Manages own case load
- Plays an educational role for patients and families, helping to develop rehabilitation routines and advising on how to care for their condition in everyday life, disease prevention and nutrition
How to become one
Qualification as a nurse is via a diploma or degree course, both of which are provided by universities, or through an apprenticeship. Courses comprise both theoretical and practical work, including placements in hospital and community settings. Full time diploma courses last three years; degree courses last three or four years. Accelerated programmes are available to graduates with a health-related degree. Post-registration training is available to become a specialist practitioner in community nursing.
Ways in
- University: Nursing & Midwifery degrees, Offered by 16 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £40,897 a year The middle half earn £35,643 to £46,932.
- About 90,700 people work in this job now, and about 99,400 are projected by 2035. (+9.6%)
Related jobs
- Midwifery nurses
- Registered specialist nurses
- Registered nurse practitioners
- Registered mental health nurses
- Registered children's nurses
- Other registered nursing professionals
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Questions people ask
How do I become a registered community nurse?
Qualification as a nurse is via a diploma or degree course, both of which are provided by universities, or through an apprenticeship. Courses comprise both theoretical and practical work, including placements in hospital and community settings. Full time diploma courses last three years; degree courses last three or four years. Accelerated programmes are available to graduates with a health-related degree. Post-registration training is available to become a specialist practitioner in community nursing.
How much does a registered community nurse earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £40,897 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £35,643 to £46,932.
Is a registered community nurse a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 10% by 2035, from about 90,700 to about 99,400 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a registered community nurse?
Usually. 71% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.