How are health visitors trained?

[achristmassyboo]

This isn't an attack on HVs, just genuinely curious as my mum was told that HVs don't even have compulsory child development training? I cannot quite believe this is true, but then i look at some of the advice i've had from mine and the stories on here, and there is a little twinge of doubt.

So, does anyone know?

You did have to be a nurse first but I was told last week that there is going to be/is already a direct entrance path into the profession. You do have to do child development but HV doesn't just cover children it's supposed to be from the cradle to the grave.

Ah i didn't realise that, I thought they were only to do with children, but that's probably cos i'd never thought about it much. I'm glad to hear they are trained, like i said couldn't quite believe they weren't. mind you, my mum believes some odd things...

...

yes they have to work as a nurse for i think 2 years. then they can do health visitor training which depends on which NHS trust they're in. sometimes it's just a year long course, half theory, half practice. not much really when you think they cover all ages.

I want to say 'badly' but feel I'm being cynical!!!!! I'm a nurse who used to want to be a HV, I had long chats with a student HV with my ds and she said the course is about 14 months long, absolutley, totally intensive and - in her words - 'doesn't prepare you for the job' I would like to say in her defence, she's excellent as is her mentor! I don't know the content of the course but it is mainly child focused. I would have gone to HV via midwifery but I think it's frowned upon now! She went to it from adult A&E. They get paid stacks too!!!!!

I think they get them all in a room and they have to say

'Its perfectly normal'
'Its perfectly normal at this stage'
'Its perfectly normal for a baby of this age'
'Yes, perfectly normal'

In dire situations try:

'Have you tried offering more feed'

Thats it as far as I can see.

i think the pay is around £25k more if they do extras, and more if they become an hv consultant.

LOL at niceglasses

I would like to be a HV one day maybe when the kids are all at school. My old HV was afantastic lady, she told me that I'd get into it quite easily as I am NNEB/NVQ trained and that a vast majority of HV's nowadays are ex nursery/nneb/teachers etc which I was quite surprised at.

You do still have to be a qualifed nurse or midwife at the moment.

(totally off the subject, but on things they say, mine calls me "mum" all the time and it DOES MY HEAD IN!!)

oh yes 'how's mum?' !!!

onezephyr, don't want to burst your bubble but the competition for HV places is fierce!!! My manager, yes, of a ward, with 10 years nursing experience didn't get in, there were about 100+ applicants for four places! There may be other ways in such as self-funding or student wage, I think these were well-paid training places from the trust. Also, Dizzy, I can assure you they get FAR more than £25K! They used to be an H grade on the old system and nurses used to start at a D grade, Sisters were a F, managers a G and they were H's!!!! Mega bucks!!!! Again, may be different now, all the pay structure has had a shake up over the last 2 years and they may have lost out. I dunno!!!! Not so 'up' on it all anymore, now I'm not so interested in being one! I totally agree with the 'perfectly normal' thing!!!!

ImMc, not sure, there may be a direct route now, why don't you google it? or try an NHS site?!

they normally start at grade G, about £24 to 28k. so with piddly wage rises, about 25k average. but yes, can be high if they do extras.

I can't believe that grade G's only get £24-£28K a year, there's a very small margin between bottom and top then and the responsiblity differences are HUGE!

That's what I did and it's still only for trained nurses and midwives with 2 years post reg experience but my HV told me that a direct route was starting - bit like midwifery changed years ago