How do I become a General Nurse?

General Nursing is an inspiring and rewarding career which focuses on delivering person-centred care to promote health, healing, and overall well-being. As a General Nurse, you play a vital role in enhancing healthcare outcomes through compassionate care, clinical expertise, and teamwork. This career offers endless opportunities for growth, specialisation, and lifelong learning. Blending compassion with skill, general nursing is an empowering and meaningful pathway for those dedicated to helping others and shaping a healthier future.

There are a number of entry routes to the General Nursing profession:

  • Undergraduate BSc in General Nursing – approved courses
  • Tertiary degrees provide seamless pathways from further education to higher education

Additional information can be found on Careers Portal.

Picture of healthcare professional in a hospital setting

Your role with the HSE

Once qualified, you must register with NMBI, Ireland’s nursing and midwifery regulator.

General nursing offers opportunities to work across a broad spectrum of healthcare settings from hospital services such as intensive care (ICU), theatre, wards, outpatient departments, and emergency departments, to community-based roles in primary care, residential services, GP practices, prison health services, the pharmaceutical industry, and beyond.

As a nurse, you will work as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside doctors, health and social care professionals, social care staff, healthcare assistants, porters, and many others.

You will also collaborate closely with patients’ families and carers to ensure holistic, person-centred care.

Nursing careers involve varied shift patterns: days, nights, weekends; offering flexibility, experience, and enhanced pay for non-core hours.  These work patterns support flexibility in terms of work life balance.

Medical Professionals assisting a patient with a ventilator

Career Progression

Clinical Pathway:
Staff Nurse, Enhanced Nurse, Staff Nurse (Senior), Enhanced Nurse (Senior), Clinical Nurse Specialist, Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Management Pathway:
Clinical Nurse Manager (I–III), Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON), Director of Nursing (DON), Children’s Disability Network Manager, Regional Director of Nursing and Midwifery

Educational Pathway:
Clinical Placement Co-ordinator / Student Allocations Officer, Nurse Practice Development Coordinator, Clinical Facilitator / Clinical Practice Support Nurse, Nurse Tutor / Lecturer

Research & Development:
NMPDU Officer, NMPDU Area Director

Please note, the above does not represent a comprehensive list of pathways, with many additional opportunities available in addition to those listed.

Surgeon in an operating theatre

Development

We offer professional development and educational opportunities, enhancing the skills of our workforce and the quality of care provided.

Annual Professional Development Planning (PDP) supports nurses in working with their managers in a facilitative and supportive manner, to achieve personal, professional, and organisational goals.

Your local NMPDU supports continuing professional development programmes, including masterclasses, workshops, study days and conferences.

The Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) Centres for Nursing and Midwifery Education provide CPD and QQI Level 5–8 programmes of education.

HSELAND, the HSE portal, offers an array of training & development opportunities delivered online and in classroom settings.

Explore NMBI‘s approved post-registration courses leading to additional registration or click here for further information.

Staff benefits and testimonials

Working in a rewarding and challenging career is just one of the many benefits you’ll enjoy as a HSE employee. We offer attractive pay and benefits, professional supervision, career support and development opportunities, friendly colleagues, and an excellent quality of life.

See Pay scales – HSE Staff

Testimonials coming soon.

To ensure that you are informed of all vacancies please register on the HSE Career Hub for weekly job alerts.