Career Pathway

To be a good leader and manager you need specific knowledge and skills which will help you to do your job well on a day-today basis.

You may know early in your career that you would like to be a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse sometime in the future, or you may have just been appointed as a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse.

Whatever stage you are at, planning your learning and development is an important process which should continue throughout your professional life.

 

The Career Pathway is made up of three levels where it would be helpful to think about your learning and development, click on the links below to find out more.

• Newly appointed Ward Sisters/Charge Nurses

  This section of the website is aimed at newly appointed ward sisters/charge nurses.

  In your new role you will need support to develop your: Managerial and leadership responsibilities Clinical expertise Ability to develop a clinical team to ensure safe and effective delivery of patient care.

  This section will guide you through the various levels of development in your chosen career. In the early months of your role you should:

  • Learn about your role through your organisational Orientation Programme
  • Identify, plan and undertake appropriate learning and development activities
  • Use the Competence Assessment Tool for Ward Sisters/Charge Nurses to assess your learning and development needs
  • Plan a flexible approach to learning through outline descriptors for development programmes
  • Learn about opportunities for further development.
• Experienced Ward Sisters/Charge Nurses

  As an Experienced Ward Sister the skills and knowledge you have acquired in leadership and management should now:

  Operate from a deeper understanding of your organisation corporate objectives Realise the importance of Regional and National policy direction

  This should begin to harness your ability to think and act more strategically.

  This section will guide you through the continuous levels of development in your role. You should be able to:

  • Identify, plan and undertake appropriate learning and development activities
  • Use the Competence Assessment Tool for Ward Sisters/Charge Nurses to assess your learning and development needs
  • Plan a flexible approach to learning through outline descriptors for development programmes
  • Learn about opportunities for further development.
• Staff nurses and midwives who want to become a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse

  This section should help you think about:

  • The types of knowledge and skills you need to become a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse
  • How you identify, plan and undertake appropriate learning and development activities to take on the role
  • Applying for a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse post
  • Preparing for an interview for a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse post
  • The opportunities a career pathway to Ward Management might provide