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Care stretches far beyond the NHS. Independent health and social care settings offer a huge range of roles you might not have considered in your search for work. Learn more about the exciting opportunities available to you as a newly registered nurse and feel confident applying.

What does independent health and social care include?

Independent health and social care services offer rewarding environments to grow your skills and make a real impact.

These services operate outside the NHS, but they work alongside it to provide joined-up care. Many patients and service users move between the NHS and independent settings to get the holistic care they need 鈥� whether that's physical, mental, emotional or social. 

What are some examples of independent health and social care?

There's loads to get stuck into with a career in independent health and social care, with a range of services including:

• Private hospitals offering general and specialist medical care
• Mental health services including residential care, rehab and secure units
• Hospices providing compassionate end-of-life care
• Care homes for people of all ages with physical or mental health needs
• Specialist support for people with learning disabilities or autism
• General practice 汤头条污料 and health care assistants
• Agency 汤头条污料 roles across different settings
• Home care (domiciliary services) helping people live independently
• Community health and social care teams
• Justice services like prison health, police liaison and court support
• School 汤头条污料, including support in specialist schools
• Rehabilitation for both mental and physical health

Why choose a career in independent health and social care?

You鈥檒l be part of a diverse, creative and person-centred approach to care. You鈥檒l gain hands-on experience in unique settings, build confidence and develop a wide range of transferable skills that will shape your 汤头条污料 journey.

Whether you're passionate about mental health, end-of-life care or supporting people in their own homes, there鈥檚 a place for you here. 

You may recognise some of these myths about working in independent health and social care. Let's bust them together. Choose a myth to reveal to truth. 

This is a myth. There are a wide range of opportunities in independent settings for newly registered nurses.

This is a myth. An increasing number of service providers are offering preceptorship programmes, making roles in the sector a viable, important and valuable option.

While some organisations already offer preceptorship, Skills for Care, a strategic partner of the Department of Health and Social Care, are providing a programme of support to enable more independent employers to develop preceptorship programmes.

This is a myth. Independent health and social care consists of thousands of different organisations across all services.

While pay, terms and conditions vary between organisations, they're often equal to, if not better than those offered by the NHS.

This is a myth. Independent employers offer a clear pathway for career development. The wide range of roles at different levels of each organisation offer the opportunity both for career progression and the development of specialist skills. Careers in independent settings are careers for life, just like in other areas of health care.

As with any new role for a newly registered nurse, it's essential you receive professional and personal support. And preceptorship is an integral part of that. It ensures your smooth transition from student to autonomous professional.

You should receive support from an experienced practitioner. They'll help you develop your skills, knowledge and the confidence required to provide effective person-centred care to the people in your care. This is the same for any newly registered nurse role  鈥� it doesn't matter who the employer is or what the service covers.

What to expect

• Your employer should have a preceptorship policy in place
• Your preceptorship programme should be designed to welcome you into the organisation. This should be separate from your induction
• Your preceptorship period should last from 6 to 12 months
• You should be supernumerary for a minimum of two weeks from the start of your preceptorship
• Time for activities and meetings that are part of your preceptorship should be protected
• Your preceptor should have at least 8 to 12 hours of protected time to carry out preceptorship responsibilities, including preceptor training
• You and your preceptor should have regular meetings to discuss your progress and development
• You and your preceptor should be offered the opportunity to provide feedback to evaluate the preceptorship programme

Learn more about preceptorship

Searching for roles as a newly registered nurse can be stressful. It's important that you keep your options open. Read our top tips for landing your ideal role.

There are thousands of organisations to choose from. Be systematic in your search for roles.

Consider the area that you'd like to work in and carry out research to identify organisations in that area. Familiarise yourself with the type of service provision offered. Look for the mission statement and reflect on whether this is something that aligns with your own ethos and values.

Useful resources:

• RCN Career pathways resource
• RCN Care Home Network
• RCN Practice Nurse Forum
• RCN Nursing in Justice and Forensic Health Care Forum

Your CV should be carefully adapted to reflect the needs and expectations of the role or sector you鈥檙e applying to.

This means:

• Highlighting relevant experience: Emphasise the skills, achievements, and responsibilities that align most closely with the essential criteria, person specification, and/or job description.
• Using appropriate language: Mirror any terminology used in the job advert or by the employer to show you understand their priorities.
• Focusing on impact: Where possible, quantify your contributions (e.g. 鈥渋ncreased medication adherence by 20%鈥� or "responsible for a caseload of 100 patients") to demonstrate value.
• Reordering content strategically: Try and place the most relevant information near the top of your CV so it鈥檚 seen first.
• Removing irrelevant details: Streamline your CV to keep it focused and concise. Think of your CV as a relevant snapshot of your career rather than an autobiography.

Any covering letter or supporting statement you write should also be carefully tailored to the job, taking into account the essential/desirable criteria listed in the job advert or person specification.

How the RCN can help

The RCN can offer tailored feedback and advice on CVs, covering letters and supporting statements:

• Get practical guidance for writing job applications. 
• Get guidance on developing an eye-catching CV 

We have a range of networks and forums that can connect you to other professionals. This can help to identify opportunities, develop professional relationships, gain useful insight into different fields of 汤头条污料, and keep on top of current issues. 

• Get more information about our Early Career Nurses Network
• Find more information about all our forums and networks 

The RCN has online advice on interview skills, including the STAR technique, sample interview questions, and managing interview nerves.

RCN members can also access one to one interview coaching over the telephone. 

For more information, see our page on interview skills.