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Become a Nursing Associate

Advice on beginning your nursing associate career

The Nursing Associate (NA) role is now an established and regulated part of the nursing workforce in England. It was introduced to bridge the gap between health care support workers and registered nurses.

Since the first pilot programme in 2017, the role has grown significantly. From January 2019, qualified NAs have been able to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and join the workforce in England. In 2024, the NMC agreed to extend regulation of the NA role to include Wales, in addition to England.

If you’ve completed relevant education or training in another country, or in a different part of the UK, you may be eligible to:

  • apply to a nursing associate programme in England and have your previous learning considered, or
  • apply for registration through the route designed for applicants from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the EU, or other international locations.

Many NAs are employed in the NHS, but increasing numbers now work in primary care, social care, community services, hospices and the independent sector, including GP practices.

At the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), we’ve been closely involved in the development of the role and recognise the important contribution NAs make to delivering high-quality patient care.

We provide guidance and resources for:

  • Nursing associates — to support career development and professional practice.
  • Registered nurses and employers —to ensure effective team integration and safe delegation.

Further resources

Health Education England. Nursing associate. A new support role for nursing. This page includes information on the national curriculum framework, regulation, test sites and further resources. 

NHS Employers. Nursing associate roles in health and care. This guide sets out how to use the nursing associate role within your organisation to upskill the workforce, provide career development opportunities and widen access to the workforce.

NHS England. National preceptorship framework for nursing.

Nursing and Midwifery Council. Standards for nursing associates. These standards set out the minimum standards required to join the new nursing associate part of the NMC register.

Nursing and Midwifery Council. Nursing associates. This page covers: what is a nursing associate; regulating the nursing associate profession, standards for nursing associates; information for employers and educators and case studies.

Nursing and Midwifery Council. Delegation and accountability supplementary information to the NMC CodeThis page links to NMC supplementary information on delegation and accountability and references Nursing Associates.