Health Visitor Requirements, Skills & Qualifications
The following common skills and qualifications are required of a Health Visitor:
- A qualified and registered nurse (in any field) or midwife
- An approachable personality, and the ability to get on well with and gain the trust of people of all ages and backgrounds
- Excellent communication, questioning and listening skills, as well as the ability to interpret body language and other non-verbal communication
- Sensitivity, empathy, patience and tact
- The ability to work independently and autonomously as well as in multidisciplinary teams
- Good time management, organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a varied workload
- Influencing skills and the ability to motivate people to make lifestyle changes
- The emotional maturity to deal with potentially distressing issues and challenging situations
- An interest in health and social issues and in developing programmes that will improve public health
- A willingness to take responsibility and make appropriate professional judgements with confidence.
Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Health Visitor skill, qualifications and experience. Job requirements for specific Health Visitor roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.
