Nicola Jose is Principal Teaching Fellow and Lead for Children’s Nursing at the University of Southampton, where she also serves as Programme Lead for the Children’s Nursing programmes delivered at BSc, MNurs and MSc levels.
With over 25 years of experience in children's healthcare, education and leadership, Nicola has developed a career that combines advanced clinical practice, strategic leadership and a commitment to preparing the next generation of children's nurses. After qualifying as a Children’s Nurse in 1999, she specialised in Paediatric Emergency Care and later undertook advanced practitioner training, enabling her to practise autonomously as a Paediatric Emergency Nurse Practitioner. Her clinical experience spans acute emergency care, community services and supporting children and young people with long-term health conditions in educational settings, providing a strong practice foundation that continues to inform her teaching and leadership in nursing education. Nicola held senior leadership positions within the independent education sector, including Director of Pastoral Care and Designated Safeguarding Lead. In these roles she led organisational health and wellbeing strategies, oversaw compliance and safeguarding arrangements, supported organisational development, and played a key role in strategic planning.
Alongside her clinical career, Nicola has been involved in nursing education since 2003, teaching across pre-registration and post-registration nursing programmes. She has lectured in universities in London and across the South of England and joined the University of Southampton in 2022. Following appointments as Senior Teaching Fellow and subsequently Lead for Children’s Nursing, she was promoted to Principal Teaching Fellow in 2026
Nicola holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Ethics and a Master’s degree in Children’s Law in Relation to Practice
Nationally, Nicola serves as Deputy Chair of Children and Young People’s Nursing Academics UK (CYPNAUK), where she contributes to the advancement of children’s nursing education through policy engagement, collaborative leadership, the sharing of best practice, and the development of evidence-informed approaches that influence national standards.
Nicola was shortlisted for a Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholarship in 2023.
