how to get on a midwifery or childrens nurse course?

[enidlowrij]

i applied for a childrens nursing course, applied in march which was already late then the university asked me to get a refrence for them, i did this the day they asked, 6 weeks later i got the refrence and sent it to the university, the university then had to contact her to ask if she sent it... last week they finaly got a reply! and just found out that i wasnt accepted, im heartbroken. my question is what jobs help you get you onto the course? ive worked as a teaching assistant and a support worker for children with disabilities, i also have a degree in illustration, but still wasnt accepted. what jobs could i get to secure a spot on a nursing degree im not sure if the late application had anything to do with it. i would love to be a midwife ideally but dont think i have the grades to get on the course and didnt choose anything relating to midwifery in 6th form. any help/advice would be appreciated so i can reapply for next year.

[purplegreen99]

Could you call or email the university and ask them why you weren't accepted? Say you are really keen to pursue this career so want to know what kind of experience or qualifications would improve your chances if you apply again. THey are the best people to ask, and there's no point in looking for more experience if what they really wanted was Biology A level.

[enidlowrij]

i have already emailed the university but havent received a response yet.

[dontforgetbilly]

Go and speak to university/ies you are applying for, generally they will have nursing/midwifery specific open days. They will tell you if you have grades required and any other requirements they look for- each university seems to have their own focus.

Spend time on your personal statement, but make sure to apply on time, by march some universities have already had their interviews so far too late to be applying!

[mayhew]

They are both very popular courses. However because of the loss of bursaries recently, competition is a bit easier at the mo.
There are Facebook groups where aspiring applicants and current students support and encourage each other.
Many students have more than one attempt at application before getting on a course. Chase the feedback. It sounds like a "last minute" application. Do you think you might not have given it enough care to be impressive? Revisit the criteria and see where you can improve.
Finally, midwifery and children's nursing are very different imo, I've done both but have 30 years in midwifery. What draws you to each?
My close friend has a similar record in children's nursing. Her work life has been much more technical than mine and plays to her extrovert strengths. I'm much more of a "with woman" person and see my role as practical feminism.

[Tapioca333]

Hi

I would also recommend going through your personal statement once again. Admissions will really want to know what draws you to the course particularly the nursing profession. You have experience working as a teaching assistant and support worker so emphasise the transferable skills you have gained to nursing e.g. communication with children, diffusing difficult situations, working under pressure etc. They will also want to know that you have an awareness and understanding of the role of a children's nurse including the aspect of death and caring for the dying child. Something applicants often forget, sometimes no matter how hard you and your team work the children will not get better. And you have to be emotionally resilient enough to deal with this and support their families.

You will also need good numeracy skills as there are a lot more drug calculations in paeds compared to adult nursing.

Do a bit of research about the differences between the role of a nurse and the role of a midwife. As you will already know they are very different and theres no point doing a children's nursing degree if all along you wanted to be a midwife. In fact, I would argue that If you wanted to do the nurse to midwife route it is probably better to be an adult branch nurse and perhaps work in gynae/women's health before doing the post-graduate diploma in midwifery!

I hope this helps and good luck!

[titchy]

Being a late applicant won't have helped. Do you have any recent level 3 study in science? You'll need that too. Your experience sounds relevant though for paediatric nursing. But if you want midwifery you'll need to try and get some voluntary work with midwives, either in hospital or community setting. Or both.

[enidlowrij]

im more drawn to childrens nursing, i like helping children hense my work experince, i was on maternity leave and one day i was talking to my sister and i said i regret so much doing illustration and not a childrens nursing course she told me to apply and i said i wouldnt be able to afford it... turns out wales still offer the course for free so i was ecstatic and applied that week. my application was really good i thought my sister which is on her third masters degree read through my personal statement and said it was perfect shes had two unconditional offers to the university i applied for so i dont think my application was bad. i can only apply for this university as its the closest to me half an hour drive the reat are almost 2 hours away my son isnt one yet and being in university and then driving i wouldnt see him and with placements it just wouldnt work. applied for access to higher education health care diploma hopefully ill get onto that its a year course. now that ive applied i dont see myself working as anything else but as a childrens nurse.

[titchy]

You'll be in a much better position once you've done the Access course so it's definitely the way to go.

I hope you don't mind me saying, and I realise the way people write on SM and in real life can be very different, but your posts here are of a very low written standard - if they indicate your usual level of written work you will struggle unless you get some specific help in that area.

[mayhew]

I'm a bit unclear. In your first post you say you particularly want to be a midwife. Then you say it's children's nursing you particularly want to do.
I think you need to find out more about both and clarify your thinking. Look at course content, work content, clinical skills and career paths, what jobs each could lead to.
The training is hard for both because of the joint study/placement requirements and the absolute lack of flexibility over shift work. At interview, you are likely to be asked how you will cope with this. You need cast iron 24hr childcare support.
This lack of focus will come through in your application.

[enidlowrij]

lol i know im doing this on my phone with a 11 month old following me everywhere. these are very rushed.