To think obtaining a nursing degree as a single mum...

OP when your 16 year old is 18 you will have a 12/13 year old. I suppose the question is, are you always going to be able to rely on your older children to look after the younger children? If so, are they onboard?

If it’s your last chance you need to get on and do it. I’d check out your options - I would also look at Physio, OT, Social Work (if you would qualify), so if nursing does seem too much you might have options. But as far as I understand it there is a need for more nurses, so talk to the uni about how helpful they will be.

I haven’t read every page of this - do you have a back up if your 16 year old decides they don’t want to be as helpful as you anticipate?

Other than that I think that some of the PPs on this thread, while being well meaning and child focused, are also being unrealistic. Not everyone can achieve an ideal balance of work and home all the time - it’s a fantasy middle class ideal which we could all do with dropping from our arsenal of weapons with which to beat ourselves. Sometimes parents have to work longer hours than they want for the long term good, sometimes kids have to step up, it sounds like yours are able and being independent young may stand them in good stead. It may not be ideal to ask a 16 year old to help with childcare, but it won’t do him any harm - and if it’s that or not train - then clearly it’s better to ask him (but have a back up.)

The thing c MN is people are in vastly different financial positions. It may be hard for other posters to imagine themselves into a situation where they are at the last chance moment to train for a career, and secure a decent future.

Definitely the right decision to go for it - just consider all your options, lean hard on the uni, and plan for all the scenarios.

I'd go for it, next years cohort will still be a lot at home. At 14 I was looking after 3 kids from school till there mum (nurse) got in about 9. I'd collect the kids, feed them, homework, bath and bed them for a week every three weeks.

You need childcare.
Late shifts may not finish until 8 or 9 pm. Who supervises homework and makes dinner?
Who gets them out to school when your shift starts at 7am?

Aside from placements, the academic demands are full on and you will need to spend evenings in the library at times.

By all means, go for it but not at the expense of your children's wellbeing.

What kind of 11 year olds do some of these posters know, who need someone in the morning to get them up??? That’s secondary school age! Why the hell would someone that age need or want a babysitter? In fact I’m pretty sure at that age neighbours were asking ME to babysit. And I’m young, this isn’t one of those “back in the 1950s” things.

Just do it. You will find a way through it for sure.
Apply. Speak to the uni re placements. I am sure it will all work out!
I am doing a social work degree, placements, I also work 24 hours a week and I'm a single parent and have 4 children under 11. It's difficult and I have no social life but I've been surprised how much more motivated I am compared with some of my cohort, I'd say most of the mature students on my course are committed, motivated and work hard. I've been offered a degree of flexibility with the placements due to childcare and I'm sure this will extend to most unis. They want you to succeed!!
Between now and spetember get a head start find the course books and read them now for an hour or 2 a day. It will take the pressure off in September. You will start to become familiar with the language used. Ou do some courses free on academic writing, do one now before you start.
Chilcare will be fine and don't worry baout it now until the time. Hire a babysitter perhaps local older lady who may enjoy minding your kids, a mum needing some extra cash they are out there!! As well as breakfast and after school drop off clubs. Your 16 year old surely can look after himself a few hours though not the younger ones. I think people forget 16 yer old were in paid employment not so long ago. It's ridiculous to think at 16 he cannot cope with mum being outt the house.
Don't let negative people on mn put you off. Plenty of people do this kind of thing and there is supportive unis out there. Open days were great at finding out uni specifics though guess these aren't happening with covid.
Best of luck in a few years you will have the carer of your dreams. Do it.

Also , there's plenty of M-F , 9-5 jobs. You can be a nurse without working shifts.
If you want to work on a ward, some (whereI work) let you do set shifts.

Not a chance. You will have to find childcare for them for your twelve hour night shift placements.
You can't be late but almost never finish on time and then have to drive home so looking at 14-16 hours away from them for one shift.
You will need to do research and write essays whilst your children need you to find their lost PE kit or order xyz for school.
If your exDH did 50% of spending time with your children which includes life admin (preemptively taking them shoe shopping before they grow out of shoes etc), then yes - very realistic.

It's a big ask of your 16 year old, I wouldn't.... but I would think about it in a few years' time and cover as much of the coursework at home as I could in the meantime.

We had a babysitter whose previous job was a morning school run for 4 children. She was on childcare.co.uk.
If your 16 year old will be OK from say 6 am to 7.30 am then a babysitter could come in and get them all up and take any that needed it to the bus stop.
Overnight is another matter. My friend who is a hospital consultant used their old CM for overnight care for her DD but they'd been with the CM for years. You could see if a babysitter would sleep in though.

I've looked into this a lot too, I'm not a single mum but my DH works and I have no support. I also have 3 children. I personally can't see a way. There's a lot of nurse mums at my DC school and when I've asked they always say they rely heavily on family to manage.

Could you do some hospital volunteer work to see how it goes? Many uni's want some kind of experience and/or evidence of recent study in their admissions criteria. This is a stumbling block for me as I've been a sahm for years and my local hospital wouldn't even let me volunteer without recent job references.
Also you wouldn't necessarily be posted to your local hospital, it could be any in the surrounding counties which would add travelling time onto your shifts. Would you be happy being far away from your children for long periods?
Then there's the unsociable hours and night shifts which carry on with the job after training.
There's also the issue of who would cover your children's sick days off school, being sent home ill, inset days and school holidays?
I don't think it's fair to rely on a teenager for support sorry.
I'm not trying to be negative, just raising the issues that I myself have found. I hope you find a way.

Good for you OP, I've mentored/taught some amazing single parents in my time! They generally get great results as they're motivated, committed and very very organised. The old school matron days of relentless service are gone, we try to be flexible. For instance a lot of my students are single parents to young kids, in covid world they are entitled to a school place so I've changed the lecture start time from 9.00 to 9.15 to enable them to get back from the school run. Longer term they'd need breakfast club but they'll have more income then, I'd rather they weren't spending their limited cash on pre school care for the sake of 15 minutes. When you show people these small flexible gestures you get the best from them.

They not young toddler kids.

Been there, done that and honestly it's the wrong career if you have young kids and no support.

Our ward try to be really flexible for students. We want them to succeed.

Do it! What have you got to lose by trying? Even if you do the access course and a year of uni before realising it doesn’t work for you, you won’t have lost anything!

I did it, it was hard especially when we had assignments at the same time as placement or if all of the children need to be in different places at the same time but you make it work.

Good luck @PurpleReigns

I'm another saying you really need to arrange some sort of back-up childcare for the younger ones.

It's a huge imposition for the 15yo and massively limiting too - it means they can't get a job, get driving lessons before/after school, hang out with friends - they have to go home, sort dinner and look after their siblings.

I imagine your DS loves the idea of being home alone but the reality of it plus all the responsibility is very different.

Uni’s can be flexible for placements if you have a good reason. I’m an OT and they were really good with me. Could you request outpatient only placement(s) in the first year and state it’s due to childcare difficulties. It will mean only day working and then by the time year 2 rolls round the kids will be older. Your ex will need to step up (hopefully)

I've had students with children and everyone has always been really flexible with them. At our unis students only need to do 2 weeks night shift in the whole course (3 nights per week) so if you could agree their dad was to have them then that would sort nightshift. Students often get a flyer never mind needing to stay late but obviously it's great if you can offer now and again.

The wards should be flexible around day shifts - if you were long days or lates you might finish around 8 or 9pm but if the youngest go to homework club and then lots of options like eldest reheat something you've left and get them to bed max 3 x per week or you can do weekends because dad can have them or pay a friend/childminder a couple times those weeks. Some wards only do long days some don't do them. Community would be easiest shift-wise.

As someone up thread said you no longer have to spend 40 or 50% of your time with your mentor. I think it's definitely doable and when you make your initial learning contract discuss your family and come to an agreement about max number of x-type of shifts or preferences for weekends or whatever fits. You're supernumerary so it shouldn't be a big deal.

Good luck!!