I was a teen mum but now at med school - AMA

[chastertaya]

Next year I will qualify from medical school.

I had my daughter at 18. She passed away at 12 days old in the NICU from meningitis.

3 months after her death, I moved in with my nan, started and completed my nursing degree with a 1st. I then got a place via St George's (no need for any conversion degree or additional year, nursing at a 2:1 or above is considered as an appropriate science for this).

I'm very happy. Life started to look brighter when I got my nursing degree. My little girl is with me every step of the way. I can feel it.

Would I trade it all in for her? Yes. Mute point, it isn't possible. So I must live And appreciate life as I can have it.

Happy to answer any questions

Well done...such a lovely positive story from such a sad beginning

I am really sorry for your loss. It must have been very difficult.

I would like to know how old are you now and whether you would have applied to med school still if your child had survived?

@Theredjellybean thank you

I am 24 now.

No I wouldn't have applied for med school if my DD was here with me. Not at all right, in my opinion, to put a child through that - I'd like to say in their early years but they also need you a lot to guide them through older years too.

I just wouldn't do it. You'd need amazing childcare back up and the reality is, you wouldn't be raising your own child, in my opinion.

It's tough. Almost impossible with DC - not impossible - but a medic I know who's still on the pathway to being a paeds Consultant whilst currently a Registrar would tell you it's either 100% at work or 100% at home

Thank you for your response. I thought you might say that, but I was curious. Good luck with your degree. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

@Dacadactyl thank you, you're very kind

That's so sad. But well done

What are you planning on doing after you've finished?

That’s lovely. What speciality are you hoping to go into? Will you try working abroad too? What’s been you favourite clinical placement so far?

So sorry for the loss of your daughter 💐 So glad that you are in a good place. I follow a few female doctors on Instagram who had dc during their training. One of them had 3 dc during this time! She's utterly amazing, she home schools her 5 (or us it 6?) dc too. She said there are a lot of considerations given to women medics who are pregnant or have dc.

I'm not sure how she could home school her DC? Placements and shift times are erratic so I'm not sure how her DC have any routine with their learning, or she has the time? That's before you take into consideration study time for herself

I'd love to see her page if you'd be happy to PM me

As I say, I know a registrar on the pathway to being a Consultant and she says she can't even give 100% to the basics at home due to work commitments, and she has a very supportive husband and outsources a lot of stuff

There simply aren't enough hours in the day (or night!)

Thank you!

I'm still unsure - I came into this wanting to be a GP. Despite a lot of pressure, it can be a really lucrative choice and is one of the more family friendly routes

But now I'm here, I don't think general practice is for me. I'm very interested in Gynae

@joffr I really don't know how she does it, she's incredible! She's doing GP training as it's more family friendly. She must be one of those people that can function on 3 hours sleep.
Her handle is diaryofadoctormum, I think she's public.

Wow as a muse educator what made you take that step from nursing to medicine? I see them as very different roles.

Nurse educator!