What job can I do instead? Devastated

[treetea]

I have been working towards a midwifery degree since 2019 and I now cannot continue due to a health issue that doesn't affect me day-to-day, but that they feel makes me unsafe to practice.

It is my dream, I have never wanted to do anything else. I was going to use the degree to set up my own business.

I am now at a loss? I have a 4 year old DS and live alone with him.

I am generally quite intelligent, but not a fan of mathematics.

I'd ideally like something with high (ish) earning potential, but I'd settle for less if I loved it.

I don't want to be in healthcare anymore.

I just can't see myself starting from scratch, I'm absolutely gutted.

I’d still finish the degree. Then what about working in clinical research or you could work as a technical advisor for a charity? I used to work at an international NGO that had maternal and newborn experts advise on program design and proposals for funding

She can’t train as a health visitor without achieving the midwifery qualification, and NMC registration (which I’m assuming is where this has all fallen apart with her fitness to practice considered impaired on health grounds).

Health visiting isn’t a stand alone qualification, it’s in addition to Nursing or Midwifery, and that registration needs to be maintained to practice as a Health Visitor.

Wouldn’t be accepted as a lecturer in Midwifery without an NMC PIN number and substantial experience in Midwifery practice.

Feel free to PM me but it’s extremely difficult to advise based on what you’ve said. I’m a midwife by background who works in a senior policy role now which includes student retention and attrition as well as qualified staff workforce issues. I am therefore very aware of the correct procedures and of the reasonable adjustments which can (and are!) made for a whole range of health conditions in midwifery. I am aware of colleagues with severe mental health, sickle cell disease, paraplegic physical disability etc who are all able to work in some of not all roles.

For this not to be the case makes me concerned you haven’t been supported or advised fully….and in the event that whatever is ‘unsafe’ is SO unsurpassable then it may preclude other roles so very very difficult to advise.

Do pm me if you feel comfortable. No need to use your real name. Very very happy to advise.

Finish the degree and get onto one of the social work MA programs where you work and study at the same time. I know someone who did that and she has a really good salary. But for the love of God, finish the degree, because then the postgraduate qualifications open to you are fantastic.

Who is "they"? Can you not request a 2nd opinion or try to challenge this ruling first before giving up on your dream?

I doubt it was meant that way, but it's actually quite insulting advice to do a teaching assistant apprenticeship!

You'd be better off not working at all with a little one to support than doing that.

doula? My friend is a doula and absolutely loves it. Good earning potential too.

At school I had a teacher

Phone skipped ahhhhh, most generic statement ever.

What I meant to say was at school I had a teacher who used to be a nurse until an injury. She then became a teacher and taught health and social care, child development, pshce, etc

Would something like that interest you?

Without knowing the details it’s hard to advise but if you really can’t practice clinically I would advise to get the degree if you can - because then any graduate job is open to you. There are lots of jobs in the ‘birth world’: educators, specialists in specific things like infant feeding or tongue tie division, doulas and not just for birth, but most of them really don’t make any money. If you’re interested in making a difference on a bigger scale then have a look at department of health and social care or nhs England because even if you’re not working clinically you can still make a difference to mums and babies without just ‘going private’ (and many of us don’t go into it to just serve those who can afford it!). Lots of places have local initiatives and projects that require support staff in non clinical roles that may be more project management or administrative.

I’m a specialist midwife and I do practically no direct clinical any more. Which is good because my chronic health condition would be a lot more problematic if I did.

Sounds like @EastEndQueen might be the best person to speak to.

What a curve ball. I am sorry you have been faced with this.

Doula, hypnobirthing coach etc are all quite difficult to earn full time salaries at.

What was the business you were going to do, if not actually working as a midwife?

You say you don't want to be in healthcare any more - is that because of the health issue, your current state of mind having been studying for your midwifery degree since 2019 or something else?

Are you nearly at the end of your course, you need to ask for support and advice from your course coordinator, lead etc because they cannot just throw you to the wolves at this stage.

I think you should find a careers counsellor to talk to.. this is a difficult situation you have found yourself in and you should take time to make the right decision for you, right now.

Ahh I'm so sorry that your health is impacting your dreams. I would just reiterate what other posters have said and make sure that you have tried every avenue for support in making it work.

Lots of posters have advised you finish the degree but I'm guessing they will say you aren't fit for placement so this won't be possible?

Could you maybe speak to the careers team at the university and see if they can suggest anything?

Finish the qualification and then you have it. There are similar roles you can do, i think health visiting is a 12 month course if you are a qualified nurse/midwife, I know quite a few neonatel nurses that changed to this and the last couple of health visitors I had started out midwives. I'd also look into potentially going into research, plenty of nurses are employed to work on clinical trials teams or in academia, it isn't going to make you big money though. To bring in more money you'd need to look at retraining in something away from healthcare, maybe tech or similar, I suppose it depends if you want to work in a similar area to your midwifery degree, obviously anything in this area won't have a high salary attached

Appallingly paid! TA is really a job for women who have high earning partners.

As others have said definitely finish the degree do your degree qualified for the purpose of applications. What do you enjoy? Counselling may be good or teacher (one year PGCE if you’ve got a degree).

And please OP even if you don’t want to talk to me PLEASE talk to your union (RCM or Unison) before leaving to programme. You can join now as a student if you haven’t already and it is very very cheap for students. Contact them and ask for a 1:1 advice session. Prepare all details of your health condition and all your meetings - what reasonable adjustments, plans, timeframes, support, joint goals etc have been put in place so far? What were the outcomes of these. It just doesn’t sound right at all to me.

Wishing you well.

@EastEndQueen what a lovely thing to offer. i do hope they take you up on your very kind offer and things take a more positive turn.

For those saying ‘ counselling’ it’s quite hard to make a good living at. Very saturated market. I have a friend who’s been doing it for decades and is still earning well below average salary, it also requires evening work, which will not be great to fit around having a child.

I left a midwifery degree just before I was due to qualify, I regret it everyday. However I needed to leave as it was making me unwell and I wasn’t supported at all, and probably even if I’d have qualified would have been off work as I would be anxious all of the time and working in an unsafe/unsupportive profession due to staff shortages and the blame culture which it is.

Friends who qualified have left within the first couple of years, or have gone onto health visiting or teaching.

I’m now stuck with a level 5 qualification and in a job I really hate - however the salary is ok, and that is the only reason which makes me stay in the role.

I’ve tried to use my transferable skills and find a role where I can support others, but the salaries are rubbish, the most I could get is a band 4 role in the NHS as I don’t have a degree.

I suggest speaking to uni to see if you could use your credits and transfer to another course to gain a degree something like health care studies so you can go into public health or doing occupational health.

Have already explained up thread why Health visiting isn’t going to work for OP if she isn’t going to qualify with an NMC PIN number. You cannot be a health visitor without also being a registered nurse or midwife, you must have and maintain registration as either of those professions to qualify and practice as a HV. The SCPHN qualification does not standalone, it is a specialist qualification in addition to the primary registration qualification.

Same goes for Research Nurse/Midwife roles - they’re all going to want an NMC Pin.

Working as a nurse or a midwife isn’t just about getting the degree, you need the NMC pin which your university puts you forward for when they have confirmed that you have satisfied all of the requirements for entry to the register - one of which is not having health problems so significant that they would impair your fitness to practice.

I’m getting quite annoyed on OP’s behalf now that people keep making wholly unsuitable suggestions when she’s clearly stated her position, and must be devastated at things not panning out as she’d hoped.

Not sure I understand which medical condition you could have and not be able to be a midwife? Are you mid degree and did you have the condition when you started?

I developed a disability just as I qualified as a paramedic, so similar but not quite the same. It's so hard, because most jobs want post qualification experience, which I can't get. And jobs that aren't healthcare aren't interested, despite having loads of transferrable skills. I don't really have any advice, other than to say I understand a bit how you're feeling. I currently work as a healthcare trainer, but the pay is less than I'd be earning if I couldn't stayed as a paramedic.

OP please don't just walk away. You need proper advice and support. You need to consider whether you can transfer to a different degree and use some of your credits and if not it is probably better to get the degree so that you have "a degree" and can apply for graduate jobs and post grad courses.

For example, you can use any degree to go on to qualify as a solicitor via SQE, and specialist knowledge is often desirable to relevant practice areas.

It sounds to me like op feels it would make her unsafe not the uni. If that is true do try and finish. All graduate schemes are open to any subject, and for 3years usually after completing your degree. You could go straight on to a pshe with pshe as your specialist subject. Schools are crying out for specialists as ofsted are all over personal development and mental health, so they are starting to look for qualified subject specialists rather than any teacher who happens to be free or under hours filling the lessons. Or a pgce with a sen specialism, teach pshe or a subject you have an a level in for 5 years and you're eligible for senco roles. You don't need to specialise in sen for that but it is another subject option, I get the impression you don't think you have a subject you could teach but midwifery is perfect for pshe.
Also if you do want to teach another subject eg English you can do a level 4 subject specialism alongside a pgce or when you get a job. Many many English or drama teachers have law degrees. Most politics teachers have history degrees. I teach pshe, sociology and re as well as psych but have psych degree. You should be one level higher than the kids minimum so can teach any a level subject or related subject at ks3 and maybe 4. I love teaching and salary progression is similar to nursing, maybe a bit quicker with more potential to get promoted I think.

The OP has a 4 year old and is a single parent, that’s why I suggested it.