To ask for some career advice (nursing / medical based)

[namehopping]

I'm mid 20s with small children (lots of family support)

I have a HND in English here I go outing myself

I have always always had a keen interest in health care. I'm speculating about my future. I want to start applying for my future career.

What would you do?

Apply for midwifery? Degree? HND and concert? Is that even still possible?

Paramedic? I've applied to be a 1st responder in my local area. Am waiting to hear back from area coordinator.

What to do? I want a career. I've had my babies and I'm glad I do, but I very much want to retrain & move forward professionally

So. AIBU to want a career? What would you do?

You are not BU to want a career. I'm a nurse, I thought they were getting rid of the diploma an making it degree only. Which do you want to do? Have you got any experience working with people?

It's hard work, you'll be expected to work shifts ( often 12 hours) plus nights and weekends whilst on placement plus doing assignments and going to uni.

It's a great job, but hard work, tiring and mountains of paperwork!

Hello

I think you need to be specific about where your interests lie. Healthcare is really broad (midwifery and nursing are quite different - done both) but to be realistic, you are probably looking at a degree with most of the healthcare professions. There is a nhs careers website which might help you focus a bit. Midwifery is degree entry and really really competitive.

Working with people?

Does experience in retail & or having small children count?
How about being a volunteer (chair position) that runs a preschool?

Working long shifts / nights doesn't phase me any more & paper work - essays etc ive done when I did my HND. The only reason it didn't end up as a degree was due to having a baby in my final year and being too poorly to complete my dissertation.

I'm applying (via ucas) for September 2014 intake midwifery.

Many colleges do an Access to Healthcare course for one year as a springboard to healthcare jobs

Tbh, unless you get some experience working in a hospital environment you are unlikely to be taken seriously. Midwifery and Paramedic degrees are highly, highly oversubscribed (think 25-40 applicants per place or more). Universities need no reason at all to pass over your application and it is unlikely to be viewed as a serious one if you can't show a commitment to the field.

Experience in retail, having small children and preschool chair are not too relevant.

Why don't you sign up to your local hospital's nurse bank as a care assistant for a while - you'd get an idea of the environment, the range of patients, the systems and the shifts. Then you could use that experience to bolster your application and discuss at interview.

I second Dontspeak.. Access to Healthcare is probably the way forward. Nursing requires decent A levels these days or Btec level 3 Health and Social Care or Access course... Access is prob your quickest option as an adult entrant.

DD2 is at Uni doing nursing and it is tough.. long shifts on placement then coursework on top. Her best friend is doing midwifery and that is definitely tougher still.
However they both LOVE it....:)

I do think life experience having children counts actually

I think applying as a HCA whilst researching my other options is a good idea. I shall check out the NHS jobs website.

Have a look at Operating Department Practitioners on the website, theatre based, similar to theatre nursing but you can also be on the hospital crash team and work in A&E resus doing Airway management. I think it's degree level.

I've just started an ODP course, they are making them degree level too, as of next year I think. I didn't have healthcare experience but had a relevant first degree and had spent some time observing in theatres and knew a lot about the role.

I'm a mental health nurse. I love my job, but then I've worked in the mental health sector since leaving school .

I would really reccomend volunteering or getting a job as a HCA first. Working in healthcare is nothing like most people imagine it is. About 40% of my cohort dropped out in year 1, and they all had previous healthcare experience.

You have to have 250 hours of hc experience before uni will even look at you, access is a good start while you do that though.