Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to put nursing and midwifery on the same UCAS app?

74 replies

LaviniaTheLemur · 27/03/2019 07:48

I think I would be... BUT...

I am applying late and my lovely referee is doing me an enormous favour by agreeing to do it for me, so I do not want to have to ask her again later.

My heart says midwifery, but I also would love to do nursing.

I have work shadowed nursing and absolutely loved it and I am trying to arrange to shadow midwifery, but no joy yet and time is of the essence now.

My personal statement at the moment is for midwifery, but would it be so terrible to hedge my bets and put down nursing too? I can only realistically commute to two universities - three at a real push, so I have two more choices to put down...

Or should I change it all and just put nursing and then specialise in midwifery if I want to later?

Thoughts? Would really appreciate some advice!

OP posts:
Original poster
LaviniaTheLemur · 27/03/2019 08:50

Very cheeky bump!

Sorry. I realise I only posted an hour ago.

OP posts:
Prequelle · 27/03/2019 08:54

You won't get any offers if you do this. You need be very specific as they're two completely different job roles with different models.

If you do choose nursing, there's usually top up degrees to do midwifery

Greywalls12 · 27/03/2019 08:56

I had the same dilema when applying. I chose nursing which I'm really glad about.
I did consider doing the conversion course once I qualified, but there's only one uni within a 3 hour commute to me that now offers it.
As it happens, you can work on the antenatal/postnatal ward as an adult nurse, you just can't actively deliver babies. I haven't done any shifts there and it's not something I'm interested in now as I love my job as an adult nurse.
I definitley think you've got more options as an adult nurse. You wouldn't be able to work on a general/adult ward with a midwifery degree

Greywalls12 · 27/03/2019 08:57

And i agree that it doesn't look good on the same application, they are very different specialities

Toddlerteaplease · 27/03/2019 09:09

Agree with PP's. The university will want to know why you are passionate about being a nurse or midwife. Applying for both will make them think you think the jobs are similar. Implying that you don't know what you are applying for. Or that you aren't committed to either career.

Coffeeandcrumpet · 27/03/2019 09:13

You won't get on to midwifery without a very specific ps showing you are determined to be a mw. Also I don't think they do the conversion course for nurses to become midwives anymore.

Prequelle · 27/03/2019 09:15

They do do conversion courses still

lenovo2019 · 27/03/2019 09:19

Go for it OP- whilst nursing and midwifery are different, they're not that different in the sense that they both require the passion and care that uni's are looking for.

My friend put down Midwifery (though she did shadow for a summer on the maternity ward) and other courses as she wasn't sure that were non related, and she got an offer to study midwifery!

Prequelle · 27/03/2019 09:23

I'm sorry but that's really bad advice. Have you ever been through the application process for either? They want you to be VERY specific about what you want and why. Care and compassion isn't enough. Midwifery is also VERY competitive .

You're very very unlikely to get an offer for nursing if you can't decide between adult or disability, let alone not being able to decide between two completely different careers.

Dreamingofkfc · 27/03/2019 09:30

You defo won't get into midwifery if you put both on your application as you turn will need to tailor your personal statement to both. Midwifery is so competitive and very different to nursing, although some aspects are similar.

bingoitsadingo · 27/03/2019 09:30

I would decide which you want, and tailor your personal statement to that - that will give you the best chance at your first choices. Don't try and hedge it and aim it to both - that will make you look undecided.

If you are only applying to two or three universities, then there's no harm filling the other spots on the form with the other course. Yes, they might dismiss you immediately, but you haven't 'lost' anything if the spaces would otherwise be wasted! I imagine a vast amount of the skills overlap, so there's a chance they'd take a chance on you.
My course was often listed as a 'backup' choice by prospective medical students, so their statements were always tailored to medicine but that doesn't stop them getting offers for other courses..

PoesyCherish · 27/03/2019 09:34

As others have said, definitely don't apply for more than one. They need to know you're absolutely 100% committed to the career you've applied for. Putting both just makes it look like you're unsure and that you don't necessarily care which one you want. Think about which you want and go for that. I'm sure your referee would be happy to help in the future if needs be.

Though haven't you missed the deadline since it's in January?

Dancinginthedark1234 · 27/03/2019 09:36

As the others have said you won't get an offer for either if you put both. I'm very surprised anywhere is still accepting midwifery applications as usually it closes very early!

Original poster
LaviniaTheLemur · 27/03/2019 10:10

Thanks all.

I’m now really leaning towards adult nursing... I hadn’t thought of working as a nurse on pre/postnatal wards! And then there’s the fact I could convert...

Thanks, I think I’ve made up my mind now to do adult nursing. I would love to help women during their pregnancies and beyond, but there’s no reason I have to be a mw to do that, if I can work as a nurse in those wards?

OP posts:
Prequelle · 27/03/2019 10:12

You can work on early pregnancy units, or you can work in places like I do (acute female surgery ward with emergency gynae unit attached). Lots to see and lots of women to support, pregnant and not. I love it.

coffeecoffeecofffee · 27/03/2019 10:26

@Prequelle of course I have? I studied Bio-Med science 4 years ago and also applied to Law on my UCAS app. Grin I just didn't know what I fully wanted to do, at my interviews I just expressed how passionate I was about either subject.

Original poster
LaviniaTheLemur · 27/03/2019 10:27

Thanks prequelle Flowers. That sounds amazing - I’m really excited!

And thanks everyone else too FlowersBrewCake.

OP posts:
CostanzaG · 27/03/2019 10:28

You won't get any offers if you do this. It's impossible to write a personal statement that displays your passion for both.
These courses want people who are committed to their particular course so immediately dismiss people who do this.

BoobiesToTheRescue · 27/03/2019 10:29

Good luck!!

I wish someone had explained to me that applying for nursing and MW would mean my application would be rejected!

It was but I applied the following year anyway.

Best of luck with your application, which unis are you applying for??

coffeecoffeecofffee · 27/03/2019 10:32

@CostanzaG Did you not read my post?😂 I applied to Law & Bio- Med (which is what I chose to study) & got offers for both. As long as your grades are really good, you can articulate yourself well in your personal statement & represent yourself well in interviews (when they ask why you applied) you should get an offer.

ThisMustBeMyDream · 27/03/2019 10:38

I'm a midwife. You can't work on antenatal or postnatal wards as a nurse. You would only be able to work as a lower paid support worker (hca/mca).
You can work on gynae as a nurse, which encompasses early pregnancy (somewhere up to 16-20 weeks depending on the policy of that unit). But that is it.
Yes to the advice on you must be specific on what you want to do before applying. It was an automatic rejection at my uni if you applied to both.

Original poster
LaviniaTheLemur · 27/03/2019 10:41

Hmmmmm that puts a spanner in the works somewhat thatmustbeadream...

I think I might phone the uni I’m most likely to go to and speak to someone there. Maybe they’ll be able to help.

Thanks again!

boobies, sorry, I’d rather not say which universities as obviously quite outing.

OP posts:
JellyBaby666 · 27/03/2019 10:44

Where I worked as a student midwife they piloted nurses to care for women post CS but it didn't go very well, and I haven't heard of any other units who do have nurses on the postnatal wards, although of course it may just not be something I'm aware of (can't really see how it works though, who cares for the baby, supports breastfeeding etc).

If you want to be an adult nurse then go for it! Midwifery is incredibly competitive, as others have said and would require its own PS which wouldn't be sufficient for one you used for nursing. There is always the option to convert, and you can always work in BPAS/Marie Stopes/Early Pregnancy/Gynae as an adult nurse if pregnancy is something you're interested in. Good luck!

Prequelle · 27/03/2019 10:46

coffeecoffee I'm sorry but I wasn't aiming my comment at you, and besides, those subjects are different to applying for nursing and midwifery at the same time - which is the question I asked. You absolutely can't compare those to applying for nursing and midwifery. You simply don't get accepted for not being specific in these subjects. Like I said before, they reject if you've not been specific enough about the branch of nursing, let alone if you're bouncing between two different careers.

MakeMineALarge1 · 27/03/2019 10:47

I would say you need to choose, midwifery is so competitive, if you even hint at saying you want to do nursing instead they will reject you.

Yes as an Adult Nurse you can do a conversion, but these too are higly competitive courses to get on.

I don't think you can work on Ante natal or post natal ward as a RN?? Surely you would need to be a RM?