To ask how she can become a pediatric nurse with no GCSE's?

[AuntieNurse85]

Niece 16 who I have fostered for 2 months and will foster for the forseeable. Didn't go to school for past 2 years as mother was neglectful and was more interested in boyfriends and alcohol than driving her to school which she couldn't get to alone. Niece has coped amazingly well with this and is keen to focus on her education despite having no GCSE's. She wants to become a pediatric nurse and is very passionate about it and says it's all she wants to do.

She has a place on an "Entry to Care" foundation course at the local college where she will take English and Math's GCSE alongside studying health and social. Originally we read that she could progress from foundation to Level 1, 2, then 3 and either get an apprenticeship in the subject or that uni's will accept her having completed Level 3. However niece has been looking online (As I said, she is v v passionate about it and I'm so proud of her. I want to make sure she takes the best route into it.) and has said that the vast majority of uni's are demanding 5 GCSE's and at least 2 A Level's. And apprenticeships apparently are scarse and require more and more each year and she's saying she doesn't want to work hard only to be turned away from work in 4/5 years because the requirements have changed.

So, what's the best route through? A friend has suggested scrapping the Health and Social care foundation and instead having her study 5 GCSE's this year. However college only offers GCSE courses to 16-18 students who've already took the exam and failed. She's only being offered English and Maths there. The foundation college course is only 3 days a week as well and me and niece both agree that those other 2 days need to be filled up with studying. I want her to get those 3 other GCSE's (esp a science) but I'm not sure the best way. Is she best of staying on the course for E+M and using the 2 free days a week studying for 3 others? If so how can we sort out the 3 others? Or is it worth scrapping the course (my friend has described it as a dead end course and says college is lying about finishing level 3 being enough for her to get into uni/an apprenticeship when she has no A levels) and having her spend the next year studying 5 GCSE's intensely and then progressing onto A levels? She is v clever and determined so I have no doubt she'll pass. Would like to request nobody replies saying how she shouldn't bother because "the NHS is unstable" or "the pay is shit" as we've both dealth with it in real life and I don't want to hear it. This is her dream job.

Advice much appreciated. As I said earlier, I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to help her achieve her dream. I don't feel she should have to settle for less. Not sure if relevent but feel someone may ask, I work full time in an office and am also a single parent to a toddler who is in nursery. Finances aren't great but I can scrape together a fair bit for studies.

Is she fostered privately or is it an agreement with your local authority? In other words does she have looked after status?

If she is a looked after child contact your virtual school for looked after children. They will be able to help you.

You need to call the uni she is interested in and ask them. I work in Admissions and we get this kind of query all the time.

I got onto paediatric nursing without GCSE maths or science at C or above. My maths is still terrible. But it's not been an issue in the workplace at all. However I started my training run 2001 and the entity requirements have toughened up since then. It really is the best job in world though, so worth persevering to get the qualifications.

I've just read that it's a private arrangement. So she won't have looked after status.

could you see if you have a learning center near you? some of them offer gcses (tuition and the exam). best of luck

Liverpool John Moores only wants Maths and English GCSE but 3 A Levels? Any way she can get onto A Level's at college next year? Won't be this year as she might as well get English and Maths GCSE's out of the way as early as she can.

She says if she goes to uni she wants to stay in North West area.

I left school in the 80's with no qualifications. I now have a nursing degree. I did an Access course at college.

There is always a way if she has her heart set on it.

Keep in mind that paediatric nursing is very competitive. So she will be competing with candidates who have 10/12 GCSE and 3 A-Levels, so she will need to do the most she can to gain the highest qualifications- just meeting the admissions criteria won’t be enough. I know several people who have attempted to get on the course and had to do adult nursing instead. Good luck to her!

I would not recommend one of mine to go the Uni route; the HCA apprenticeship route will pay her to train, as it used to be and should be, rather than Uni which charge her to train and, effectively, charge her to work as a nurse on the prolonged placements.

Most places won’t allow you to do A Levels unless the learner has strong GCSE’s especially for subjects like maths and science where’s they follow on from the GCSE course, so without having done it, would struggle greatly.

University is not the be-all-and-end-all. I think (hope) we are seeing the pendulum begin to swing back to appropriate vocational training- and I speak as an educator and academic!

If you can, try to get her maths and english done this year, as well as any other gcses she can (eg biology and nursing which are both relevant to nursing). then she could look at a college/uni like buxton college. they offer the level 2 nursing course, which she can do and then apply for the level 3 course.

I saw a case study earlier on a uni website. Placemarking to post later as I have to go out now

Comefromaway That would be much appreciated, thank you

@AuntieNurse85 I'm a nursing lecturer, echoing other posters in saying contact the admissions department of the universities or look at their websites for entry requirements. Maths and English are essential for most though whether it's GCSE or functional skills. Functional skills can be done as part of Access to Nursing courses at most colleges. As well as having the entry requirements it will help her get a place if she can get some healthcare experience. Some students do this through part time work or volunteering in hospitals.

HippyChickMama What are the best ways to ger her in part time work in that area? She is doing NCS over the Summer which contains volunteering but if there's a part time job out there for this year that doesn't require GCSE's that will give her experience I'm sure she'd be deseperate to do it.

^See you meant closer to the time where she'll potentially be looking for uni placemets. Will still have a look for this Summee though. St John's Ambulance sounds promising.

John Moores also excepts the BTEC extended diploma - she doesn't need A levels

Do contact a few universities - she needs careers advice - was she enrolled at school - do they have a qualified careers adviser? Do you have a careers service locally she can access?

With the best will in the world you are reading information and getting the wrong impression

For a child who has missed 2 years of education (with no one doing anything about it - which I REALLY don't understand) to expect to cope with A levels is a big ask - for A level courses most places ask for a minimum of 5 GCSE passes - often with 6/7+ for subjects being taken at A level - so even if she did sit 5 GCSE's in a year to get 7's for science is a HUGE ask

BTEC might be a much smoother route for her

oh and BTEC has work experience built into it

OP she could do care work or volunteering at nursing homes?

ghostyslovesheets Didn't see that about BTEC. Her college website does confuse both of us though as we aren't sure what the health and social foundation provides her away from the 2 E+M GCSE's. From what you've said I hope it's Btec but have no idea. Shall I link the page? Would be grateful if someone with relevant knowledge could decipher it for us.

There used to be a course called access to nursing which you could take after a level 2, I don’t know if that still exists?

I don’t know about paediatrics, but I know that the hospital where I work have a nursing associates apprenticeship which any of the HCAs who have completed their level 3 ( through the hospital academy) can apply for and work while they train?

The hospital also does HCA apprenticeships which your dd could apply for after her foundation course. That way she would have practical experience which would look good on any application and might help them overlook her lack of GCSEs.

It would be a longer route, but it means she could be working in the industry sooner.

If she wanted to do Biology independently I’d happily help remotely (as I’m overseas and not working) although face to face would be better.

trafford.ac.uk/courses/foundation-learning/foundation-programme

Scroll down to vocational and this is what she is doing in health and social care.

They offee Btec health and social but she would already need E+M to do that.