To change careers to nursing as a single parent?

[DuckPancake]

I am 31 and a single parent to 4yo DS, he starts school this September. I do not currently work in healthcare. I'm aware that there are various routes into becoming a registered nurse now, but my circumstances are making it difficult for me to identify which route would be best for me;

I already hold a bachelor's degree in an unrelated subject (I graduated in 2021) so I don't think I can get student financing for the tuition fees for a BSc in nursing - does anyone know if this is true? I’ve been invited to write a short personal statement through clearing for January cohort, but unsure whether to bother if I can’t get tuition fee support.

The other option is to start right at the bottom as an apprentice healthcare assistant in the NHS and work my way up with a degree apprenticeship towards registered nurse status.

The next obvious issue I face is getting childcare covered during the unsociable shift hours… I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall. I do have my parents around but I’m unsure to what extent I’ll need to ask them to help out.

Has anyone successfully done this in similar circumstances?

*graduated in 2012

Check out the Learning Support Fund that started last year - half price tuition fees and a very small amount of help towards childcare.

Come and be an ODP! 😁

You can still get funding from student finance, Nursing is one of the exceptions for second funding

You will still be able to get finance even with previous student finance.

Childcare wise you will need to be able to cover night shifts, late shifts, bank holidays and weekends. There may be some flexibility but dependant on the placement area and there will definitely be an expectation to partake in these shifts.

You can get student finance for second degrees in healthcare. Plus as a pp mentioned the NHS Learning Support Fund is a non repayable grant. £5k per annum for training support and £2k parental grant.

Nursing is an exception subject so you can get full student loan (tuition and maintenance) regardless of previous study. Also LSF as someone mentioned above is an extra £7,000 if you've got children. A lot of students do nhs bank work as well to make ends meet. I'm starting in September and already have a degree so it's definitely possible. Good luck with your decision!

The apprenticeship scheme is also an option as you know and you do get paid. It will still be unsociable hours though with 12.5 hour shifts.

I’m on the NHS Bank staff HCA and I can only work weekends when my DH can look after our children as work starts at 7am and childminders (for school drop offs) start at 7.15am minimum. Are your parents happy to help regularly?

I chose OT instead of nursing due to the more family friendly hours. I highly recommend it!

@WhatisanODP - umm operating department practitioner?

I don't know about funding, but what is it about nursing that you like?Although it can be extremely rewarding and there are so many areas to specialise in, there are other options.

If its caring for people/healthcare you like, have you considered osteopathy? Still a registered profession, but once qualified, you could either work for someone, or rent rooms and have your own business.

My osteopath moved from nursing to do this. She studied part time whilst still working. She no longer does nights and chooses her hours to suit her kids. Just a thought.

[quote DuckPancake]@WhatisanODP - umm operating department practitioner?[/quote]
I had to Google that, but now I know.... I'd love to do it.

Meant to say, other similar options might be physio or occupational therapist.

I’m currently doing my training through the Open university as it has more flexibility than a brick uni, I do my contracted 26 hours a week on placement and I still struggle with childcare there is no way I could have done it full time at the moment as that’s 40 hour weeks in Scotland which is ok if you’re doing 12 hour shifts but you’ve no guarantee over where your placements will be, you really do need a good strong network of support for full time brick uni nursing degree

[quote DuckPancake]@WhatisanODP - umm operating department practitioner?[/quote]
Yeah. That’s what I’m doing at the moment 😁

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii - how does OU know where to assign your placements?

@WhatisanODP - how do you get in to training for that?

I wouldn't do all the training that's required for a nurse for the awful pay they get. I'd recommend being a dental nurse if you like people, being a hospital is way better as there's more flexibility and it's more laid back. You get paid while you do your training and if it's NHS you'll be a band 4 if it's practice you'll likely be on more. I was on 30K in my last job. It's way more flexible and no weekends/nights

@DuckPancake the OU has people working for them in all the health boards in Scotland, practice education facilitators etc and they work with the local brick university to get your placements. My final placement of each year will always be at my base (where I work as a HCSW normally)

@WhatisanODP

Come and be an ODP! 😁

Please tell me more

@Katefoster - I had looked into dental nursing, but I couldn't see that the pay was any better at all I'm shocked at £30k!

@DuckPancake it can be the same pay for a lot less work. when I was on 30K I was doing about 7 peoples jobs abs negotiated it after a while but it was London where nurses do make that and j had post qualifications etc. I'm a band 4 in a hospital now on less but so much less work.

You’ll need decent childcare for the majority of your placement shifts. Long days or early shifts will start about 7:30 am and you will need to be there for handover. Long days or nights will finish about 8pm, 9pm. Then night shifts and weekends, school holidays.

You might get some placements which are in clinics so more 9-5 but a lot won’t be.

[quote DuckPancake]@Katefoster - I had looked into dental nursing, but I couldn't see that the pay was any better at all I'm shocked at £30k![/quote]
I'm a nurse and in a year I will be on 31k and I only qualified 7 months ago.
If I want to go to a band 7 I will be on 38k +, which I could potentially do within 3 years of qualifying if the right job came up.

So it's not all doom and gloom.

Also, I don't think 30k a year for dental nursing is that bad

Nursing is vocational, if you're focusing on the pay before you have even done your personal statement, I think it might not be a part for you.

Path

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou - I meant I was shocked in the sense that £30k seemed a lot for dental nursing compared to the rate in my area

I never mentioned pay in my initial post, was just responding to what others said when they mentioned salary.

The hours are the thing that's making it seem impossible for me to be able to do