To consider re training as a nurse?

[PamelaShipman80]

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but not been able to. I’m aware of how much pressure nurses are under with low staffing and budgets etc, I follow a lot of nursing accounts on Instagram etc and I see so much negativity, I’ve also read about nurses quitting due to burnout and even being in a situation where they’re not able to practice safely.

My reasons for wanting to are wanting to help people, I love working with a variety of people, and in a busy environment - I think I’d enjoy so many different kinds of nursing so I’m really open minded. The shift work doesn’t bother me. I’m quite good at saying no, if I didn’t want to work an extra shift etc I would not feel pressured into agreeing.

So, is it unreasonable to to go back to uni with 2 small children, and also lose money while I train?

Any comments from current/past NHS nurses appreciated!!!

I quit nursing earlier this year. That being said, nursing can be the best; I have at least as many happy, triumphant memories as I do sad ones. What I will say is please make sure you choose a course that is moving with the times and incorporating resilience into the degree; the reality of being a nurse and the pressure of-literally-having other people's lives in your hands is significant and is very different when you are living it.
If you have never worked in the sector before, I highly recommend getting some work experience under your belt as a care assistant or HCA. It will put you at advantage on placement, at interview and will also show you what it is really like.

Have a look at degree apprenticeship routes. Places are limited and hard to find but you would get some pay whilst you train.

I'm in a very similar situation and posted a few weeks ago asking for advice from nurses and health professionals. Here's the link, you might find it useful.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4377593-Nurses-do-you-enjoy-your-job

I qualified as a midwife a few months ago and when I started the degree I had a 3 year old and a 7 month old and obviously it was a financial struggle whilst I was training but I'm happy to say it was completely worth it. If you have thar passion and desire go for it. I was of the mindset that I needed to try, whether it worked out or not I couldn't go through the rest of my working life thinking 'what if"

Thanks so much everyone, I have two unis I could apply for so finding out more about how ‘with the times’ they are is great advice and something I hadn’t thought of! I did apply for bank HCA but didn’t even get an interview, it can be very competitive in my area I’ve heard but will keep at it or try to volunteer. And yes @HelloBambinos I absolutely do need to just go for it - really pleased for you that it worked out!!!

@DratThatCat that’s amazing thank you I’ll go and read through!!

Try local care homes, they will be crying out for carers 😊 good luck, its an amazing journey!

I suggest spending some time within the NHS, maybe as a HCA, for a while before taking on the debt & training to become a nurse. I’ve been qualified 4 years & after this last year I’m really looking into a new career. We’re overworked & underpaid & just don’t get any level of respect anymore from the general public or government (a clap every week just isn’t suffice). I don’t mean to put you off, but the training is such a commitment if you were to end up like many of us now & hate it.

I love being a nurse. I've been qualified 12 years and love my job!

I think nursing is fantastic because its so diverse. Hospital based nursing is bloody awful though. I did it for 5 years and I think if I hadnt found a way out id have left the profession.

Im now a practice nurse and found the love again.

I'm a nurse and also a lecturer/admissions tutor on a university nursing programme. Happy to answer any questions you might have

Absolutely agree don’t even apply until you’ve worked as a HCA or carer and know what the job is actually like. I don’t think anyone from the outside can truly know

Have a think about what area you'd like - hospital, community, mental health? Keep applying for HCA roles to 'try before you buy' also as someone else mentioned look at apprenticeships most trusts in my area recruit trainee nursing associates twice a year, it's a 2 year programme at the end there is also an option for another 18 months on the registered nurse degree apprenticeship to be fully qualified and you're paid throughout with no tuition fees as it'd paid by your employer through the levy.

I've been a nurse for over 15 years, nursing is a wonderful profession but I would not recommend becoming a nurse at the moment. Established nurses are leaving in droves because working conditions are so poor. Pay is reduced every year. Staff shortages are appalling and I don't see how they are going to get better. There is no way to give care in the way you want if you are allocated the work of three nurses every shift. You will be expected to do 10+ hours of unpaid overtime each week. The stress is terrible.

I wouldn’t turn my life around to retrain right now, it’s a fucking awful job to be in at the moment.

Another one here saying that I wouldn’t recommend nursing to anyone now.
I’m leaving the nhs because I just can’t be a part of it any longer.

It’s truly truly horrific.
It’s broken myself and many of my lovely, amazing colleagues.

You cannot, will not, ever be able to do the job which you will work so hard to train to do.
As a student you will not learn a single thing on placement because you will be used as a working pair of hands.
This is the bitter complaint made by 99% of all students. Vocally, written and feedback complaints.
Don’t do it.

It's an amazingly rewarding job, so if you do I would strongly recommend getting experience as a HCA in a hospital before hand.

If I hadn't done that before I applied for my nursing degree I would have dropped out after the first day after the horrors that's going on at the moment. I'm quite a resilient person and very rarely have sick days/can't cope but there have been a few shifts I have finished absolutely broken. It's not just a stressful day at work or difficult deadlines and after a bit it will get better. It's completely mentally and emotionally draining and at the end you have absolutely nothing left to give anyone else, it's not something I can even really describe. You just feel broken and hopeless.

However when you do make a difference to someone's day or you do cheer them up or see them get better and go home, come back from the bring of death the feeling like it really is like no other either so I'd say go for it if you have a solid plan and support network. I'm so sorry if this has put you off but you really need to know what your getting into before you start. That way you can prepare yourself physically and emotionally. Best of luck! Xx