To redo the year at university once again?

[lojantoio]

I'm training to be a midwife.

I had to repeat my first year, because of ill health and I was the victim of a violent crime. This meant to missed too much placement to pass onto the next year.

I am now in my final year, but I started having random seizures last year, so I missed a lot of placement time again. I owe over 600 hours on top of my normal hours.

So I am on a plan where I will do a shift a week on placement, as well as university. Then in our usual placement weeks I will do 48 hours. 4x 12.5 hour shifts.

I'll be working through annual leave, and reading weeks.

I also have assignments, and a dissertation to hand in.

I have a history of depression, but I have been ok for the past few years. I can feel the depression creeping back in and I feel flat/sad most of the time. Not enjoying anything.

If I don't miss a single shift, I should qualify in early October and then start working as a midwife a day or two later.

I don't know if I can do this. It's going to be miserable, but I am so close.

I also have DS aged 5. My parents do the majority of the childcare but my mum can be difficult, which is also getting me down.

What would you do?

how will you finance?

could it be that midwifery isn’t for you? or that this simply isn’t the right time for you to be doing this?

It is for me. I'm passionate about it, I love the women and babies but hate everything else. The politics and the culture.

I'd be able to get another year of student finance.

The degree has to be finished within 5 years.

You are so close!! Can't you just push on through for the last few months.
You are almost there.

Do you HAVE to start a couple of days after finishing your course ?

How about a delayed start date where you give yourself a couple of months off?

At the moment there's no end in sight for you - if there was a clear end with proper downtime then you might be able to make it through ?

That sounds pretty intense. Could you do all the academic stuff, and then just have the missing practice hours spread over an extra couple of months? So till Dec for example?

As a midwife who remembers how tough the practice hours can be, I would see if the university would give you some flexibility in day extending a term instead of a full year. Its really hard and I would say squeezing it all in how you have suggested would be soul destroying.

Also, you wouldn't be able to start work a day or two later as you have to wait for your NMC pin which takes several weeks.

You sound overwhelmed just in your first post. I'm not sure many people, let alone a mum with a shaky support system and ongoing health issues, could face six full-on months like that.

I'd speak to your uni about your concerns and ask for all your options before you make a decision.

Thank you for responding.

I would start work a day or two after because they will be paying me as a band 4 until my pin comes through. The first two weeks is non clinical.

Thank you all.

We have all been offered automatic jobs without interview at the trust we trained. It is conditional on starting on that specific date.

Isn’t it an option though for you to
not take the automatic job but to spread your placement days over a more mentally healthy and realistic period? What are you options then for employment?

You won't be a mw though, as other PP have said, you need your PIN to practice as a RM. They'll likely have you on staff as a support worker or hca until it comes through. Hopefully that will help to relieve some of the pressure.

I'm sorry you've had such a tough time up to now.