Nursing without science A level. Help!

[WiseWitch]

Hi all, I’m looking for some advice for my 17yo DD. She’s in her second year of A levels which were chosen to suit her intended career in the performing arts (drama, dance and philosophy).

Over a year later, after a change of heart , a few lockdowns and working as a carer part time (alongside supervising adult) she now wants to be a nurse. However, she’s obviously doing the wrong subjects at A level!

She’s fairly academic- has 10 GCSEs grades 6-8. Sixes in sciences and maths. Higher grades in arts and English. I would have hoped that she’d be able to go to a ‘good university’ as she’s a bright girl but now it seems (for obvious reasons) that most of the nursing degrees from higher ranking universities require at least a social science A level ( philosophy doesn’t count, apparently).

So … what to do next? Apply to ‘less good’ universities only? Take a year out and do some sort of additional learning / courses to boost her science a bit (if so , what sort of course- an Open uni module perhaps? Would that be possible?).

Or does it matter less where you train for a vocational course with professional standards that everywhere will have to meet?

Finally, any particular ex Polytechnics that you’d recommend for nursing? (Would need to be in a vibrant city, I think).

TIA for any advice.

Bournemouth Uni. is highly thought of for Nursing.

Hi, DD has no science A levels. Got offers from both Cardiff and Oxford Brookes in clearing last year. Went for the latter; has been a mixed experience. She is comfortably managing the course content with no science beyond GCSE.

Would Manchester Met or Salford work? Both have good placements as part of the pan-Manchester set up, same placements Manchester University would use really and if it's a city she has already considered it might be good.

No issues for nurses getting jobs at the moment and further study is very much encouraged. (I recruit nurses but different branch, I can't say I ever pay much attention to which University they attended but evidence of CPD is always interesting)

My DD is in her first year at Manchester. She also applied for Manchester Met, her offer was higher for Manchester Met than the uni of Manchester. She also found the interview for Manchester Met harder.

My DD and her friend sat the same A levels, applied to similar universities (a couple the same). My DD got all five offers her friend got one. They were predicted the same grades.

I do think for nursing the personal statement, work experience and then the interview are what is important.

I'd advise your DD to apply for a range of universities, get them in early and see what's she's offered. If she does not get the university of choice, look to see how she can get the science/social science she needs and apply again. She maybe able to complete an access course. There is a DC on my daughters flat who did an access to healthcare.

I would also suggest thinking about studying where she wants to live in the future.
Placements are excellent way to see where she would like to work in the future and everywhere is different.
I did mental health nursing in derby but now live in Hampshire. I had placements I loved and there's no equivalent in Hampshire

I did nursing at UWE, I didn't have a science A level ( apart from sociology AS) one of the first modules was foundations of health which covered science particularly biology to the required level ( this was in 2007 so has likely changed). She's still young so she may benefit from getting some physical experience (health care assistant) on a ward to support her application. She may also benefit from nursing access course if she doesn't have the required qualifications!I think Exeter uni have a new nursing course may be worth looking into if you live south! Good luck to her!

Dd changed to doing a btech in Health and Social Care ( not sure what new equivalent is). Just graduated as an OT, but a lot of her friends on course went on to nursing and midwifery at UEA.

Forgot to say Dd went to Cardiff, but got offers from UEA, Northhampton and Oxford Brookes as well

I genuinely think for nursing the overall reputation of the university is not as important. So my local hospital used to have students from a local RG uni and also students from a local poly. The poly students were head and shoulders above the RG students. All the staff knew that. So look at what the reputation for nursing at that uni is rather than worrying about uni ranking. There is a massive shortage of nurses and I think when it comes to getting a job employers aren’t worried about which uni someone went to or even their degree classification. Interview scores are what the nhs go on when recruiting.

I qualified as an RMN a few years ago, honestly I would say it really doesn't matter how 'good' the uni is for nursing. The courses are very standardised to fit NMC requirements and once you are qualified employers only care that you have a pin. To some extent If you apply for jobs where you trained they will know about your reputation as a student. Where I trained all of my friends ended up with jobs where they had placements, but it's a rural health board and we were all mature students. No one has asked me what uni I trained at (other than in a conversational sense) or what classification my degree is. Nurses are very sought after, I can't imagine anyone is going to be turned down for a job because they didn't train at a red brick uni.

What I would say, is that placements are normally within a catchment area of the university. This is worth considering as universities in bigger cities will potentially have more interesting and varied placements. I trained where I live which is very rural and my placements were quite restricted compared to others who trained in cities. This was fine for me however as I was already nearly 30, settled and planned to work under the same rural health board. Had I been younger and without DC I would have picked somewhere more metropolitan!

I did have a science A Level (although I finished that about 10 years before I started training!) but got in to the course as I already had an undergrad. A lot of my friends on the course got in through previous undergrad (normally in unrelated area) or through the access course.

Has she looked at De Montfort Uni? Campus right in the city centre and pretty much next door to Leicester's main hospital.

Don't think they require science a-level either.

I agree from an employment point of view it doesn’t matter how good the reputation for the nursing course at that uni is. But for the individual student spending three years there it can make a massive difference.

How well organised the course is, how prepared students feel for placement, how supported students feel in placement, quality of teaching, academic support etc. Yes, every course will be validated by the nmc but all that roughly means is the uni have said they will teach everything needed to meet the nmc education standards.

Try and talk to students on the course at different unis. Many, many years ago when I was researching a similar course I searched on Facebook for an unofficial cohort fb group and found students on the course I was interested in. I’m sure there will also be non uni specific nursing student groups on fb which will be worth joining.

Loads of options
What kind of nursing? They don't all have the same entry requirements. Mental health nursing way more flexible than adult or children's.

Look at mid range universities- entry is more flexible
She will still get employed.

Some degrees have a foundation year, but actually she may still be funded for an Access course

She still needs work experience Tis importance.
Many students get rejected due to lack of experience.

Tbh it isn't about the a levels. More about experience. She needs to apply to nursing homes and get a part time job. As her course will not have given her experience. You need experience. I did healthy and social level 3 at college, I did placements and had a job in a nh as well. How does she feel about cleaning up poo, sick and sputum? I'd encourage mental health nursing in all honesty as she can then do her cbt training and work higher up and earn more money

I'd suggest she goes to local uni and stays at home. Placements are intense and uni accommodation is a nightmare for students as it is all year. Friends party etc and she will be at work for 7am on a Saturday morning

I'd also 2nd sheffiekd hallam. It's collegiate crescent based and fab for pastoral care. I got pregnant in my 1st year and they was amazing at supporting me and I finished my 1st year had jan to Aug of and started 2nd year in the September. Gr8 staff and teaching facilities

The benefit of the btech health and social care (or replacement )instead of A levels is that they do placements and get a lot of experience in different setting

I agree that experience is equally important as her a levels, and the good news is for her there are SO many jobs in entry level care at the moment so she should easily be able to find some part time care work or go on 'the bank' of your local hospital which means she can pick and choose to work shifts around her a levels. Especially in areas such as learning disability care and mental health where she could gain so many transferable skills . It will also give her some insight into the reality of the nhs and the caring professions. Nursing had a very high drop out rate and I think this is one of the reasons university are so keen on applicants having some hands on experience.

Sorry op just reread your post and can see she already had experience of care work - that's fantastic and will be a huge benefit to her application
I just wanted to add personally I don't think the apprenticeship is the best route for 18 year olds- it's much more aimed at existing staff who can't do the traditional training route. I've not seen many places that offer a place to applicants not already working in the nhs and It's quite a long route and if I was straight out of sixth form I'd much prefer doing the bsc.

Surrey uni has a good reputation for nursing and having checked the website there's no requirement for science A levels. They want work work experience.

University of West London has a terrific nursing programme. The old 'Queen Charlotte's College of Health Care Studies' merged with the old poly to become the university so it has a long standing reputation for educating within that field.

Just wanted to say how fantastic this thread has been as a source of advice and information. I have been sharing your suggestions with DD and they have all been so useful and real food for thought.

I think that I do need to really emphasise the intensity of nursing training to DD. I know that she’s not romanticising the profession per se but think she may be underestimating the impact long days’ slog, for weeks on end especially on placements, compared to a regular university experience! Lectures seem
to follow a much more full timetable, too.

@Gufo

Has she looked at De Montfort Uni? Campus right in the city centre and pretty much next door to Leicester's main hospital.

Don't think they require science a-level either.

Sprang to my mind as well - and no, they don't seem to require science or social science - just decent A-levels.

Also quite a thriving arts and performance scene because of that side of the university as well and you don't get much more middle of England in terms of distance!

I'm on another Allied Health Professions course at DMU and don't have science A-Level - and they really do value any form of work experience that's relevant.

DD is doing nursing at York with RE, politics and business A levels. She also applied to Exeter, Kings London, Southampton and Birmingham and got offers from them all.

Don't focus on "prestige uni."

Go for uni which takes students without science

Base it on the city and how she feels on open day visits
The qualification will be the same anyway