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.

I’m in Scotland so may be slightly different. The unis here all have slightly different courses and focus on diff subjects for example Glasgow uni take far less students and focus a lot on research. If I’m completely honest, I would do anything to dissuade my daughter from becoming a nurse, a lot of slog for not a great wage and in current times more abuse than thanks…

I would encourage mental health nursing and then afterwards cbt course. Or social work. They both pay better in the long run.

There’s lots of advanced clinical practice roles in adult and children’s nursing if you want to progress too.

As an adult nurse you can work pretty much anywhere. If you had an interest in children’s nursing too you can work in neonates or health visiting or in a smaller A&E where you’d be able to look after children as well as adult patients. You can work in various mental health settings as an adult nurse including secure and forensic settings as a physical health or substance misuse nurse specialist, or in prisons or custody, etc.

There’s also a massive drive for nurses to train as Advanced Clinical Practitioners which is band 8a when qualified, and usually you’ll work on the middle grade doctors rota in a hospital setting or as an independent practitioner in general practice or a home visiting service.

Unless you are very very passionate and set on mental health nursing, I would suggest adult nursing as the options career wise are limitless.

I know a nurse who lives in Dubai now but travels all over the world repatriating sick people or transferring to different hospitals for treatment. You’d never get a job like that with any branch but adult nursing (and maybe children’s nursing for a paeds flight service).