student nursing to do or not to do

[ellenjames]

Hi thinking about doing mental health nurse training anyone doing/done this recently. will do at boston or lincoln. What financial help would i get? i am married with 2 kids 2 and 1 yrs old and household income is 16000, any info appreciated cheers.

Don't do it do general instead! I'm 5 years post grad and all my mental health nurse friends are now as mad as the patients

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General Nursing gives you more scope once you qualify i.e. there are many specialist fields to practice in. Mental health nursing means just that, and paediatrics is the same, although I am sure there are many specialties within them as well. But, with adult nursing it is generally easier to do post graduate training in mental health, midwifery or paeds, than it is to try to go the other way. I'm sorry if I am not making myself clear but I am a little spaced out on pain killers! I initially started my training in paediatrics, but post grad my options would have been very limited here locally so opted for adult nursing so that I could do so much more with my career, and now I am in a job I love and should have made the move to this post years ago!doh! hth!

hi ellen I am doing general adult nursing in Cardiff with sally.
I too would do general nursing if you think you could cope with it (its very hard doing something youre not very interested in). Your options would be much broader, you only need to do an 18 month conversion for any speciality (midwifery/mental health/paeds) from general, however if you start off in any of the specialities and wanted to do general it would be another 3 years training.
Plus you cant nurse abroad with just a speciality, you need to have done a general nurse training.

Money wise cant help you, its different in Wales, I get no help but dh earns a good wage. Our bursarys are non means tested and I get a measly 6k a year but I think they are means tested in England.

Any other questions just fire away and one of us will try and put you off lol not really I love it

what frapachino and tiggly says!

I am a student guidance advisor for nursing students at Staffordshire uni !! - It maybe different elsewhere but normally all nursing students study a common foundation year ie whichever branch you all do the same. You only study the specific branch subjects from year 2 - I would agree paediatric nursing is probably the most limited - mental health nursing not so much !

You will be entitled to a NHS student grant (bursary) which you can access via the net - amount you get is pretty complex to work out so best starting there!! I would also advise that your prepared your dh to help out as nursing is a demanding course especially with placements & assignments !! & kids - not impossible though but hard work.... hope this helps !!

ellen, why do you want to do nursing?? what 'dream do you have so to speak

general and mental health are 2 very different areas and styles of nursing.

i have friends wh are mental health nurses and when i talk about what i do, their all quite squeamish really and couldn't imagine doing that.

i don't really know enough about mental health nursing to comment

training wise do you work in a hospital already?? if you do you can be seconded by that hospital, so they pay you a wage (although their are limited places) or as a student you get a bursery... no idea how it works anymore but i think you get extra if you have dependents

where i work the students no longer do the common foundation programme, but apply for the branch they want to follow (although i believe they can change in the first year!)

All students apply for the branch they want but all study a common foundation year (that's why they can transfer in 1st year) then have specific programme from 2nd year. www.nhspa.gov.uk/sgu/ here is the link to the student grants unit - you do get help if you have dependants - non-means tested bursary for diploma students - means-tested for BSc degree students. Secondments are normally very limited due to financial cuts in spending by trusts.

aaah, that makes sense then!

I chose my Uni because we dont have to decide on our branch until end of yr 1 ( this week!!!). Im glad I chose this as I was probably 70% interested in general nursing and 30% mental health, however shortly into my course I decided that mental health was the route I wanted to take.
Im currently on my general placement and although I find it interesting, its far too clinical for me- which sounds odd, but im just not passionate about general nursing as I am with mental health.

Are you planning on doing as a secondment - or on a bursary? Degree or diploma? This info is based on diploma training!

If you are an HCA already, then your trust may second you, in which case your earnings would remain at mid point on whatever band you are on.

If you do it on a bursary, you get a fixed level (plus mature student and I think dependants allowance) TAX EXEMPT bursary. It cannot be counted as income - so it doesn't affect Working tax credits etc.. and you can then work p/t in hols if you want (or can with 2 small DC!!) all tax free.

I'm an LD nurse, and wish desperately I'd done Mental Health. it is much broader. Despite government attemtps to farm all MH and LD services out, there will ALWAYS be a need for MH nurses.

Don't know what your Uni would offer on childcare, not my area. Sorry, I can't remember the current £££ for bursaries, but I expect you've already now had a chance to look into it.

Good Luck. If you want to do it... go for it!!

Hey Mosschops, I trained at the same place as you and Sally! Small world.....! Twas 7 years ago for my diploma and recently for my degree!

Ellenjames, I hope you are finding these answers of some use to you! Basically, the advice is, set your sights where you think you want to go because you'll need to put in a lot of work (especially if your like me) to get where you want, but it is so rewarding when you finally do! Think about it carefully, where do you want to work once you are qualified i.e. hospital, primary care and community, specialist nurse role, etc etc. What hours are you able to work in order to achieve a home / life balance? If I chose a specialism, what are my options locally within that field? what else can I do if I want to change direction with the specialty? What fields of nursing are available to you close to home if that makes life easier? i.e. there is a community hospital very close to me which provides continuing care / care of the elderly / emi / palliative care / gp beds, but as I want to do more acute nursing then I have to travel up to an hour 1/2 each day, but I love my job and it makes it worth it!

Some more things to think about, if you didn't have enough already!hth,

Tiggly

thank u everyone for your replies, just need to sort my app out now, you havent put me off!!!!