Who starts nursing/midwifery in September?

[Smurfgirl]

I am in the very final stages of my application. Just filled out my CRB form thingy, have my MMR tomorrow for the health and must sort out my accommodation! Phew! Going to uni is such a big hassle!

How is everyone else doing? I m getting excited and a bit nervous.

Ohhh, good luck with handing everything in on time, Vicki. And fingers crossed that the weather is sunny when you get your leave. Ah, wouldn't it be lovely to be sitting in a sunlit garden with a glass of something cool to drink? [envious of people with gardens]

Dh is taking Friday off in lieu of some overtime he's done. We're thinking of driving to the nearest seaside town and sitting there with some fish and chips for our lunch. Cheap and cheerful

Hurray that you're a fellow BB addict. Wot a vice. I love the BB threads on MN. Felt a real need to wash myself about Kinga's antics last night. She's really livened it up but her family. Think of her family's reaction!

OK, I know this is terribly sad but... I have just bought a load of stationery and a fob watch and it has made me feel v. excited A friend who starts at Kingston this Sept has just received all her timetables and new starter's packs - I wish King's would get a move on with mine!

I started this so I should contribute!

I have STILL not had my place confirmed. I have a meeting with a Dr in two weeks and hopefully he will let me on the course. Its all because I had mental health problems 2 years ago, but the nurse I met with said she thinks I will be just fine so I am not worried.

I have got my CRB and sent off for my busary.

I have started saving my money for the textbooks and I can't wait to buy all my stationary stuff!

Oh and snafu I was SO excited when I got my first fob watch. But I keep washing them so its not so good now

Smurfgirl, fingers crossed for your place confirmation and good luck!

Snafu, I'm excited and it isn't even my fob watch.

I'm getting all excited now reading back!! I've got the excuse that other people are buying stationery so I'm off out to get some

Good luck to everyone starting their courses. Can I just make a suggestion which often appears to be neglected. I see manu students who do not belong to anything.

Ensure that you join a professional organisation when you start your training. For student midwives I recommend \link{The Royal College of Midwives} and for nurses \link{The Royal College of Nursing}

In both of these organisations you have nurses and midwives representing nurses and midwives. They are professional bodies as well as unions.

The Royal College of Midwives

The Royal College of Nursing

I have my confirmation, start date and timetable for first week....I'm excited but not at the same time.
I have gained a few extra pounds and a bigger bottom since I injured my foot this summer but its on the mend so am determined to get trim over the next few weeks....it may be silly but I want to look trim when I start the course. I'm determined to cook big batches of food and freeze them to so when I come in on the night with kids I can just bung something home cooked out the freezer into the oven.

How's everyone getting on?

hey im in my 2nd year of adult nursing and have my first bub on the way. im a bit worried about the change havin a baby will make on my studies but usually the uni's are very understanding with student mums so they have been really supportive for me. im in liverpool john moores uni if anyone is goin there. the course is brill an you meet so many nice people while youre studyin!
anyway good luck to everyone applyin and all who are startin in a few weeks!

am not doing nursing/midwifery or anything like that, but after reading about all the shortages in this area, just wanted to say good luck to all of you!

Has anyone received their bursary entitlement yet?
I've been trying to ring them all day with no such look. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

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happymumof2,

im about to start the second year of a two year part time access course.
As far as 'educationaly disadvantaged' goes, i'd say the people on my course are predominently intelligent women who have worked in various other areas of employment and have now decided on a career in health/social care, some also have waited until thier children have reached thier teens. Also most of us have been out of education for over 5 years and most, if not all universities like you to have some evidence of recent study.

the access course is the best thing i have ever done, it has prepared me for university and i love the challenge of studying again, its like a switch has gone on in my head and ive finally found something absolutly achievable with hard work and determination.

id say go for it.

Happymumof2 I am studying to eventually become a health visitor. I started with a 1 year full time access course which was full on and certainly wouldn't have said it was for the educationally disadvantaged. I hope what they meant was that its to help people who don't have the required qualifications to gain access to uni to gain access by completeing this recognised course.
The subjects on my access were maths, english, I.T, immunapathology, psychology and sociology, human systems and you were to required to complete a research project. Thats just to give you an idea as access courses content, varies around the country. I would give the college a ring and enquire about the course. Thats just to get into uni...not sure if theres another route.

To become a health visitor you need to be a registered nurse which takes 3 years full time or 41/2 I think part-time studying at degree or diploma level. You then need to be registered for two years as a nurse...this varies I've heard that you may beable to begin the health visitor course with only one years experience as by the time you qualify as a health visitor you would of been registered as a nurse for two years. The health visitor course isn't called that but varies with each university as far as I can tell and as I said it lasts one year full time and is degree level.
If you type health visitor into google you will get job summaries and how to become one...they'll provide you with more accurate information.

Hope that helps

I started my course today!

V.exciting!

smurfgirl - good luck! i'm just about to start my third year as a student midwife! which is scary because this time next year i will be qualified and on my own! aaaggghh! am on placement at the moment with a new mentor and so far so good, just need to get eh hang of these bloody guthrie tests the mentor makes it look so easy!

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Have just rang up about my bursary and they still haven't processed the application form despite them receiving it beginning of July..................AM FUMINMG. Going to go and open the hsbc student account and will just have to use the interest free overdraft to pay for chilminder and pay the overdraft off from the bursary money....when FINALLY they sort it out, I'm sure they'll back date. You think they would of expected a high volume of applicants and prepared for it considering they have the same problem every year!!!! Has anyone else received their bursary forms yet?

Happymumof2 how did the interview go?

[ANGRY][ANGRY][ANGRY]have just tried to open the hsbc account at the branch and was told that you can't open an account at the branch you have to do it over the internet AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Never heard anything so stupid 'you can't open a bank account at a bank'. Will look round for another bank that aren't HOLES!

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Hi HMo2, I'm doing the midwifery diploma at King's. I'm afraid that they do mean full-time when they say full-time! I don't have my final timetable for this year as I only started on Monday but I can give you a rough idea of what hours are expected of us.

I am expected to spend 15 hours a week (i.e. 2 x 7.5hour shifts or two days) in clinical placement and then I have Weds 10am-1pm, Thurs 10am-5pm and Friday 10am-5pm in uni. The placement also involves quite a bit of travelling as I will work in community and at various clinics/birth centres/group practices etc in my Trust's area.

I'm not expected to work night-shifts or weekends in the first year but I will be expected to do some in the 2nd and 3rd years (and obviously when qualified!) I imagine it's the same for most other unis. It's a bit different from my first full-time degree when I swanned in for a few hours a week if I felt like it!

Some universities do a 'block' week system where you spend entire weeks either on placement or in uni. So there is a bit more scope for arranging your shifts around childcare etc then - maybe...

Lots of the women on my course have children although I'm not sure if any are single parents. I wouldn't say it was impossible but you'd need to be super-organised and have loads of reliable, flexible childcare. It's exhausting but I've loved my first few days and can't wait to really get started.

HTH a bit. Where are you thinking of applying to? Have you checked out student midwives sanctuary yet?

i'm doing midwifery of which i am in my third year and full time is really full time! (sorry) we have full uni days from 9a.m to 3p.mish, but we don't have a lunch break just a fifteen minute break between lessons to grab a sandwich, drink etc, this was our choice rather than to have to travel down the motorway at 5pm.

and on placement the hours are def full time either shifts or long days, but we have to do 37.5 hours a week, which is the same for the nursing students at our uni.