any medical student parents ?

[MillyMollyMoo]

So how hard can be 4 children and training to be a Dr ?

There was a series years ago that followed student doctors training. One of the women had just got divorced and she had 4 kids. She was amazing. I really don't know how she did it. They did a follow up more recently and she has been very successful in her career. I think you would have to have an amazing support group though and it must be incredibly stressful but it must be possible.

Good to hear she came through in one piece, I don't have much support but that's partly my motivation to be self sufficient and not relying on anyone else.
I noticed on another thread that you'd had to give up nursing due to lack of childcare which is awful.
Am thinking I'll get through the course first and then get divorced as a 40th Birthday present to myself

I'm in my first year of med school and I have 3 children of 8, 2 & 1.

I'm on the 5 year course, and it's not as intense as I expected. The 4 year course is far more time consuming from what I've heard.

DH is extremely supportive and takes on a lot of our childcare. The biggest issue so far has been that our two youngest have been unwell frequently, so I've missed a fair amount of lectures when DH hasn't been able to take time off work.

I had my first exam result on Monday, which I passed with 82.5%, so the time off hasn't been too much of a problem so far!

I'm around occasionally so if you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

Milly - It wasn't really just the childcare. I had tried to get over his affair. I couldn't really concentrate on studying at the time. I just felt very low. If I had been able to cope I could probably have found some childcare. I asked him to have the children one night and he made a big deal over it so I just thought I will never ask you again.

Roomforthree glad you have a supportive DH. I think that must be the most important thing when trying to study.

Hi Coper, that's so bad, will you go back in a few years ?

Roomforthree Am delighted to hear from you
It's definitely the 5 year course I'm looking at, I've decided I'm going to sit the UKCAT exams to see if I have a chance as they also want an access course from me and work related experience
I have a few Dr friends who are happy for me to shadow them and I was a medical rep so hoping my professional quals will count for something but the teenagers all traveling to far flung shores to volunteer, their grade 8's in violin and head boy/girl status is slightly intimidating to say the least.

Were you able to relocate ? That's the other thing I am so worried about I can apply to one university and that's it, if they don't want me I'm stuffed

My partner is a medical student on a graduate entry (4 year) course. We have a toddler - who was born in his first year - & a fair few of his friends on the course have kids. It's perfectly do-able. I think you do need a partner to pick up a lot of slack though, else you couldn't do it. & it doesn't end with graduation - a foundation year doctor can work some pretty crazy hours (although you can do it part time apparently).

Graduate students of medicine receive what we consider to be rather generous income assessed bursaries, including allowances for childcare, plus the usual student loans. Don't think undergraduate students get the same access to bursaries.

Thanks for the information, I took the Gamsat and tried the graduate route but was so far in the arts direction they couldn't really let me, as it is I think I need the 5 year course to keep up.
Hopefully hubby will be working for himself so very flexible and 3 out of 4 will be at school full time, still not an easy route though, but the rewards should be worthwhile.