Any Student Mums?

[Jade&Evie]

I have made the decision that I would like to study midwifery and when Evie goes to school would like to have qualified and make it a career

How do you manage a full time university course and a baby?! I want to be as realistic as possible rather than start it and never finish

 

[HappyAlice]

I think single mums get lots of help with childcare if they're students

 

[lisa&alex]

midwifery is an extreamly hard course to get on.. thre are hardly any places to study at uni.. i applied twice.. and got as far as the interview but was pipped at the post twice.. through 3 unis.. there were over 500 applicants for 16 places in the 3 unis.. only 60 people got interviews. i was told to go and study counselling which might give me the step above the rest.. i did that.. then got pregnant.. i might go for it again one day but not right now..pre midwifery.. access to health is a great course to do and counselling.. loads study A levels and apparently unis prefure access and counselling plus A levels..i have all of them.. so if i do go for it again hopefully i would get through.

now.. regarding how you would manage.. you arnt allowed to work in wales when you are studying to be a nurse or mw.. not sure if its the same as england..because the course is so intense.. the uni panels asked me what support i had at home in regards to child care.. if i could drive.. how i would manage between being a mum and intense studying.. having to work shifts when i was at the hospital on training. also community.. home births i would be on call with the midwife on call.. i would do a hell of a lot of reserch and find out how many places are at your choosen unis.. then ask yourself how you would manage a full time job as well as evie.. do you have support there for her.. yes she could go into a nursary.. but what about when you are working a night shift or are on call etc..then there is studying on top of the work/uni part.. and then essays..

midwifery is a reallly hard course to do.. what qualifications do you have at the moment have you spoken to a careers adviser in regards to what you need to study to get on the course ?(if you havent already got them iykwim) make sure you research they love people who know what they are talking about.. good luck x

 

[sarafet]

as lisa said it's VERY hard to get onto, i'm trying for next year.

you would get a bursary for studying and i think you may qualify for tax credits for childcare when studying.

 

[louxlouxbellex]

I got into midwifery at Stirling Uni & was meant to start in 2006 but we realised we couldn't afford it plus Stirling is quite far from me & I would have been doing 14 plus hour days when the placements started which would have been a nightmare. There was no spaces in Glasgow Cal Uni, had I have got in there (there was no places at all for the year I was applying!) it might have been a different story.

It is hard to get into but not impossible, I did an HNC in healthcare the year before I applied & that really helped when preparing for my interview plus I think it would have helped immensely in the first part of the course which was general for the first 6 months.

Can't offer advice with the student mum thing but wishing you loads of luck with it all

 

[kirlykird]

Midwifery as the other girls have mentioned is Tough to get on, normally preference goes to qualifications etc A levels & access course & will usually offer around 10-15 places per year.

I have also noticed that preference for the course also goes to those working as a HCA in the maternity area & are seconded out by the work area with a recommendation to the uni to take them on.

If you're into helath care how about nursing? Many different areas to go into plus many career opportunities there. You will again need something like an access course that is a route many mature students take or like I did A levels and previous uni experience & qualifications. You do have to do early, late & night shifts children or not. You are not disallowed to take a job whilst studying but you are heavily warned against it. As for bursary, you would get a student bursary & help towards childcare but you cannot claim tax credits whilst also claiming your childcare element of the bursary, it is one or the other.

You do need someone who is willing to look after the baby/children when these shifts need to be done. The work at home will have you up most nights after the baby is in bed & it is tiring, very tiring. You will be holding down a family, doing a full time uni course, working around 24-35 hours a week in a hospital & be expected to pre read at home before the lectures etc.

I'm not trying to put you off at all, just replying as you asked with the reality.

Good luck

 

[ASD123456]

I've just started the long journey to eing a midwife. This year I am doing an access course as I never got ay A levels and midwifery is now a degree so you need a level 2 qualification.

So in september I started going to college 2 days a week studing an access to health and human science course which can gain you access to most NHS funded degrees e.g nursing, midwifery, social work, occupational health...... It will take a year to complete this course and at the end of it, if you gain a level 3 with 60 credits (means nothing to me either) you can get on to the midwifery degree course.

At the moment Rudys granny has him on the two days I'm in college, but when I start uni next september she'll probably have him for a few days and he'll go into the uni creche for the rest of the week- thye give reduced rates for students. It'll be hard but achieveable and at the end of it you'll have a brilliant vocation.

It was something I always wanted to do but having a baby definatley make you want to do it more.

Good luck with it all

 

[ASD123456]

oh and I forgot to mention- the uni I want to go to gives guaranteed places to the college I'm studying at as long as you gain the nesecary level.

 

[jodie_honey]

i got accepted thsi year at uni to do my midwifery, however im workin part time tryin to support me and abi aswell so i am gunan complete my first module and they sed i can freeze it and pick up when the times right. think im gunna wait til abigail is at scholl coz i dont wanna miss anythin, u do get help with child care and a bursery...but this wasnt enough for me to live on as i have a very well paid job so i had to take that over uni. but if u r ready for it go for it no harm in tryin xx

 

[Xena]

Im a full time uni student.

I'm in my second year studying BA Classical Civilisation at University of Leeds.

Admittedly, despite my course being 'full-time', I only have between 6-10 hours a week (6 hours of lectures, but more hours if I have seminars as well).

Hubby works 2pm-10pm so if I have any morning lectures, he is with the children.
If I have anything in the afternoon, my mam watches the children.

The most difficult part is finding time to study. You have to squeeze in as much as you can whenever you can, because you don't get much time at all.

I don't know anything about midwifery courses I'm afraid. Good luck with your decision hun.

 

[jayla's mummy]

oh and I forgot to mention- the uni I want to go to gives guaranteed places to the college I'm studying at as long as you gain the nesecary level.

what college do you go to?
i want to do a access to nursing course next september

 

[ASD123456]

oh and I forgot to mention- the uni I want to go to gives guaranteed places to the college I'm studying at as long as you gain the nesecary level.

what college do you go to?
i want to do a access to nursing course next september

Hi,

I go to Richmond Adult community college and the uni is Kingston. The course is great- consists of intergrated science, pyschology, anatomy and phsiology. Plus if your under 25 and not done a level 2 qualification the course is government funded.

Alex xxx

 

[Princess_Puddles]

I'm starting College in September to do Access to Higher Education Midwifery and then September 2010 I will start Hertfordshire University to do Midwifery. It can be done hun, you will get lots of help and support for being a single Mum. Hope it goes well hun xXx

 

[*sara*]

When my son was about 3 i went to college and did a years full time access to nursing course i was then accepted at Uni for nursing ( i had wanted to do midwifery but there was only 12 spaces available so was given the oportunity to choose nursing) I began full time i managed the first yr but i did struggle with childcare as i have no family living around me and when you are out on placement 12 hr shifts if your placement is at the hospital i really struggled. I spoke to my tutor and told her i couldnt manage and wanted to drop out and she suggested a did a child friendly course which gives you the school holidays off but i did that route for second year and still struggled with the 12 hr shifts. I hope to go back to it one day.

 

[bunnymom1980]

I went back to college when Jacob was 18 months old. Then I did my nurse training at uni when he was 3. I didn't find childcare that difficult because I had my OH and family around at the time, and I also worked bank as a HCA around 20-50 hours per week on top of a full time course.

It was sooo worth it though because now I have a great career as an intensive care nurse and earn good money now.

Like others have said midwifery is very hard to get into but if you have the determination then you'll succeed!

 

[jayla's mummy]

oh and I forgot to mention- the uni I want to go to gives guaranteed places to the college I'm studying at as long as you gain the nesecary level.

what college do you go to?
i want to do a access to nursing course next september

Hi,

I go to Richmond Adult community college and the uni is Kingston. The course is great- consists of intergrated science, pyschology, anatomy and phsiology. Plus if your under 25 and not done a level 2 qualification the course is government funded.

Alex xxx

ta hun x ive done a level 2 course already damn!

 

[elaine22]

x