[Shimmyjules]

Hi my name is Julie and I am unemployed and wanting to get into nursing. I can't afford to pay to study for a degree so would anyone know where I can enquire about funded placements etc? I live in Bedfordshire so would want to be in this area. I was thinking of doing some voluntary work at the local hospital but don't want to do it if there is no chance of getting either a funded placement or paid trainee job where I can study at the same time.
I would appreciate any responses from people with experience of this situation and/or anyone who knows the best people to contact etc.
Thanks
Julie

[moonkatt]

nursing is a funded course through the NHS, there's a wealth of threads on here about it have a look about.

[Shimmyjules]

I have been trawling through but not found anything relevent yet. Thanks anyway

[moonkatt]

Ok. Well here is a good place to start:

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/nursing.shtml

You apply for nursing courses through UCAS like any other university course, however the course is paid for by the NHS and you are supported partly by a bursary and partly through a loan.

There will be threads about applying for and studying nursing in this forum here:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=71

[Shimmyjules]

Thanks for that, I did manage to find out about the bursary but the course is £9k per year, the bursary is £5k per year so I am presuming I would have to pay the £12k loan back when I start work but I wouldn't have any money to live on whilst studying so it doesn't seem viable sadly. I would prefer a working placement but they are very rare especially in the current climate so I think its a no go sadly.

[moonkatt]

tuition fees are paid for by the strategic health authority, your bursary is yours to live off.

[Danniitb]

I don't think you should give up in this if it's something you really want. Due to the new funding scheme the tuition fees of 9k are paid for by the Nhs and you don't pay those back. You are also given roughly 5k as a bursary which you never pay back. If you choose too you can also apply for a student loan of up to roughly 3k per year and this you would pay back hen earning over 21k per yr. you seem a little confused about the process and I think you should know that what you are looking for doesn't really exist anymore and probably never will again but there are thousands of nursing students with children and partners to support and mortgages and bills to pay and they all manage it, it's a struggle sure, but its manageable