Had a rough couple of years - want to get back into studying

So a few years a go, I did my A levels and then got married, had a baby and went through a seperation at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was a difficult couple of years and I am still recovering from the stress however I really really really want to get back into studying.

Problem is I want to do an apprenticeship in Medicine. When I did my A levels, I never thought I would ever want to do medicine so I didn't do the right A levels.

What are my options, I would prefer to do an apprenticeship if available to be a doctor but if not then I'm ok with uni.

I'm 23 and have been in employment since I left sixth form. Is there any way I can go into medicine without having to repeat my A levels?

Reply 1

Failing GCSEs

2

My mum went through something similar, she married early and had 3 children, never did any a levels. A few years ago she decided she wanted to be a nurse. All she needed was 5 GCSEs, and to retake her maths. She now has a degree and is a band 7.
Not sure how the apprenticeship would work, but hoped this helped.

Reply 2

squirrology

20

Original post by Coffeegirl

So a few years a go, I did my A levels and then got married, had a baby and went through a seperation at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was a difficult couple of years and I am still recovering from the stress however I really really really want to get back into studying.

Problem is I want to do an apprenticeship in Medicine. When I did my A levels, I never thought I would ever want to do medicine so I didn't do the right A levels.

What are my options, I would prefer to do an apprenticeship if available to be a doctor but if not then I'm ok with uni.

I'm 23 and have been in employment since I left sixth form. Is there any way I can go into medicine without having to repeat my A levels?

I don't believe there is such thing as an Apprenticeship that will allow you to become a Doctor otherwise everyone would be doing it and it would be just as competitive.

However, there are Nursing Degree Apprenticships which have been recently introduced.

You can find more information on the Gov website here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nursing-degree-apprenticeships-factsheet/nursing-degree-apprenticeship-factsheet

Or you could do a Foundation year in Medicine at a University however I'm unsure about the standard requirement for them. Some entry requirements will depend on your individual circumstances.

Link to Lancaster Med foundation year:
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/foundation-year-for-medicine-and-surgery-certificate-of-higher-education-a900/#course-entry

Reply 3

Coffeegirl

OP

18

Original post by squirrology

I don't believe there is such thing as an Apprenticeship that will allow you to become a Doctor otherwise everyone would be doing it and it would be just as competitive.

However, there are Nursing Degree Apprenticships which have been recently introduced.

You can find more information on the Gov website here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nursing-degree-apprenticeships-factsheet/nursing-degree-apprenticeship-factsheet

Or you could do a Foundation year in Medicine at a University however I'm unsure about the standard requirement for them. Some entry requirements will depend on your individual circumstances.

Link to Lancaster Med foundation year:
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/foundation-year-for-medicine-and-surgery-certificate-of-higher-education-a900/#course-entry

Do Foundation years depend on A levels? Because I have already done mine and had BCD :frown:

Reply 4

squirrology

20

Original post by Coffeegirl

Do Foundation years depend on A levels? Because I have already done mine and had BCD :frown:

Yes, but they usually have lower requirements to the original course and they also assess your individual circumstances.

Reply 5

Danny Dorito

20

Original post by Coffeegirl

So a few years a go, I did my A levels and then got married, had a baby and went through a seperation at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was a difficult couple of years and I am still recovering from the stress however I really really really want to get back into studying.

Problem is I want to do an apprenticeship in Medicine. When I did my A levels, I never thought I would ever want to do medicine so I didn't do the right A levels.

What are my options, I would prefer to do an apprenticeship if available to be a doctor but if not then I'm ok with uni.

I'm 23 and have been in employment since I left sixth form. Is there any way I can go into medicine without having to repeat my A levels?

Just tagging a few people in

Original post by Coffeegirl

So a few years a go, I did my A levels and then got married, had a baby and went through a seperation at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was a difficult couple of years and I am still recovering from the stress however I really really really want to get back into studying.

Problem is I want to do an apprenticeship in Medicine. When I did my A levels, I never thought I would ever want to do medicine so I didn't do the right A levels.

What are my options, I would prefer to do an apprenticeship if available to be a doctor but if not then I'm ok with uni.

I'm 23 and have been in employment since I left sixth form. Is there any way I can go into medicine without having to repeat my A levels?

Hey @Coffeegirl,

Firstly, really sorry to hear you had a tough time. Hopefully things are starting to look up for you, and good on you for making the decision to get back into education!

There currently aren't any apprenticeship schemes to get into medicine, but you could always look at doing a foundation as someone previously suggested, then progressing into medicine. It may also be worth looking into fields surrounding medicine which don't actually involve becoming a doctor, such as becoming a Physician Associate or a nurse.

For the Physician Associate Postgraduate Diploma at Surrey, you have to have gained a 2:1 in a related subject, like health sciences, life sciences or biological sciences. Entry to an undergrad in one of these would depend on your A Level grades and most will require you to have taken particular science subjects like biology or chemistry. This would probably be a quicker option, as you could do a 3 year degree then the 2 year PGDip. It wouldn't make you a fully-fledged doctor, but Physician Associates work on behalf of, or under the supervision of senior experienced doctors and deliver holistic medical care in a primary or secondary capacity. You can read more info about our Physician Associate course here. Not sure if any other unis currently offer the course but it's worth a google! For nursing, you could qualify after 3 years. You could also look at things like Dietetics, Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy to see if that might interest you too :smile:

When you find a course you're interested in, I'd advise giving your chosen university's Admissions team a call to discuss different ways you could get a place on the programme. You may have to do an Access course or resit exams, but if it gets you to where you want to be in the end then hopefully it'll be worth it! :biggrin:

Hope this helps!

All the best,
Ashley

Reply 7

confused9989

14

Hi, it's so good to see you want to go back into education. I'm not sure if you can do a medicine apprenticeship but you can do one in nursing and dispensing. Good luck!

Reply 8

Apprenticeships Advice

Official Rep

12

Original post by Coffeegirl

So a few years a go, I did my A levels and then got married, had a baby and went through a seperation at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was a difficult couple of years and I am still recovering from the stress however I really really really want to get back into studying.

Problem is I want to do an apprenticeship in Medicine. When I did my A levels, I never thought I would ever want to do medicine so I didn't do the right A levels.

What are my options, I would prefer to do an apprenticeship if available to be a doctor but if not then I'm ok with uni.

I'm 23 and have been in employment since I left sixth form. Is there any way I can go into medicine without having to repeat my A levels?

Hi there,
Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear that you have been through a difficult time but it’s great that you’re looking ahead and seeking support on getting back into education. It’s fantastic that you have such high aspirations to become a doctor. At the moment, you cannot train to become a doctor through an apprenticeship and the route you have to take is going to medical school through university. Most if not all medical schools will look for A-levels at high grades in subjects such as Biology and Chemistry.

You may be able to do adult learning and go through an access to medicine course at a local college, or you could look into going back to do you’re a-levels. September does see the launch of the new nursing apprenticeship schemes if you feel that this could be an option and there are a range of other healthcare apprenticeships that you can do. To find out what vacancies are available where you live you can check out the find an apprenticeship website - https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch

It’s worth noting that adult learning can come at a cost, however there is funding available to help you through this. To talk about your funding options and the right path for you I would advise contacting the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900 or chat to an adviser online to gain instant advice and guidance on your options.

Best of luck with everything. :smile:

Had a rough couple of years - want to get back into studying

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