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I'm abo
(edited 3 years ago)
Your folks are probably right, last three years would be wasted. I suppose it depends on how much your mind is set on it, I don't believe you get student finance for second degrees.

Have you considered volunteering? Perhaps with St John's as a first aider? Or volunteering on hospital wards?
Don’t worry, I am in the same boat. Have my first degree but really wanted to go into nursing. I wouldn’t say you’ve wasted three years because you’ve gained so much experience be it organisational skills, essay writing etc. Also I am under the understanding that because Nursing is an NHS degree you will be able to get a second funding for it if you needed. This chat explains a little bit more: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5369630
I know they say it's a waste of the last 3 years but in the long run that's not much in terms of your career/life. If you're really set on nursing then it's probably better to cut your losses and start now than follow a job you don't like for the next decade and wish you'd gotten into it sooner, which would be wasting far more than 3 years of your career. Plus things can change very quickly and the second degree funding could disappear, rendering you unable to change career in the future. If you're really set on nursing then you'd be wasting an opportunity to get into it for the sake of a career you don't like for many years just to get your money's worth.

I would advise getting some good work experience in the area of nursing you'd be interested in, so you can see what it's really like. I worked as a cleaner in a hospital for a bit and at least on wards they are massively understaffed and not able to do as much as they'd like for their patients because of it. Nursing is in demand right now because so many are leaving the profession for other jobs.
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 4
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Original post by ElMcb2020
Don’t worry, I am in the same boat. Have my first degree but really wanted to go into nursing. I wouldn’t say you’ve wasted three years because you’ve gained so much experience be it organisational skills, essay writing etc. Also I am under the understanding that because Nursing is an NHS degree you will be able to get a second funding for it if you needed. This chat explains a little bit more: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5369630

Thanks for your comment, it's nice to know someone is in the same boat as me! What were you studying before nursing?
Reply 5
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Original post by Kogomogo
I know they say it's a waste of the last 3 years but in the long run that's not much in terms of your career/life. If you're really set on nursing then it's probably better to cut your losses and start now than follow a job you don't like for the next decade and wish you'd gotten into it sooner, which would be wasting far more than 3 years of your career. Plus things can change very quickly and the second degree funding could disappear, rendering you unable to change career in the future. If you're really set on nursing then you'd be wasting an opportunity to get into it for the sake of a career you don't like for many years just to get your money's worth.

I would advise getting some good work experience in the area of nursing you'd be interested in, so you can see what it's really like. I worked as a cleaner in a hospital for a bit and at least on wards they are massively understaffed and not able to do as much as they'd like for their patients because of it. Nursing is in demand right now because so many are leaving the profession for other jobs.

Hi, thanks for replying! this made me feel better haha. I want to start working in a care home or preferably as a healthcare assistant in the NHS (but i don't see many jobs for this atm). Do you think working in a care home would be enough to show I have had some exposure to the kind of work nurses do?
Original post by poppy.m369
Hi, thanks for replying! this made me feel better haha. I want to start working in a care home or preferably as a healthcare assistant in the NHS (but i don't see many jobs for this atm). Do you think working in a care home would be enough to show I have had some exposure to the kind of work nurses do?


Where i live is like care home capital of the country, there are many jobs in care homes here (min wage, zero hour contracts). It would definitely give you some experience of working with vulnerable people and all good xp to mention, being responsible and caring etc, giving you examples of challenges you've faced and overcome. All good stuff and much better than a no work gap on your application, but it's not directly seeing the nursing job in action and i think it'd help to supplement it with a couple weeks of some work xp in a hospital shadowing the nurses just so you have seen the job being done and know what it entails to help strengthen your justification for wanting to switch. I think a healthcare assistant job would be better for you, on the hospital wards they supported the nurses a lot, like washing patients and stuff, so you'd be working closer to nurses in hospitals and get a better feel of what nursing is like. I get it if the jobs just ain't there though, and care home work would still be preferable to nothing and have plenty of relevant experience.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by poppy.m369
Thanks for your comment, it's nice to know someone is in the same boat as me! What were you studying before nursing?

I’ve got a degree in English Literature, so nothing to do with anything medical in the slightest
Reply 8
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Original post by ElMcb2020
I’ve got a degree in English Literature, so nothing

did you get any work experience to help strengthen your application?
Original post by poppy.m369
did you get any work experience to help strengthen your application?

I currently work in a care home so have about 6 months of care experience which I think helped a little bit :smile:

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