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Disappointed.. Adult Nursing.. Advise please..

I am a first-year adult nursing student. I did Access course last year and I enjoyed it a lot.

I was very happy at the beginning of my university. I enjoyed the lectures, e-learning, anatomy, skill sessions etc. I got a very good grade for my first assignment. I like academic side of nursing studies.

However, my first placement hit me very hard. The reality is totally different. Ward placements are not childcare friendly at all. There is no flexibility for childcare. I barely managed 6 weeks with lots of help from my husband. He is flexible right now but he is looking for another job. I don't think we can carry on for the next 2.5 years like this.

Also, my placement experience was not very positive. The staff was not friendly. They, all looked very unhappy, exhausted and burned out. Doctors, nurses, physios... I wouldn't want to work in that kind of work environment. I feel very disappointed right now. I don't have any motivation to carry on. I had stomach pain weekly which i didn't have for quite a long time. It means i am really but really under stress. also, my migraine is coming and going on a regular basis. When i think about my next placement, I feel the anxiety and panic. Last year, I studied in the college for 3 days, worked for 2 days, looked after my children and did housework but I never felt like that! On the contrary, I really enjoyed my studies and wanted to carry on.

I seriously started to think about switching the course or dropping out. I know, my friends are telling me I had a bad experience and maybe my next placement will be better and I will love it.. But I think that's not the case. I have seen doctors and nurses in the wards.. I definitely wouldn't work in that kind of environment. I was planning to do some master and phd but now i see it's not possible before working couple of good years in wards. So i feel very disappointed.

I am looking for another course to switch. I enjoy anatomy and physiology but couldn't find a suitable course. I did Access to Health Studies but biology&neurology related courses looking for science subjects. I don't know maybe I need to go back to college and do Access to Science course. I am sure I will enjoy it better than this year but I am gonna lose 2 years. Next year Access again and uni application etc. It's too much i think.

Another option, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine degree which I find interesting and health-related again. Also, we have common modules so if i can finish this year and start next year again, i wouldn't need to repeat these 2 modules. My first year can be stress-free. There is no placement and lectures are mostly on weekends or week nights. More suitable for a mother. Probably there is a proper summer holiday as well, unlike nursing course :/

But i am not sure if i should switch to acupuncture or just leave everything and drop out. If i finish my first year, am i gonna get any certificate from my uni? what about student finance? I think 1 extra year is gift year and I will be eligible for 3 more years but does it worth to go under that much depth? I didn't apply for maintenance loan, it's just tuition fee so it's less burden.

If i go back to college, what can i do? What can I study that could be useful later?

Please feel free to give your opinions and advises.

Thank you.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by twentyagain
I am a first-year adult nursing student. I did Access course last year and I enjoyed it a lot.

I was very happy at the beginning of my university. I enjoyed the lectures, e-learning, anatomy, skill sessions etc. I got a very good grade for my first assignment. I like academic side of nursing studies.

However, my first placement hit me very hard. The reality is totally different. Ward placements are not childcare friendly at all. There is no flexibility for childcare. I barely managed 6 weeks with lots of help from my husband. He is flexible right now but he is looking for another job. I don't think we can carry on for the next 2.5 years like this.

Also, my placement experience was not very positive. The staff was not friendly. They, all looked very unhappy, exhausted and burned out. Doctors, nurses, physios... I wouldn't want to work in that kind of work environment. I feel very disappointed right now. I don't have any motivation to carry on. I had stomach pain weekly which i didn't have for quite a long time. It means i am really but really under stress. also, my migraine is coming and going on a regular basis. When i think about my next placement, I feel the anxiety and panic. Last year, I studied in the college for 3 days, worked for 2 days, looked after my children and did housework but I never felt like that! On the contrary, I really enjoyed my studies and wanted to carry on.

I seriously started to think about switching the course or dropping out. I know, my friends are telling me I had a bad experience and maybe my next placement will be better and I will love it.. But I think that's not the case. I have seen doctors and nurses in the wards.. I definitely wouldn't work in that kind of environment. I was planning to do some master and phd but now i see it's not possible before working couple of good years in wards. So i feel very disappointed.

I am looking for another course to switch. I enjoy anatomy and physiology but couldn't find a suitable course. I did Access to Health Studies but biology&neurology related courses looking for science subjects. I don't know maybe I need to go back to college and do Access to Science course. I am sure I will enjoy it better than this year but I am gonna lose 2 years. Next year Access again and uni application etc. It's too much i think.

Another option, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine degree which I find interesting and health-related again. Also, we have common modules so if i can finish this year and start next year again, i wouldn't need to repeat these 2 modules. My first year can be stress-free. There is no placement and lectures are mostly on weekends or week nights. More suitable for a mother. Probably there is a proper summer holiday as well, unlike nursing course :/

But i am not sure if i should switch to acupuncture or just leave everything and drop out. If i finish my first year, am i gonna get any certificate from my uni? what about student finance? I think 1 extra year is gift year and I will be eligible for 3 more years but does it worth to go under that much depth? I didn't apply for maintenance loan, it's just tuition fee so it's less burden.

If i go back to college, what can i do? What can I study that could be useful later?

Please feel free to give your opinions and advises.

Thank you.


Hi, I am also a first year adult nursing student so I don’t have a wealth of knowledge really to give worthwhile advice, but I didn’t want to leave your post unanswered. It could be that you have had a “bad placement” and the next one might be better but as you’ve said your unhappy & want to switch, it makes me think that a good placement next might not make a difference to how you feel. I think it’s best to talk to your personal tutor & possibly your mentor if you feel it would help. You can talk it through with them & they may be able to advise where to go from here.
I’ll just add that if you did want to study a different degree you may not have to do another access course to meet the requirements so do check first.
I hope this helps.
Reply 2
Original post by mel_l218
Hi, I am also a first year adult nursing student so I don’t have a wealth of knowledge really to give worthwhile advice, but I didn’t want to leave your post unanswered. It could be that you have had a “bad placement” and the next one might be better but as you’ve said your unhappy & want to switch, it makes me think that a good placement next might not make a difference to how you feel. I think it’s best to talk to your personal tutor & possibly your mentor if you feel it would help. You can talk it through with them & they may be able to advise where to go from here.
I’ll just add that if you did want to study a different degree you may not have to do another access course to meet the requirements so do check first.
I hope this helps.


Thank you for the reply and the support Mel. I have been analyzing my feelings and thoughts and I realised I like nursing studies but I do not want to do placements. I wonder if is there any chance to do the course and skip the placements. I know I will not be NMC registered nurse then but I do not care so much about it to be honest. Also, I find it's quite unfair that government started nurse associate training, the nurses to be trained&paid and they will Register Nurses with less qualifications. I am sure they will be able to take additional courses and training and will get the same qualification with us in future. In the meantime, we are paying tuition fees, working during placements like crazy for free. I find this a bit pointless. Anyway, I think I am going to drop out at the end of the year and I will think about another course or subject in the meantime. Thank you again.
Original post by twentyagain
Thank you for the reply and the support Mel. I have been analyzing my feelings and thoughts and I realised I like nursing studies but I do not want to do placements. I wonder if is there any chance to do the course and skip the placements. I know I will not be NMC registered nurse then but I do not care so much about it to be honest. Also, I find it's quite unfair that government started nurse associate training, the nurses to be trained&paid and they will Register Nurses with less qualifications. I am sure they will be able to take additional courses and training and will get the same qualification with us in future. In the meantime, we are paying tuition fees, working during placements like crazy for free. I find this a bit pointless. Anyway, I think I am going to drop out at the end of the year and I will think about another course or subject in the meantime. Thank you again.


I doubt any university would let you just study the academic part of the course tbh. Some placement areas are as Mel said, a bit rubbish. Staff morale isn't great and there's inflexibility around your life outside of placement. Not all areas are like this, some are more flexible around childcare and have a better work/life balance, you'll find morale is often better in places like that too. I'd suggest seeing how your next placement goes before doing anything drastic.

Also, nurse associates will not be registered nurses, they will be nurse associates, expected to work within the confines of that role (which is still being decided) and will be expected to undertake further study before they can call themselves registered nurses.

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