The Student Room Group

Changing course and career at uni

Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Original post by elklas
Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

I am unsure how they are letting you study building surveying if you already have an acting degree?
If you are going to quit your degree then you will also need to get whatever the entrance requirements are for midwifery.
Notwithstanding it is highly competitive, then you will need to explain to admissions why Midwifery and why you keep changing your studies?

You should check with your target studies and either consider doing A level Bio or an access course in access to health services taking special note of your choice having the science content requested.

You should also check your target uni to see if they will accept A levels alone without science as some do for nursing, so check midwifery isnt the same.
Original post by elklas
Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

It is always best to ring the university and ask for advice!

Qualification-wise, they might accept you on the course without you studying science. Lots of mature students got on the course only with a NVQ Level 3. So you’ll be fine with your current qualifications.
Reply 3
Original post by 999tigger
I am unsure how they are letting you study building surveying if you already have an acting degree?
If you are going to quit your degree then you will also need to get whatever the entrance requirements are for midwifery.
Notwithstanding it is highly competitive, then you will need to explain to admissions why Midwifery and why you keep changing your studies?

You should check with your target studies and either consider doing A level Bio or an access course in access to health services taking special note of your choice having the science content requested.

You should also check your target uni to see if they will accept A levels alone without science as some do for nursing, so check midwifery isnt the same.

It is a very long story with the building surveying. Thank you very much for the advice.
Reply 4
Original post by WendyD
It is always best to ring the university and ask for advice!

Qualification-wise, they might accept you on the course without you studying science. Lots of mature students got on the course only with a NVQ Level 3. So you’ll be fine with your current qualifications.

Thank you very much for the advice. I will phone the university I have been looking at and see what they say.
Original post by elklas
It is a very long story with the building surveying. Thank you very much for the advice.

No need. I was just wondering why sfe financed you to do a second degree in light of their normal rules.
Reply 6
Original post by elklas
Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Make sure you have GCSE maths grade C/5 before applying. NMC requirements mean that universities have to make sure that students can complete the mathematical components of the course (ie the GCSE would prove the initial capability prior to starting, then be assessed throughout... no one wants a nurse or midwife who can't do basic drug calculations!)
Seeing as midwifery is such a competitive course, do what others have suggested and speak to the universities you're looking at to establish what they might accept from your previous studies and what they may ask you to complete first.
Original post by elklas
Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Speak to the university you planning to go to for midwifing as you will need at least minimum grades to get a offer of a place, a science subject is needed .
As others said midwifing is very competertive and hard and places will be limited to compared to likes of adult nursing and children nursing as more places available on these as in midwifing..
Reply 8
Original post by Tracey1995
Speak to the university you planning to go to for midwifing as you will need at least minimum grades to get a offer of a place, a science subject is needed .
As others said midwifing is very competertive and hard and places will be limited to compared to likes of adult nursing and children nursing as more places available on these as in midwifing..

Thank you very much
Reply 9
Original post by Emily_B
Make sure you have GCSE maths grade C/5 before applying. NMC requirements mean that universities have to make sure that students can complete the mathematical components of the course (ie the GCSE would prove the initial capability prior to starting, then be assessed throughout... no one wants a nurse or midwife who can't do basic drug calculations!)
Seeing as midwifery is such a competitive course, do what others have suggested and speak to the universities you're looking at to establish what they might accept from your previous studies and what they may ask you to complete first.

Thank you very much for the advice
Original post by elklas
Thank you very much

Hi
No problems ok

If you go down the midwives route then drop me a PM ok and I see what I can do to help you out ok but wait till you decide and get a place first then ask away x
Original post by elklas
Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!


Honestly, I think before you make any commitments, you should shadow a midwife for 2 weeks and grasp the ins and outs of the profession first. It may not be what you really looking forward. I can't stress this enough.
Original post by rg.nurse
Honestly, I think before you make any commitments, you should shadow a midwife for 2 weeks and grasp the ins and outs of the profession first. It may not be what you really looking forward. I can't stress this enough.

Can I just ask you - are you a qualified midwife or adult nurse.
I presume you not.
Because unless you are actually qualified as a midwife then you can't possibly comment on how things work on a maternity unit. He may want to be a midwife and you seen like you putting him of this and he's most welcome to ask somebody who actually work in this field questions on it.

Its may or may not want to do this as same as adult nursing but go down another route in nursing .
Original post by Tracey1995
Can I just ask you - are you a qualified midwife or adult nurse.
I presume you not.
Because unless you are actually qualified as a midwife then you can't possibly comment on how things work on a maternity unit. He may want to be a midwife and you seen like you putting him of this and he's most welcome to ask somebody who actually work in this field questions on it.

Its may or may not want to do this as same as adult nursing but go down another route in nursing .

Hi Tracey, thanks for pointing that out.
My comment may have come across in a different way of what I meant. By no stretch of imagination I am trying to dissuade someone from pursuing something (ultimately I am just an internet voice), all I did was advise to actually understand what a midwife does on a day to day for a few weeks and see if that's really what she wants. Again, it is my way of thinking and some people may not agree which is fair enough. But coming from a completely different field and deciding to pursue a career based on reading is not the most accurate way to make a decision that will impact your future.
In regards to your initial assumption, I am a qualified nurse since 2010 and I have/am working in intensive care since 2013. The amount of student nurses I have mentored (BSc and MSc students) that come to nursing with no clue about the profession is quite high (I was one of them at the time too) and honestly, I hoped I had the chance to experience what nursing really was before I joined the profession. Not that I would change my choice, but at least I would be well informed with my decision. I am here actually trying to help, I apologize if it came across in a different way.
Reply 14
Original post by rg.nurse
Honestly, I think before you make any commitments, you should shadow a midwife for 2 weeks and grasp the ins and outs of the profession first. It may not be what you really looking forward. I can't stress this enough.

Thank you very much .
Original post by rg.nurse
Hi Tracey, thanks for pointing that out.
My comment may have come across in a different way of what I meant. By no stretch of imagination I am trying to dissuade someone from pursuing something (ultimately I am just an internet voice), all I did was advise to actually understand what a midwife does on a day to day for a few weeks and see if that's really what she wants. Again, it is my way of thinking and some people may not agree which is fair enough. But coming from a completely different field and deciding to pursue a career based on reading is not the most accurate way to make a decision that will impact your future.
In regards to your initial assumption, I am a qualified nurse since 2010 and I have/am working in intensive care since 2013. The amount of student nurses I have mentored (BSc and MSc students) that come to nursing with no clue about the profession is quite high (I was one of them at the time too) and honestly, I hoped I had the chance to experience what nursing really was before I joined the profession. Not that I would change my choice, but at least I would be well informed with my decision. I am here actually trying to help, I apologize if it came across in a different way.


Hi ( whatever your name is )

I wasn't saying you were or weren't wrong on what you said to other person on doing two weeks alongside midwifes to get the hang of what was involved before deciding what to do okay. The thing is they will need to volunteer to work on a maternity ward and that must be approved by upper management usually plus the head nurse in charge of the maternity ward to . Of course any sort of volunteering on a hospital ward would help make up there minds no matter which one they want to do,

All I was trying to point out that midwifing isn't a easy job for what's involved with it compared to some fields of adult nursing say. ICU is understandingly a crucial part of nursing and needs specialist nurses like yourself who does such an important job with keeping alive through difficult operations or major accidents and I would say its one of the most important jobs in our nursing system.

I totally agree with you as we all have a different view on things and I have seen people similar to other person wanting to do nursing but was advised against it because some others said don't do it which as you also said coming from a completely different working environment having read a book about nursing then finding out it wasn't for them after starting the course then yeah I agree with you on that . I can relate to students as we had one who started last year and came to us for second placement and she I am afraid was trying her best but couldn't cut it out with dealing with things as she came from the banking sector and thought she was cut out to be a midwife but i don't see it like.

I think most people coming from a different working environment going into nursing thinks they will do it and you and I both then coming into nursing from another sector and you not alone as others has done samething as us.

As you said you are here to help and we all the same with advising them with our own opinion.
No need to apologie as you put it over one way and I do it another way which is fine.
The reason I said are you a qualified midwife was because if you weren't then how can you say they should shadow a midwiife for two weeks and gasps the in's & out's of the profession because it takes longer than that to understand how midwifing really is and I'm still getting to grips with it dispite being a qualified midwife as so much to get to grips with as not all about delivering babies .

Well its appreciated you took time to reply back to what I said and I can only say that I also may came over to you the wrong way but we all learn from this interactive on here and whatever elklas decides then good luck
Original post by elklas
Hi. I am currently at uni studying building surveying and for the last 2 years I have wanted to change my career and course to study Midwifery! I know totally different but I am not happy what I am doing and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about midwifery more than the actual course I am on and I want to change to midwifery as I see myself doing this as my career and enjoying the studying and placement at the same time. I was hoping next year I could apply to uni but not sure if I would meet the entry requirements as I don’t have Human biology or access to nursing or maths. I have standard grades English, French, art and P.E. and I also have an BA acting degree from years ago.

Would I have to study human Biology or access to nursing or any other course or gain any other qualifications before I would be able to meet the entry requirements for midwifery or would I have a chance of getting accepted on to the course without it? I would definitely look to study anything extra to then study midwifery. I’m looking into doing voluntary work to get experience with breast feeding and shadowing if that is possible too and get experience in anything else that would be relevant and help with study. Any advice and honest opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Hello,

It depends on whether the University you are applying to require any science qualifications. I have a film & TV production BA that I achieved a few years back, the only science qualifications I have are my GCSEs and I have been offered an unconditional place to start next month! It is definitely possible and if you are passionate (I assume you are as you come across as passionate in your post) then you can show that to the University through your personal statement and if you get to interviews you can really show your drive.
Going into Midwifery they don't only look at qualifications, it is most definitely about the person, the drive, the passion etc.
I really hope this helps, message me if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to help you! :smile:
Reply 17
Original post by midwife2020
Hello,

It depends on whether the University you are applying to require any science qualifications. I have a film & TV production BA that I achieved a few years back, the only science qualifications I have are my GCSEs and I have been offered an unconditional place to start next month! It is definitely possible and if you are passionate (I assume you are as you come across as passionate in your post) then you can show that to the University through your personal statement and if you get to interviews you can really show your drive.
Going into Midwifery they don't only look at qualifications, it is most definitely about the person, the drive, the passion etc.
I really hope this helps, message me if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to help you! :smile:

Thank you for your advice. That is amazing! Well done. Good Luck. I got in touch with the uni and they told me what I would need so I am now taking steps to begin so I can apply next year or the year after. Thanks again :smile: Defo passionate so that is why i am getting as much info as I can. The help on here has been great too :smile:

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