REALLY need some decent advice..PLEASE HELP.

[JemisonLuck]

Hi Everyone

I could really do with some advice about what to do with my academic plans. I am aware that the answers may be somewhat biased, but at the moment I am leaning more in the medical direction, therefore I may just need some insightful advice..

Ok, well I am 24 years old and I live in the UK..I spend a lot of time lurking here. I have a 14 month old baby and i am engaged. When i was 19 years old, I did the first year of a nursing course (a pre-registration) programme. This would have enabled me to practice as a qualified nurse on completion. Unfortunately, I did not complete this course because the lack of scientific depth in the nursing curriculum frustrated me greatly. I have always wanted to be a doctor, but at the grand old age of 19 years old I just thought, with my background, and the childhood I had, that sort of thing was for other people which is why I commenced the course in the first place.

Anyway, fast forward a few years I have worked really hard. I have been in a number of managerial roles, which are non-healthcare related. And since last year, I have been studying on a science course and put in a plan B application for a midwifery degree. I understand that midwives over here, are the equivalent of labour nurses in the states, and its not a direct entry option. Or certified nurse-midwives? However, in the UK it is quite a bit different, you can do it direct entry and the curriculum is a lot more scientific as opposed to nursing in the UK. However, all throughout my science course medicine has been really calling me. I have got exceptionally high grades in all of my science modules and it has given me a little bit more confidence in my capabilities. Something I didnt have in my teens. So, I applied for a pre-med course, and spent two days submitting tests to demonstrate my academic capability. Unfortunately, I was wait-listed. So, the current situation is that I will be given a place if someone drops out.

At first this was literally devastating for me, because the pre-med course was a golden opportunity. They offered linked places with the local medical school, and it really would have been my dream come true. So, now I wait.

However, now I feel like I am in a dilemma. I have been told I can go and enrol for my midwifery degree on Monday..starting this September but in my heart I know if the pre-med course would call me tomorrow to start in September I would be there in a shot!! In the UK there is the opportunity to do Graduate entry to medicine..which I understand is different from the states as where you all are, you have to be a graduate before you can start medicine? Over here, its not like that...you can go direct from school, or do a degree first. So I have thought about doing midwifery first, then applying once I have my degree but my main concern is the green eyed monster in me when I see medical students/doctors. I felt it as a student nurse, and I literally hated being on the wards, because I knew I was in the wrong role. I was incredibly frustrated.

Therefore, I must be a masochist to be even considering taking the midwifery place? I feel the pressure to provide for my daughter. And I know could be qualified as a midwife at 27 but not a doctor till I am 31..the length of time it takes me to qualify in medicine doesnt bother me as such, because it would be so worth it. However, my partner seems to think that putting all my eggs in one basket for medicine may be a risky choice. I have more pre-requisites to do, and if I dont get in, I could be applying year after year and left with nothing whereas midwifery gives me this back up or stability if my plans all hit the proverbial fan.

I just dont know if I could spend my time as a student midwife working alongside doctors, wishing I could be doing their role. I am, in effect, taking myself out of the game. I would have to work for a few years to save up the graduate fees as well..

This post is probably really incoherent, but I am literally exhausted with thinking about this. I just so badly want the pre-med course to ring me and tell me someone dropped out..so I can put this dilemma to bed.

Help.

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[FrkyBgStok]

your post IS really incoherent, not because it doesn't make sense, but because we have NO idea how they do things where you are, so we have no clue what your path would be. you tried to explain except i am sure the process is kind of like ours where you can't explain it properly in a paragraph. i would try to find a similiar site that is based in the UK to try to gain the proper help. good luck and hopefully you can get it all figured out.

 

[plauto]

further down in the forum there is a section for foreign countries, you might get more help over there

 

[NightGod]

I don't think it's incoherent at all, earlier posters need some work on their VR skills

The only question I don't see answered in your post is this: if you accept the midwifery assignment, how does that affect your pre-medical waitlisting? That then leads to a few other questions/trains of thought to pursue.

What about if you not only accept it, but also start in September? Could you then re-apply to the pre-medical programme in 2012 or would that be an effective death knell for pre-med until you completed midwifery and practiced for a few years?

What are your prospects for the coming year if you don't attend school because you pass up the midwifery with the hopes of getting into the pre-medical programme next year? You mention worrying about providing for your daughter, which is obviously a valid concern.

I know the UK is a bit different in their attitude towards non-traditional students. I've heard anecdotal evidence that they are not nearly as accepting of the 30+ crowd as the US is. If this is indeed the case, how does that factor into your decision re: entering midwifery and then hoping to find a spot once you are in your 30s?