ProNurse

Hello all!

My name is Lucy and I am new to the pronurse forums. I have been accepted for Nursing Diploma in September and I am currently doing an Access to Nursing course at my local college.

Can anyone advise me as to how much home study is involved once I'm at uni?

Thanks in advance!

hi lucy

im a 1st year degree student and we had a timetable and list of our assignments for this year in the 1st week, there is only about 5 of them between now and next feb so plenty of time to work on them, also the written work involved is mainly notetaking and self study i have been given some workbooks to fill in though and have reading homework to do but its not as much as the access course that i did, i also have a few study hours during the day most days to fit in some writing ,although unis differ ive been told....there are a lot of mothers on my course so i can try to understand how you feel .....but i must stress to you that 3yrs will fly by my love and you will have what you want at the end of it, you seem to have a very supportive family ...my mum is doing a social work degree now (she is a lot older) and i really wish she did it years ago but she too was worried about myself n my sisters as she was single parent and didnt have much family support for childcare...my advice would be to go for it hun ull love it and your children will be proud, they and your fella will understand that some nights you have to concentrate but you should be able to balance it no problem i find i have a well balanced lifestyle but like garrod says u must be organised and you will have your summer hols and xmas hols and easter with them, if you find it too hard you can leave and try again in a few years no problem.... hope that helps good luck and all the best  xx

Hi Justine

The access course is great fun, really interesting and a superb intro to uni work, but it is a challenge as it's an intensive course primarily designed to get your quals up to necessary levels for entry to uni.

My advice is to firstly do the course full time to get it out of the way - you want to get into uni asap. I gave up my job to do it full time, but some of the people on my course have managed to keep on part time jobs around 20hrs per week - this is manageable along with the workload - trying to work a full time job as well as doing the access course is not manageable. 

You will attend college 4 days per week (between 9am - 3pm ish) with one study day off in the week. You will need to set aside at least 10 hours per week solid study time outside of college hours (more in term 2) - and stick to it religiously. If you want to understand your subject and produce work at merit/distinction level you must put the study time in. Uni's are looking for merit+ grades from access course students from Sept 2011 onwards, so you really need to come away from the access course with at least a merit grade if you want a strong chance of getting into uni. You'll need a PC with internet access and a quiet place to study at home. You'll need to be ready to take lots of notes during classes, plus there are lots of handouts given out to help you with assignments. I only needed to buy one book on human biology, the rest you can borrow from the library.  

Term one of access is relatively straightforward and you will settle into the routine and workload with little trouble. Keep a 'to do' list, keep on top of the work and do not fall behind with assignments, and make sure you keep up your attendance levels too. The lecturers give you enough time to realistically complete the assignments and I did not find this a problem - infact I enjoyed my return to study very much.

Term two (from Jan) is when it got really hard, as you can see from my post above. They suddenly piled us out with work and at one point the human biology lecturers were giving us one assignment per week with a one week deadline to complete, we were also being given other assignments from other subjects. There was a lot of work to get through, I found this difficult and just about managed to keep up, it was very stressful. But this level of work lasts for just under a three month period only, from Easter onwards the workload declines and goes back to a much more manageable scale. Not sure why they couldn't have levelled the work out more over the year, but perhaps it was to test our ability to stay organised and focussed under pressure from lots of deadlines at once - and it worked!  

Uni's are very positive about access students, the access course gives you a headstart in human biology, nursing maths and study skills. You will breeze through the uni interview process too - the college helps you with your UCAS application, personal statement and practise with interview skills all to give you the best possible chance of getting a place. Almost everyone on my course has got the place they wanted at uni. The access is well worth doing, plus there is plenty of support from the college staff if you are struggling. They will extend the deadlines if you need them to and you can get extra help if you need it as well. 

The access course is a challenge, but it is achievable if you put the effort in and prepare yourself for the onslaught in term 2! Best of luck x   

 Hi Lucy,

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply, you have given me more in this one post than I seem to be able to find searching through all the access websites and college info sheets together!

I was considering doing a distance learning course, and had almost decided to just go for it with them, but had always been a bit nervous of doing it on my own. You have convinced me that the pro's of distance learning are not as many as the pro's of college so I have today spoken to my local college and they are sending me info on an access course. 

Thank you so much I feel that you have really given me a great insight into what I am letting myself in for!

Justine

 Thanks Lucy, 

That was really interesting, it gives me a good idea what to expect!

Great Job Babe!!

 Jussy

xx

Hi,

I just wanted to point out that there are part time access courses available if you're worried about juggling study with kids.

I completed my Access course over 2 years before going on to do nursing at uni. I decided that as I had two young children (4month old and 2 year old) that part time would be a more achievable option. I'm glad I did it this way as most of the other people on my course were in a similar situation to me so we all supported and helped each other. Only being in college one day a week also meant that I had time to do some care work at a local residential home to gain experience before I started at uni. I absolutely loved the course and made some really good friends who I'm still in touch with now.

Hope this may help!

heavenliangel2 says ...

Hello,

My name is Nat im 32 and i have  just completed an access to Nursing course part time -Evenings x 2 and 1 day in a year and I am about to start a Diploma in Nursing @ Surrey Uni this Sept.  I just wanted to add to Lucy's helpful post and say that it is possible to do the access part time over a year and work part time and be a mum.  My son is 20 months old and although I found it tough particulary when lots of assignments were due in around the same time....it is enjoyable and do- able.   I didnt perhaps do as much study as some of the other lovely people specified but I still managed to pass the access course with all Distinctions!!!  I also had to do Adult Numeracy Level 1 & 2 in order to gain entry into Surrey Uni.   This was my biggest mountain to climb as I only achieved a F grade @ GCSE.  The hardest part of the course is the intensity of it all.  From the onset you are required to complete your UCAS application which is tricky....to ensure an interview at the Uni you desire.  Next was the revision required in order to pass the Maths test at the actual University interview.  Then its just a question of organising your time effectively to ensure that all assignements are done on time!!!    Luckily for me my Husband was a god send and looked after our son on weekends when I had to effectively shut myself away and bang out some work.  Also I was very fortunate to have an office job...which at times allowed me to sneakily do a couple hours work on assignements!!!

As for the Nursing aspect.....I think that it is best to just go for it!!  Money does and will always work itself out somehow....I am a little apprehensive regarding no longer working and just being a full time student.  However 3 years I am sure will fly by and then you have a job titile that you will feel passionate about and a life long skill that is transferable to any place in the world.  I am currently toying with the idea of transferring onto the degree in my last year.....having a second baby then applying to do a medical degree....skies are the limit...I never make my financial situation hold me back as I feel life is too short for regrets!!!

Anyway I hope this has helped to encourage some mums out there to achieve their dreams.......I love my son to bits but for me personally...I feel that it is just as important to have a focal point on yourself outside of the mother role....anyway good luck people and feel free to messge me if you have any questions/comments

 

Nat x

 

 

Hi Nat,

 

I was reading your article there and found it both inspiring and information, what college did you do your access course part-time in because I am also working full time???

 

Thanks a lot.

 

:):)