Starting an Adult Nursing degree in January: My experience

Preeti is a student coming to the end of her first year on BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing. We caught up with her to find out about her experience of starting study again after a break, as well as being part of the January start student group.

Starting uni and career changes

I initially went to university when I was 18 and graduated with a degree in Criminology and Law. After I finished, I worked in a prison and did some probation work. My heart was never in it though – I’d always wanted to work in healthcare as a nurse or midwife.

So, a couple of years after graduating, I had a career change. This was back in 2017 and the government at the time had withdrawn the NHS bursaries and other funding, which meant I couldn’t go back to university to retrain because I wouldn’t have been able to get any tuition fee loan. I decided to go for a job as a Healthcare Assistant at Leicester Royal Infirmary in my hometown.

What I really wanted to do was become a nurse, but it was going to take me quite some time to reach my end goal. A few years passed, and I thought to myself, I need to do something to move forward. I did some research and spoke to BCU but unfortunately October was too late to start with the rest of the September 2023 intake. I’d missed the cut off, but what I didn’t realise is that BCU also had an intake of Nursing students every January.

I did some research and realised it was the exact same course and it also gave me about 3 months to get prepared and save some money ahead of January. So, I started my course in January and I here I am coming up to the end of my first year already!

Perks of a January start

I actually prefer it because it's January to December. It's a full year and you get Christmas off and things like that, so for me it works. Student finance for healthcare courses has also changed again so now I can get a tuition fee loan and an NHS bursary. The finance package and the January option came together and I thought, this is my opportunity – I’m going to go for it!

As I have a background as an Healthcare Assistant (HCA), I’ve been able to use my background to help me fit in. I’m not going to say it’s easy – it is a degree at the end of the day – but it’s more manageable than I thought it would have been. For me, the structure of it where you have your assignment, you have a week's break and then you go on placement is very good and it gives you time to have a bit of me time and then focus on like placement. It's quite reasonable.

Course flexibility and placements

I’m currently living in Leicester and still doing my HCA role at Leicester Royal Infirmary; I’ve reduced my hours but I still have a mortgage to pay for as well as commuting. I also have a big extended family and help look after my grandparents. So, while I don’t have children at the moment, I do have other responsibilities that I need to juggle. Some of the tutorials are offered online which has really helped me because it gives a bit of flexibility so I don’t miss things and that takes the pressure off slightly.

I’m currently on block placement up until Christmas break and then we start second year. I’m placed at the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital working on an infectious diseases ward, so we see all sorts from Covid to TB (tuberculosis) and HIV. My previous placement was in ‘end of life’ care. They all have their own challenges and rewards. I’ve experienced ‘end of life’ as an HCA so that was quite normal for me. To be honest, finding my way around at the QE has been one of the hardest things! It’s such a big hospital.

Top tips for starting Adult Nursing in January