I was working as a principal teacher in a primary school doing a job I enjoyed and was reasonably well paid for, so how did I make the decision to become a nurse? Why would I go back to university to train for a job that pays almost £20,000 less per year?
I had gone straight to the University of Edinburgh from school, as a naïve 17 year old. I worked hard for four years and qualified with an honours degree in primary education. I completed my probation year and was lucky enough to secure a permanent job straight away. I taught for 12 years but I began to feel disaffected with the education system.
“You help people. You make a difference. You go home exhausted but genuinely happy with what you have achieved”
One evening I was scrolling through a local community page on social media and came across a post looking for people to become community first responders (CFRs) for the Scottish Ambulance Service. I replied and was invited along to an information session.
Following an interview and PVG check I joined a small group who went through an intensive training course. We were taught how to recognise and treat cardiac arrest and stroke and to carry out basic life-support techniques.
We learned how to use oropharyngeal airways, oxygen therapy, portable defibrillators and how to complete an SBAR and hand over to a paramedic crew. If a member of the public within my community called 999 with cardiac or stroke symptoms then an ambulance would be dispatched; but if I could arrive at the patient before the crew then I would be contacted by the radio and asked to attend.
I answered many call-outs, the majority of which were thankfully not life-threatening, but I also met patients in urgent need of help. I worked alone until the ambulance arrived and then side by side with paramedics. I gained a lot of experience. We helped to save lives but also worked hard for patients who sadly passed away. I realised that this role gave me far more satisfaction than anything I had done previously and made me want to work in healthcare.
I came up with many reasons that I couldn’t go to university. I was a single parent to my teenage son, who was studying for his National 5 exams. He needed security and stability to ensure he performed well in his exams. I had no experience in healthcare except my volunteer CFR role. I was in my late 30s. I had worked hard and gotten into debt securing my teaching degree. Common sense said I should stay in teaching. It was secure, better paid and there were no childcare issues – if my son off school, so was I.
I planned to apply to university when my son did but in the meantime, I would gain experience working in care. I applied to work as a home carer, and I loved my new role. It confirmed for me that I wanted to be a nurse.
My circumstances changed when I met my partner, who is now my wife. Surprisingly, she was a first-year nursing student! We spoke about my desire to go to university and study nursing, and she encouraged me to go for it and apply. We discussed how childcare could be difficult, finances could be difficult and all of the other excuses I had come up with. She made me see that there would never be a good time and I just had to be brave. I applied and I was thrilled to be accepted.
My experience of being a mature student, while not easy, has been positive. And I’m not alone. In 2023, the Royal College of Nursing reported that 67% of admissions to nursing courses in Scotland were mature students and 56% in the rest of the UK.
It can be hard to find time and space to study and write essays. There are definitely financial pressures. A free bursary is a massive help, but it’s not enough to cover living expenses, especially when you have dependents, you may need to work part time to cover the shortfall. It’s even more difficult when you are on placement and working full time hours but this is where the best experiences come from. Your theory becomes practice. You help people. You make a difference. You go home exhausted but genuinely happy with what you have achieved.
Is being a mature student easy? Absolutely not. Is it well paid? No. Is it worth it? One hundred percent. I have never gotten the satisfaction I do from nursing from any other job. We make a real difference to people’s lives and I can’t wait to be qualified so I can do it every day.
Richard Denton is a second-year adult nursing student at the University of the West of Scotland and 2023-24 Nursing Times student editor