Masters Student Nurse finish her course.

Hello!

My name is Heidi and I am currently undertaking a two year accelerated masters course in Adult Nursing, I started in January 2021 and due to finish January 2023, here is my story!

Everyone will be aware that the NHS (National Health Service) here in the UK is massively underfunded and short of thousands of nurses. I came back from living in Australia at the start of the pandemic to continue working as a health care assistant as I did before leaving. I worked in the thick of the hard times of covid and saw what a state that system was in. I pledged to help and realised it was my time to become a nurse myself, with a keen interest in intensive care.

I moved to Manchester and undertook my training, funded by student finance, with a maintenance loan, of which this year is just £10,000 to live off; this is the maximum. You also receive less in your final year despite work load increasing.

Unlike most university courses, nursing runs all year, and with my accelerated one, I receive four weeks of leave a year, of which I have spent all of those working as a paid healthcare assistant on the side. To gain my registration, nurses must undertake 2300 hours of unpaid work and complete the exams, assessments and dissertation. A lot in just two years, right?

I knew what I was walking into, I knew this would not be easy, and last year I managed ok. However, this year, I spiralled into depression and was left out of work and lost my paid job. With help from university counselling, I managed to regain my job but this left two months of £0 income, maximising my student overdraft and 150 hours down on my placement hours.

I bounced back slowly and steadily and am determined to finish this course. Despite being encouraged by my family to defer my place for a year, I thought, well, I only have four months left; I do not wish to throw the eight months of hard work I have already undertaken this year.

So with a mountain of work to catch up on and placement hours to catch up on, I was hit with (like everybody else) my rent increasing and my energy bill doubling. Therefore I am faced with financial hardship and ask for help for my final two months' bills for the end of this year to be covered (my student finance will cover the rest) so that I can complete the course.

I feel this is the last resort, and I am unsure of where to turn; I am embarrassed by the situation and have never been in hardship like this in my 28years. If you, the reader, pledge a donation, I have decided to pledge back once I am qualified to other student nurses on here asking for help alongside donating my personal time back to support other student nurses going through struggling mental health times.

Heidi will become a nurse, right now I just need a little help, thank you and thank you for taking the time to read this.

Take care, stay safe and believe in yourself.

Heidi. :)