Faith on Track for Nursing Ambitions

Faith Blaney, (18), from Bangor, County Down, has recently completed the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care at SERC’s Newtownards Campus, and is progressing to university in September for a degree in nursing.

I had considered the A-Level route, but my choices for subjects were not working out for three full A-Levels, so it made more sense to progress to the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care, which was equivalent to 3 A-Levels upon successful completion. Faith Blaney

Faith said, “My mum and I had done some research prior to my GCSEs at Glenlola Collegiate School, so I was aware of the different pathways I could take.   I had considered the A-Level route, but my choices for subjects were not working out for three full A-Levels, so it made more sense to progress to the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care, which was equivalent to 3 A-Levels upon successful completion.   I wanted to do nursing, and this was going to get me to where I wanted to be.

Speaking about the course Faith said, “I really enjoyed learning proper clinical skills and knowledge which I will use in nursing.   I have learnt so much on topics such as infection prevention as well as the laws and legislation that are so important in health and social care.

The young woman has been working part-time for the past year and half in a care home to gain experience for her nursing ambitions.  She said, “Having the work experience alongside my course has been really beneficial, as I have been able to apply the learning from my course to the workplace and vice versa.”   She added, “It has been demanding at times, but it is just a case of prioritising my course and my job and letting other things go for now.”

The determined young woman applied for adult nursing at five universities – three of them Russell Group, world-class, research- driven universities  – and received offers from all five.   She has accepted a place to go to Liverpool John Moores University to do a BSc in Adult Nursing in September 2023.

Asked if she would recommend the course to others, Faith said,

“I would recommend this pathway.  It’s equivalent to 3 A-Levels, so that is the amount of work you must put in to get your results, and now I am on my way to achieving my ambition of going to university to study nursing.”

She added, “The lecturing team have been brilliant – they have all worked in nursing or the health sector and bring real life experiences to the classroom which makes the learning more interesting.   They have also been incredibly supportive. When I felt under pressure and at one stage was daftly thinking of packing it in, they sat me down and talked me through what I needed to do. I was able to get the flexibility I needed to progress and thankfully, I made it over the line.

Faith concluded, “I have really enjoyed my time at SERC and even managed to fit in my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award last year – it was brilliant being able to do it through the College. I also got to meet students from different courses and campuses which was great.”

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