nursing as a mature student - Process?

positivenote

HI all,
Im looking at returning to college to train to be a nurse but im 40 years of age. I have worked in child care management for over a decade having made a career change from retail management to spend more time with my children as they grew. Now that they are that little bit older i would like to train as a nurse. I have had first had experience as a carer for my mum in recent years and spent many days with her and the renal nurses in Tallaght and had a 'moment of clarity' if you will that this was an area I should have pursued career wise years ago... hopefully its not to late.
I have a completed a really good leaving cert in 1998 (over 360 points in the old system) and went on to get a first class hons degree in communications in 2002.

Can anyone advise if this will stand to me and how I should look into applying? any further advice would be great re were to study and what to expect. Im based in dublin.
Thank you

Wheretonext

Hi Positivenote,

It's never too late to change careers. I don't know the ins and outs of nursing myself but I did apply for it this year and was accepted onto a course so I know the application process that I went through. I deferred it until next year so that I can get some extra funds together, this year I will be focusing on that and studying in the evenings for another course.

In Ireland there are no accelerated courses so you have to do 4 years.

You first have to apply to the institutes you want to study in through the CAO as a mature student and then you have to sit the PAS exam around April. The PAS exam goes through situational questions and maths [% calculations etc]. There are prep courses but I did not do any of those. If you pass the exam then it is up to the college to allocate you a space depending on demand and your score.

Best of luck with your application. You have plenty of time to get everything together.

positivenote

can I apply through CAO using my leaving cert results from 98 or my previously achieved degree?
tHANKS

Digs

positivenote wrote: »

can I apply through CAO using my leaving cert results from 98 or my previously achieved degree?
tHANKS

Yes, anyone can apply based on their points from previous years leaving certs. However it depends on where you’re applying for as to points requirements. General nursing in Trinity in 2019 for example was 403 points. My sister applied this year using her leaving from 2005. She has 452 points and she’s up the walls it won’t be enough considering all that’s going on with this years predicted grading if it shoots up points significantly.

If you apply through the mature student route your previous degree could stand to you.

Edit to add: they changed the points/grading system in 2017 which lowered everyone’s points pre 2017. So you would need to recalculate your points based on the new calculators. You can do this on the CAO website.

positivenote

Thanks, can i hedge my bets and apply both as a mature applicant and with my points from 98 leaving?

Digs

positivenote wrote: »

Thanks, can i hedge my bets and apply both as a mature applicant and with my points from 98 leaving?

Absolutely! You make the application through the CAO for both routes and they will ask for your leaving cert exam number so your results will be ready to go for round 1 offers 2021z You contact the college separately on top of that to apply as a mature student and go through that process beforehand which is around Feb/March. My sister simply didn’t do this because she thought she had a comfortable cushion of points but that was the month before Covid hit unfortunately!

Fair play on making the decision, I hope it all works out for you!

positivenote

Digs wrote: »

Absolutely! You make the application through the CAO for both routes and they will ask for your leaving cert exam number so your results will be ready to go for round 1 offers 2021z You contact the college separately on top of that to apply as a mature student and go through that process beforehand which is around Feb/March. My sister simply didn’t do this because she thought she had a comfortable cushion of points but that was the month before Covid hit unfortunately!

Fair play on making the decision, I hope it all works out for you!

Thank you.
Life changing decision and I hope its not too late in life to do it... im 41 in November :0

Digs

positivenote wrote: »

Thank you.
Life changing decision and I hope its not too late in life to do it... im 41 in November :0

Never too late! I’m sure you can bring a wealth of experience and maturity to such an important role. The very best of luck

Sheepdish1

It would be good to check that you aren’t liable to full fees if you’ve previously achieved a degree you may not be able to get free fees. Even if you are liable to fees there are ways to reduce them using tax but I am not sure how. 40 is not too late, people change careers all the time, don’t let age stop you. 40 is still young! Plenty of people much older or younger go back to change careers . Best of luck

Irish_peppa

Maybe im wrong but I understood mature students applied through CAO but their entry was not dependent on their points from say in the OPS case over 20 years ago?

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/the-advantages-to-being-a-mature-student-at-third-level-1.2062353


If you are over 23 and thinking of applying to third level through the CAO, don’t be intimidated by the prospect of sitting in a class of 19-year-olds.

There is one huge advantage to being a mature applicant to the CAO: colleges do not decide on making you an offer based on your best Leaving Cert result. After the age of 23, the entry criteria change completely and your application considers how well prepared you are to take on the course.

Another lesser-known advantage is that if you started college previously and dropped out, you can start again without substantial fees, if you have been out of college for five years. This suits mature students who may have made a bit of a mess of things the first time.

You need to provide supplementary information with a CAO application, such as a CV, personal statement, documentation of previous courses or exam results. Personal statements are required for all programmes; and expect interviews to back up your written application.

Digs

Irish_peppa wrote: »

Maybe im wrong but I understood mature students applied through CAO but their entry was not dependent on their points from say in the OPS case over 20 years ago?

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/the-advantages-to-being-a-mature-student-at-third-level-1.2062353


If you are over 23 and thinking of applying to third level through the CAO, don’t be intimidated by the prospect of sitting in a class of 19-year-olds.

There is one huge advantage to being a mature applicant to the CAO: colleges do not decide on making you an offer based on your best Leaving Cert result. After the age of 23, the entry criteria change completely and your application considers how well prepared you are to take on the course.

Another lesser-known advantage is that if you started college previously and dropped out, you can start again without substantial fees, if you have been out of college for five years. This suits mature students who may have made a bit of a mess of things the first time.

You need to provide supplementary information with a CAO application, such as a CV, personal statement, documentation of previous courses or exam results. Personal statements are required for all programmes; and expect interviews to back up your written application.

You’re not wrong. If over 23 you can apply as a mature student, so if you don’t have enough points or the entry requirements etc you can do a course you want. However you are still entitled to apply using your points like any other student provided you sat the leaving cert (some mature students for example wouldn’t have sat the leaving).
So my sister for example, she’s 32, she applied through the CAO this year using her exam number and she received a offer for nursing yesterday (thrilled for her!). She had assumed she had a good enough cushion of points that she didn’t need to go through the mature student/interview route.

A lot of people don’t seem to realise you can apply based on your points no matter what age you are! It’s great to have the option.

LorelaiG

Applied as a mature student in 2016, got a place in TCD for midwifery but unfortunately could not take it up.

Going to apply again for 2021 this year.

It's never too late.

niamho20

Hi All,

I have gotten a place in UCC as a mature student I am so happy!! I am 27 now and was 18 when I did a half a year at WIT but dropped out! Does anyone know if i am eligible for a grant/free fees? I am researching into everything I can get my hands on to make study a bit easier and work life. I have applied to the SUSI grant I am just waiting to hear back from them... I am very impatient!

DeeAvery

niamho20 wrote: »

Hi All,

I have gotten a place in UCC as a mature student I am so happy!! I am 27 now and was 18 when I did a half a year at WIT but dropped out! Does anyone know if i am eligible for a grant/free fees? I am researching into everything I can get my hands on to make study a bit easier and work life. I have applied to the SUSI grant I am just waiting to hear back from them... I am very impatient!

To be a second chance student you must not have finished your previous qualification and there must be a break of five years. So you’d fulfill that criteria but you still have to meet all other SUSI eligibility requirements, e.g. residency, income etc. Best of luck with your application.

niamho20

Thank you so much!!

FrankC21

Hi Guys,

Just wondering what sort of maths involve in the Numerical Reasoning test - as far as I know Data interpretation, charts and percentage but what else do I need to know. Any helpful links are welcome?

positivenote

Hi all,
I’m starting this process and am planning on applying both with my leaving cert points (from 1998) and as a 41 yr old mature student. Few Q’s if anyone could help:
Where do I source my leaving cert number?
Do I need to order an original copy of my results to apply?
When using my points from1998 do I apply online through CAO?

When applying as a mature student what’s the process (is there a location where it’s ‘walked through’ step by step)?

Finally,apologies for so many but are there specific cut off dates I should be conscious of?

Thank you all very much

DeeAvery

positivenote wrote: »

Hi all,
I’m starting this process and am planning on applying both with my leaving cert points (from 1998) and as a 41 yr old mature student. Few Q’s if anyone could help:
Where do I source my leaving cert number?
Do I need to order an original copy of my results to apply?
When using my points from1998 do I apply online through CAO?

When applying as a mature student what’s the process (is there a location where it’s ‘walked through’ step by step)?

Finally,apologies for so many but are there specific cut off dates I should be conscious of?

Thank you all very much

For the exam number: If you did your Leaving Cert in a school; contact them. If not, contact the State Examinations Commission.

You do not need an original copy of your results. You can order a copy from the State Examinations Commission's website if you need it.

If you are applying as a mature student then the final application deadline is the 1st of Feb 2021.

Bear in mind the points system changed in 2017. So your points will calculate up differently. I believe they will be worth less. So check you still have enough points before going the points route.

positivenote

DeeAvery wrote: »

For the exam number: If you did your Leaving Cert in a school; contact them. If not, contact the State Examinations Commission.

You do not need an original copy of your results. You can order a copy from the State Examinations Commission's website if you need it.

If you are applying as a mature student then the final application deadline is the 1st of Feb 2021.

Bear in mind the points system changed in 2017. So your points will calculate up differently. I believe they will be worth less. So check you still have enough points before going the points route.

Thanks for all this

mc09091

Hi all, looking at applying for this coming September I did my leaving in 2015 and got only 110 points I hated school , when I finished school I went to work straight away so never went to college I work in a management role now but I hate it and want to do midwifery I’ve always wanted to do it but teachers in school told me not to bother trying to get the points back in 2015 hence I’m only applying now, I did foundation maths in school but work in a finance management role now so hoping maths wouldn’t be an issue now , I didn’t do any science subjects in school so not sure how I’d be able to handle it has anyone studied as mature student id be leaving my full time government based job to do this so it’s a big step I’m 26 this year