Elderly lady in training asked how a maths degree led to nursing.
In fact, I became a nurse (RN), a midwife (RM) and a health visitor (RHV) first.
By the time I became a health visitor, it was being noised abroad that nurses would have to have degrees. (I think this was before the days of direct entry to degree nursing.)
So I looked at the Open University as being my only feasible means of obtaining a degree. I found that, due to my previous qualifications, I needed to take only one foundation-level course. As health visiting was in many ways related to the social sciences, I decided not to take the social science foundation course and decided on maths as I had enjoyed that at school.
After that, I was hooked and continued through to a maths degree which included Mathematical Models and Methods (applied maths), 2 statistics courses, a systems course and a computing course, graduating in 1987 at the age of 46. My family were all so proud, and elder son took enormous pride in telling his fellow students that his mother had just graduated.
After that I went on to take: Statistical Methods, Graphs Networks and Design, Applications of Probability and Professional Judgement eventually graduating with first class honours in 1991 at the age of 50.
I did it all in my own time, paid for entirely by myself apart from being given study leave for a weekend revision group in my last year.
It did in fact make some sort of a difference to my career as I moved on to working with nursing information systems, mostly with training nurses to use the systems, but also with an involvement in the developing of them. People tended to ask how I liked working away from patients, but supporting nurses throught their training holds much in common. In my last post I also did some bank nursing at the weekends and, yes, it was good to get back to hands on patient care.
Apart from my career, the greatest benefit was challenging my brain...
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14 comments:
Gosh well done you! and thank you for answering my question.
A maths degree was hard enough studying full time, so doing a maths degree while also working and raising kids cannot have been easy (unless of course you're a genius - maybe you are).
I also took some OU courses while I was working full time. It wasn't easy, but the teaching and the course materials were excellent and I found it very stimulating.
Funnily enough I got a first in maths too. It's not often I get an excuse to tell anyone that!
I seem to remember you saying you did some atuarial work at some point - was that before or after the degree?
Bows in Awe... That is amazing and a good example to any and all of us that age is no barrier to learning ... I admit that my degree is from the OU so we do have that in common but I haven't yet bothered with a formal graduation process as it was just before my Dad passed away and now it doesn't seem that important to me any more.
There was no need to challenge my brain. It was ALWAYS severely overloaded! It was very hard being a boy who enjoyed outdoor life - at least, when he shoulda been indoors studying! lol. Dunno. People just don't seem to understand.
Congratulations on your first in maths too. I love maths and most people think I am mad.
The actuarial bit was straight from school, when I worked in the Scottish Widows actuarial department and started studying for the exams. I passed the first one.
btw, I wholeheartedly agree that the standard of the course material produced by the Open University is first class, making it possible to achieve a degree. I used to study for a couple of hours each evening and then over the weekend too. Housework was low on the list of priorities.
Wow! I'm in even more awe of you now Elaine! What a dark horse.
And I always think having to study is an excellent reason for making housework low on the list of priorities!
Liza
Goodness me, you are a woman of many talents! And how lovely that your son was so proud of his brainy mother!
Oh, yes Smudge, 'twere always that way.
That is awesome,Elaine ! I am degreeless but I was awarded "Hostess" badge in the Guides and I gained most points in the "Bible Verse Finding Competition "at Sunday School. Do these count?
To Barbara: - Definitely.
All achievements count. We all have our individual talents.
Good grief, I am totally in awe. I went in completely the other direction. My degree was in biology (or Life Sciences as they grandly called it) but I went straight into a job as a computer programmer and stayed in that for most of my working life. Then eventually found myself working in hospital which prompted me to go for another degree in Health Psychology - like you part time while I was working. Hard, hard work, so a maths degree - well all I can say is "wow"!.
WOW. I'm great with math too, as long as the numbers don't go above the number of fingers and toes I have...
8-)
To jelly head... BOTH sons and the daughter are very proud of their mother.
(Here writes a daughter in law who also thinks her DMIL is fab/crazy/lovely )
:-)
Thats so cool. My mother graduated with her education degree at 47 (though she had been a teacher since she was 20). I was so proud.
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