Alumni Spotlight: Tony, Access to HE: Healthcare Professions

After deciding to become a nurse, Tony needed some extra qualifications before he could get into university, so enrolled on the Access to HE: Healthcare Professions course at our College.  

Our Access to HE Programmes are one-year courses, specially designed for learners aged 19+ which provide a fast-track route to degree-level studies and new careers. 

Tony spoke to us about why he chose EKC Dover College and how returning to education was a great decision for his future. 

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at the hospital:

“I’m a third-year adult nursing student, and I’m on my management placement. I am currently on the Cathedral unit at Kent and Canterbury Hospital, which is a chemotherapy and immunotherapy ward. Although I can’t give those treatments, I can prepare all the premeds, and I can give those to the patients under the supervision of the nurses.

“I am also running my own blood clinics and giving blood transfusions.

“One of my main roles, however, is just keeping up with the patient’s spirits because sometimes treatments can be a bit harsh on them.”

What course did you study at EKC Dover College?

“I studied at EKC Dover College in 2022, and I opted to do the Access to HE: Healthcare Professions course. I found it was helpful in setting me in a good stead for going to university.

“We covered quite a lot of stuff in the first year of my degree that was taught to me on the College course, so it really did set me up well and it boosted my confidence.”

Why did you pick an Access to HE course?

“I’ve been out of education for quite a while. I mean, I’m 47 now, but I was 44 when I first decided I wanted to be a nurse. When it came to academics, I was really rusted.

“I’d left school when I was 18 and I wasn’t too confident in my own abilities. So, I looked around, I did contact the university – Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) first, asked their advice, and they said to try an Access to HE course to build my confidence. So, I contacted EKC Dover College and I was given a place after a successful interview.”

How did you find the Access to HE course overall?

“I found it was challenging to start off with, but I progressed rapidly.

“When I did the course, CCCU would give you a £2,000 grant if you got full distinctions at Access to HE. That gave me something to aim for and I’m pleased to say I did get full distinctions.

“The first essay I did wasn’t credited, but I’m glad because it was just a wall of text. I’d forgotten how to put punctuation; I’d forgotten about paragraphs. It was just quite interesting. However, I learnt from my mistakes, and it did help me to progress ready for the university course.”

Did you always know you wanted to go into what you’re doing now or was it something that you learnt on the course?

“I did always want to be a nurse. Originally, I wanted to go into mental health nursing, but, as the course progressed, I drifted more towards adult nursing because there were greater opportunities at the end for different fields.

“Currently, I’m really interested in oncology and haematology. I also quite like research and Canterbury have their own oncology research unit which is quite well respected.”

If you could pick one thing that you really enjoyed learning about during the Access to HE course, what would it be?

“I really enjoyed the discussions surrounding sociology and overall, I was really interested in biology too. The way it was taught, it’s really stuck with me.”

What’s your advice for somebody who isn’t sure if Access to HE is right for them?

“Persevere. I think that perseverance is the key thing to remember.

“I had a real loss of confidence in my own abilities but, the College helped me to see that I could do it.

“That confidence has carried on over into the university course and it’s carried on throughout my degree. It gave me the confidence as well to become a class rep at College.

“I’ve now also become a class rep for when I’m at university. It looks really good on your references and applications when you’ve got these extracurricular activities.”

Thank you to Tony for sharing his experience. If you’re interested in studying at university, or starting a new career, our Access to HE courses are for you.