Jenny Pring

Being a mature student, I needed to study somewhere close to home so that I could still accommodate family life.

I have been out of education now for about 15 years and my confidence was almost non-existent and I had heard good things about the lecturers here, that they support and guide you with no judgement. I have found this to be the case. My lecturers have been outstanding and over this past year they have helped me both personally and academically and I now have much more self-belief in myself.

My whole life I have had some kind of interaction with professionals who work within health and social care. I was a child carer for my younger brother who had a life limiting illness and I had a lot of social service intervention all through my childhood. I then went into health and social care myself as an adult and I have worked as a healthcare assistant since I was 17. For me, health and social care is a vocation not a job and I cannot imagine myself working within any other sector. For me taking a degree in health and social care was a natural progression and furthering my career to help to continue to support vulnerable people within our society.

When we have been on campus the highlight for me is being in a group of like-minded people who are all passionate about our chosen subject. To be around our lecturers who have so much knowledge and understanding of health and social care is amazing. Also learning about myself and what I want to do with my future has been an amazing journey to be on.

I most enjoy being on campus with my group and with the staff. Although we work hard and some aspects of this course are emotive and thought provoking, we never fail to have a great time, there is so much laughter and happiness. We support each other through the good and the bad, the lecturers know each of us so well that they instinctively know when one of us needs some extra support or guidance.

After my foundation degree has finished, I am hoping to come back to petroc to do the BA programme.

Health and social care is widely misunderstood. There are so many different avenues you can take with this qualification from health care, councillor, social worker, family support worker and so much more. You will learn so much about this sector and it will help you grow personally as well as professionally. The lecturer’s knowledge is second to none and they will guide you through the process with care and support. You definitely will not regret your choice.