Finding out about health and social care

Janet

Janet
Figure 5.4 Janet (Library image)

Janet, 42, had not studied since her son was born. While caring for her son over the past 19 years she’s learned a lot through volunteering at his school and also at SenseScotland. Now that her son is becoming an adult she has a little more time to herself and is in a position to consider what paid work she’d like to take on in the future. She is clear that she’d like to work in services for people with disabilities and would like to do further study to get there. Knowing that distance learning is the only practical way forward for her, Janet is studying Health and Social Care with The Open University and fitting that in around her caring and volunteering responsibilities, which can be a tricky juggling act at times.

Janet knows she would like to be a manager of services for people with disabilities. These are the steps she has taken towards achieving her goal.

  1. Two years ago, when her son left school, things were changing and she realised what she would like to do.
  2. She knew she wanted to be a services manager for people with disabilities.
  3. She started volunteering one day a week with SenseScotland.
  4. Neither full- nor part-time study at college or university was an option for Janet. She knew that distance learning was the only way she would be able to study, but she couldn’t find the right course until she saw adverts for distance learning with The Open University.
  5. Janet has to carefully plan time to study, and that can be difficult. She allocates time on a Thursday, the only day when her son is cared for outside the home. She switches everything off except her mobile phone in case there’s a problem with her son.
  6. Janet is currently studying for a BA/BSc (Honours) Health and Social Care.

Like Naomi, Janet is studying K101 An Introduction to Health & Social Care [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .

Routes into health and social care