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Health and Social Care at Cardiff Met gave me endless career opportunities

Bethan
Bethan

Hi, my name is Bethan and I am in year three of the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care degree. When I began my journey at Cardiff Met I was enrolled on the HND programme as I had several years away from studying. I felt nervous returning to education and wondered where I would fit in. Although at the time I was 23 years old, I was classed as a mature learner, however I needn’t have worried as I quickly adapted to university life! Unexpectedly, one of the senior lecturers on the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care degree was also my lecturer when I studied my BTEC National Diploma at college, so a friendly face helped with any worries I had!

At the end of my second year I chose to top up from the HND program to the BSc (Hons) with an extra year of study and I’m now working as a part-time support worker alongside my studies.

I decided to study Health and Social Care as I initially did not know what career I wanted to pursue, only that I had a passion for helping and supporting people. The Health and Social Care degree at Cardiff Met suited me perfectly due to the versatility of the modules that you can opt to study, and in years two and three you can choose options that are more relevant to your end career. Modules that I have enjoyed studying include homelessness, understanding illness and disease, mental health and addictions.

At the end of my first year I started volunteering for a housing association based in Newport as a floating support worker. After six months I gained a paid relief worker role, before obtaining a permanent part-time contract.

, Health and Social Care at Cardiff Met gave me endless career opportunities, CARDIFF MET BLOG
Studying the course has helped me gain a permanent contract as a floating support worker.

Gaining experience in a housing setting has allowed me to apply my learning into practice. My experience also enabled me to learn skills such as how to manage and support a caseload of service users, helping me greatly with my problem solving and organisational skills. In my role as a floating support worker I have worked with young persons and service users in crisis. I am currently working with vulnerable adults where I work with service users who have long term health conditions or have a learning disability or autism, helping them to access the wider community and to manage their tenancies and finances.

As I approach the end of my degree and come closer to graduation, I plan to search for a career with a local authority or registered social landlord supporting individuals with their tenancies and preventing homelessness.

I’ve really enjoyed my journey at Cardiff Met and I’m sad it’s coming to an end. The tutors on the course are incredibly experienced and supportive, providing constant encouragement and guidance over the course of the degree. I’d recommend the Health and Social Care degree to anyone… especially studying at Cardiff Met!