Nurse finds time to get a degree (From Barry And District News)

Nurse finds time to get a degree

A DETERMINED Vale of Glamorgan nurse has completed an Open University degree against the odds.

Eleri Girt, 38, took on a Bachelor of Science course in 1996. But while she says there was never a time when the work seemed too much to cope with, she has had to overcome a number of obstacles.

The mother-of-two from Heol y Fro in Llantwit Major told the News: "Right from the start I had a lot to cope with. Apart from looking after my two children Katie, who is now 14, and Jonathon who is 12, my husband Steve lost his mother.

"She lived in Yorkshire, and we had to travel a lot to help organise things. Since then, I've changed job, moved house and had to deal with health problems of my own. But I've never felt I couldn't continue learning."

Eleri, who works in Holme Tower in Penarth, trained as a nurse after completing her A-levels.

She added: "The children were in school and I started working nights. I didn't want my brain to go dead. First of all, I chose modules that interested me, like history of art and religion. Then I went for subjects relevant to my work."

Now Eleri is considering a PGCE to teach nursing, while Steve, who works in the Information Systems department in DARA, St Athan, is in the third year of a computer course.

She added: "There's definitely role reversal in our house. The kids nag us to make sure we've done our reading or assignments. Katie is now thinking of becoming a teacher, and although he's only 12, Jonathon wants to do a degree through the Open University. It's a great way to learn - you can carry on working to pay the bills, but you get something worthwhile out of it at the end."