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I had to stop work because of my arthritis, so I thought about going into further education for a long time. I was encouraged by an Arthritis Care programme called Working Horizons. I got in touch with a lady who had done an Open University course and she encouraged me to do the same.
Flexible studying
I am now in the third year of an Open University (OU) degree in health and social care. At the OU, you can study at your own pace and at home. You don’t have to go to lectures and you can rearrange your study times for good days. This fits in quite nicely with my voluntary work as well.
I took up health because I do voluntary work for Arthritis Care. I wanted to get a wider perspective of what is going on in the health service. The course is fantastic – I am really enjoying it although it can be quite hard going. It is quite intensive and working from home means I have to be disciplined.
The content of the course is excellent. I have gained an idea of how complex the health service is, and how it can affect my life – from little things to wider policies. Eventually I would like to get more involved in the health service, perhaps with a role in patient representation.
Support system
I do get a lot of good support despite thinking before I might be isolated. We have an email group and forum area so we can chat to other people. The OU has been very good support-wise and has made special arrangements for me as a disabled person. My tutors have been quite flexible when assignments are due.
Returning to further education has been extremely satisfying. I got a distinction last year, which to me was amazing – I was over the moon. It can quite stressful when exams or deadlines are due. But I think the end result overcomes that.
Mary Cowern is from South Wales. She’s 40-years-old and has had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PA) since she was 23
