In September 2013, at the impressionable age of 53, I embarked with some trepidation on a taught LLM in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Kent. \u00a0Not only was this a significant step up from my undergraduate comfort zone, but it also entailed moving from Ireland where I had spent my entire life. \u00a0Only four years earlier I had taken the equally daunting step of commencing a night-time LLB at the University of Limerick; my first engagement with formal education since I left secondary school more than thirty years earlier.<\/p>\n
So why, you may ask, did I leave it so late to pursue third level education; and why an LLM in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Kent?\u00a0 Like so many people, my particular personal circumstances were a determining factor. \u00a0Upon completion of my secondary education I went directly into employment.\u00a0 I later married, had two children and proudly became, what is now commonly referred to as, a \u201cstay at home mum\u201d.\u00a0 However, in 2009, a void was left in my life following the death of my mum and the departure of my youngest child to university. \u00a0The need to fill that void provided the inspiration and motivation to pursue the LLB.<\/p>\n
During my four years at university I felt revitalized by new found friendships with people from different backgrounds some of whom were in employment and some not.\u00a0 I was equally surprised at how my ability to learn the law gave me a new inner confidence not only in the subject but in life generally. \u00a0On successful completion I was able to contemplate pursuing a masters, something that would have been absolutely unthinkable only four years ago.<\/p>\n
So far the postgraduate experience at the University of Kent level has been very positive. \u00a0In the Medical Law and Ethics programme I have been able to feed the desire that attracted me to law as an education in the first place. \u00a0My life experience of \u2018nursing\u2019 homes and the manner in which vulnerable elderly people are dealt with by the medical and health care establishments has convinced me that they need advocates who are well versed in the law and human rights. Vulnerable children have the same need. \u00a0I see the LLM programme as tailored to equip me with the knowledge and skills to make a contribution in those fields. \u00a0An added bonus, actually a privilege, is being taught by some of the country\u2019s foremost experts in subject areas that appeal directly to my interests. \u00a0Already, so early in the course, this is being complemented by guest lectures from practitioners.<\/p>\n
Equally stimulating is the mix of International students on my course; a feature that was almost entirely missing from my Irish experience. \u00a0Not only does this give me an entr\u00e9e into other cultures and outlooks, but it also gives me a first hand introduction into how issues that concern me are dealt with in a whole range of other countries and societies. \u00a0Just as important is the social dimension! \u00a0For me university is not only an educational experience. It is also a social one, which I look forward to everyday. \u00a0The ease with which a small group of students from diverse cultural backgrounds and ages mix in a mutually supportive manner is surely one of the greatest strengths of the University of Kent.\u00a0 I have felt accepted and at home from the first week. If I can do it, anyone can do it. \u00a0The first step is always the most difficult in overcoming doubts about age and social background. \u00a0In reality, all you need is the desire to succeed.<\/p>\n
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