Dreams of Medicine vs Family Crisis

I'm in Year 13, aiming to go into medicine, but life at home has gotten way more complicated recently, and I’m not sure how to balance everything.

So, a bit of context: I turned 18 yesterday, and I have a younger brother who’s still in nursery. My dad has health issues, so he can’t work, and my mum, who has an MSc in Organic Chemistry, was made redundant during COVID. She’s tried to find a job in her field but hasn’t had any luck. She’s always ended up in jobs like retail and admin, even though she’s got the qualifications. My dad used to work as a driver, but with his health problems, he can’t work now either.

We rely on benefits, but they’re limited, and there’s a lot of pressure on my mum to go back to work (from the Gov). The problem is, with my little brother needing to be dropped off and picked up from nursery, she needs a job that offers flexibility, and she just can’t seem to find anything that fits. So, now, my mum has implicitly suggested for me to get a job to help out financially, but I’ve always been told to focus on my studies and not work. But I guess things are getting desperate, and I don’t know what to do.

On top of that, I volunteer at a hospital every Sunday (something I've been doing for 2 years and really enjoy) and I guess I'll have to give that up for now. But my grades have also been slipping – I went from A*BC to CDD in my most recent mock exams. I don’t know if I can balance it all: my studies and possibly working.

I’m stuck between wanting to help my family and risking my future in medicine. I honestly don't know what to do.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated.