A SPANISH medic who works at the Royal Bolton Hospital has launched an appeal to help fund her bid to become a doctor.

Maca Fernandez Carro is not eligible for student loans to cover her academic fees in England, as she already obtained a degree in nursing in her native Bilbao.

But after working in the hospital, the 24-year-old has now decided she sees her future as a doctor, and has been accepted for a place studying medicine at the University of Manchester in September.

The course costs £9,000 a year and runs for six years, and Ms Carro has now turned to online crowdfunding to help fund her studies.

Instead of being able to pay the student fees back, as students do who have not already gained a degree, she will have to pay them upfront.

Ms Carro says she already plans to work two nights a week as an agency nurse, in addition to her studies five days a week. She says that her family back home can offer limited support because of the economic crisis in Spain.

If she is not able to raise the £9,000 for her first year through crowdfunding, Ms Carro says she will have to increase her hours in work.

Ms Carro, who lives in Farnworth, said: "When I was 18, I was sure nursing was for me. But through my work and my experience I have seen it through the other side, and it is a very hard decision but I have now decided I want to become a doctor. I really want to make a difference.

"I know it is a difficult thing to ask people, and that the financial situation is not good for a lot of people, but it is something I want to do.

"It will be very difficult to leave Bolton, because the people have been so friendly to me, but I believe it is the right thing to do."

Ms Carro gained her job in Bolton in 2014 after attending a recruitment event held by the NHS in Bilbao.

She appeared on the BBC Breakfast show earlier this year to speak about her experiences as an overseas nurse in the NHS.

For more information visit gofundme.com/2c6kftc8