Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To apply to do a midwifery degree?

20 replies

jinglebelly · 04/02/2011 20:57

I'm 31 & married with 3 DC's aged 2 months, 2 & 5. I have always wanted to be a midwife but then started a family before I could train. I desperately want to start next September but have heard it is an incredibley intensive course and I am torn as I don't want it to impact negatively on my young DC's...

OP posts:
DrMcDreamy · 04/02/2011 21:00

YANBU

Can I direct you to www.themidwiferysanctuary.co.uk? Is that ok? You should find lots of info there. It is perfectly possible to do it. Many of us already have. Good luck!

Takeresponsibility · 04/02/2011 21:02

By "next" September do you mean Sept 2012? That sounds OK to me, the course is intensive but with careful planning, and childcare if you have an essay due you should be OK.

If you are the kind of person who is easily distracted and has to rush their coursework to get essays in by the deadline then I would leave it another year.

It is emotionally draining as well as exhausting so be sure you are ready to cope with the stuff about stillbirths etc before you start.

Ladyofthehousespeaking · 04/02/2011 21:03

My friend has just finished her training- it is VERY intensive, you're half way between a doctor and a nurse and the amount of information/work you ave to process is mind boggling- not to mention the hours you have to put in for your work experience.
If you are going to apply this year, I believe you may have missed the UCAS deadline, but you could apply as a late entry.

If I were you I would wait another year, just to get the youngest into childcare etc because you will need alot even when you study from home.

Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/02/2011 21:04

DrMcDreamy - how sis you find the course? When I was in labour with DS3 the student midwife told me what a bad mother she felt due to all the shift work and coursework

OP posts:
Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/02/2011 21:06

did not sis

OP posts:
Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/02/2011 21:07

It would be Sep 2012

OP posts:
Takeresponsibility · 04/02/2011 21:13

Jingle

Although not a midwife I worked full time shifts (including nights and v. long shifts that involved being away from home for up to 28 hours at a time)since before the children were born, and studied for an OU degree. My kids are now adults and if your measure of being a good Mum is well balanced and happy children I can report DS (25) has just bought his first house with his girlfriend, drives a brand new car, has three cats and is intending to make me a granny Shock in the next couple of years. DD (23) has completed her Psychology degree and is taking a "year out" (working full time whilst taking a post grad course)before she starts her Masters. She has a lovely boyfriend and both DCs are very happy.

I hope this rambling reassures you that shift work + studying + childcare does not a bad mother make. Planning and balance is the key.

scottishmummy · 04/02/2011 21:14

plan adequate childcare,plan for shifts inc nights,travel to hospital and community.make sure you sort out all the practical stuff like childcare and plan who collects of you on late shift.when schools on hol what you do if you at uni or placement

go talk to practising mw
talk to a student mw
call admission tutor

is achievable with planning and realism

good luck

scottishmummy · 04/02/2011 21:18

studying doesnt make for bad/absent mum at all. realistically at times it will encroach but long term you will find satisfaction and pride too

ednurse · 04/02/2011 21:19

Not putting a dampener on things but midwifery is VERY hard to get into, especially here. Limited univeristy places and a lot less jobs the other end. Sad

My mum trained for her nursing at 42. Although we were all in secondary school/college at the time, so a bit more self-sufficient!

hurricanewyn · 04/02/2011 21:19

I'm starting adult nursing in the next couple of weeks, but had to do an access course first. Will you have to do anything like that? I really wanted to do midwifery too, but the competition was so fierce that I decided I'd do adult nursing instead and then if I still fancied it I could do the conversion course at the end.

MosEisley · 04/02/2011 21:20

Since I had my DC, I have also had a secret hankering to be a midwife. Sept 2012 sounds feasible if you can afford the childcare.

Good luck I am a bit jealous!

Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/02/2011 21:21

I did the access course 4 years ago. I thought about nursing but think I will try my luck with midwifery first, any tips on how to get on the course?!

OP posts:
hurricanewyn · 04/02/2011 21:21

Where's here ednurse. I'm in Wales and it really was very hard to get into. 10 or more people applying for each place was a regular story.

hurricanewyn · 04/02/2011 21:24

No tips as such. I felt it was all in the interview and that once I got to that stage I could convince them how much I wanted it. I suppose the best thing to suggest is a kick ass personal statement on your UCAS form to make sure you get that far.

Original poster
jinglebelly · 04/02/2011 21:31

hurricanewyn - who is it who does the interviewing and what kind of things do they ask you? Smile

OP posts:
scottishmummy · 04/02/2011 21:31

shadow a mw
talk to student mw
try get voluntary exp

hurricanewyn · 04/02/2011 21:40

I did my interviews a year ago, so can't remember all the questions, but they were along the lines of why I wanted to be on the course, what experience did I have and what did I know about the course. They also threw in a couple of questions about what did I expect to be doing on placements and as there had been recent changes in the Local Health Boards they asked about that too. They weren't terribly hard TBH but I'd gotten myself into a bit of a state beforehand, so didn't do as well as I could. The uni I'm going to also had a maths exams and a short written paper as well as the interview. Both unis that I interviewed at had two people on the panel.

hurricanewyn · 04/02/2011 21:42

Sorry, meant to say that both of them had two of the course tutors interviewing.

thefinerthingsinlife · 04/02/2011 22:07

You may have to do a more recent course as the access course is only 'valid' for 3 years (I'm currently on one)

New posts on this thread. Refresh page