Maternity assistant

[theoneiam1]

I have a job interview to be a maternity assistant !!
Please can anyone help with potential questions they may ask me?!
I haven't had an interview for years so feeling particularly nervous, plus I really really want this job so don't want to mess up!
Also, if anyone currently does this job, what is it like?! What's the reality of the dream job ?!
Posting here as no replies anywhere else !

Disclaimer, I am a midwife not an MA.

They might ask about infant feeding, what you would do in emergency situations (call for help, escalate). Why you want to do the job. Perhaps someone who has been through an MA interview can help further.

Our Trust is good about training up the MAs and we have a couple who are trained in recovery and will do a lot of the work in recovering women after elective sections (overseen by a midwife). We also have transitional care MAs who are invaluable on the postnatal ward as they do a lot of the baby observations, feeding support, and baby blood tests. You could ask at interview what further training opportunities there might be.
Ours also make beds, mobilise women following c section (help them get out of bed and walk around, and remove catheters), do routine observations, and answer call bells on postnatal ward. On labour ward they will be a runner in the obstetric theatres during c sections, collect blood from the lab, bring meals round for the women, restock the rooms, and do some daily checks. And generally support the midwives and the families. There are also MAs in community who go out to do things like provide feeding support, weigh babies, do newborn heel prick tests, and who do observations and take blood / urine samples in antenatal clinic. That's our Trust, but as "maternity assistant" roles are unregulated (and called lots of different things such as maternity care assistant, maternity support worker etc) they can differ hugely so if there's a contact on the job advert, I would definitely contact them in advance to ask to find out a little more about expected duties etc. This would be looked at favourably where I am.

Good luck!

Thank you @pinkphone for your reply!
Ah you've made me want the job even more by explaining what they all get up to in the different areas.
Really would be such an amazing opportunity for me!
At the beginning of the year I did a breast feeding course to be a peer supporter. I'm hoping that will go in my favour as being able to support mothers this way on the wards would be incredible.
I will email for a bit more information about the post :-)
I will let you know how I get on !

Hello @theoneiam1

How did the interview go? I also have an interview for a MA role in a couple of weeks. Are you able to give me any tips? What did they ask etc?

Hi @bethsc123
Congratulations on your interview!
Mine went well, i got the job !!
They asked 7 set questions. These are the ones I can remember..
What do you do in your job now that will help you in this job.
Describe a time when you went above and beyond expectations in your current job role.
Explain the NHS trust values and how you work to these.
Where do you see yourself in 2 years.

I can't really remember the other ones! I did really prepare for the interview and I took notes in of things I wanted to ask and things I didn't want to forget to say! They liked that I went prepared and were happy for me to look at my notes!

Are you already working in a healthcare setting?
Good luck with the interview :-)

@somethingelsethere

Congratulations on the job. That's great - thanks so much! If any come to mind please let me know :)

Yes, i'm going to be as prepared as possible as I really want this role! How are you finding the job now your settled in?
thanks again

@somethingelsethere and yes I am, i'm working in administration at a different hospital

@bethsc123 I've sent you a DM !

I've interviewed for MCAs before (Maternity Care Assistant) am a midwife

Sorts of questions
Why do you want to work here?
Transferrable skills
Thoughts on breastfeeding/normal birth/caeserean section
As well as scenarios ie 'if you saw a woman handling her baby roughly what would you do?'
How do you think you will cope with babies (and mothers) dying - the maternal deaths are very rare, stillbirths and neonatal deaths sadly aren't - what coping mechanisms do you have

BTW with the scenario question they don't expect you to know - they just want you to say things like you would get the midwife NOT the nurse (if you show in the interview you dont know the difference you won't get the job)

Sorry to revive an old thread but I've been looking into this role after speaking to a midwife at the hospital where I had my baby and she told me if I wanted to train as a midwife I'd be better off starting as a support assistant and training on the job, which I agree with. I saw a position advertised a month or so ago but they asked for a level 3 care certificate, which you can't seem to get unless you've worked in a medical role previously. I'm currently a SAHM and previously was a journalist, so I don't have any experience. What would be my best option to get into one of these roles? I've tried to look into it, but all I can find is information about doing a degree at uni, which I don't want to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi @Habbyhadno !
The role would give you good experience, but as far as I'm aware, wouldn't get you into uni alone. You would still need the basic uni entry requirements or an access course.
But I think some hospitals are offering a midwifery apprenticeship but I'm not sure which ones.

I got into the job with no previous experience, other than a breastfeeding peer support course I had done.

Care certificate can be done on the job, that's what I'm doing. So maybe apply for ones that don't require it, or email the recruiting manager and say you don't have one but would be willing to work towards one. And still apply on that basis.

I didn't expect to be called for interview for this job as I had no experience, but I think if you just show passion and the desire to learn, it gives you massive points!
Maybe call your local hospital and ask about roles and what you can do to support any future applications? See if there's a local breastfeeding course you can do as that would really help an application.

Good luck with it and keep looking on NHS jobs and get your application in early as they usually close early as get so many applicants! Let me know if I can help at all with anything else.

How would you support a woman with communication difficulties or disability? Speaking as a deaf woman who found some midwives unpleasantly ignorant.

Thanks @somethingelsethere. I've seen that my local hospital still have an ad up but it's for a level 3 maternity care assistant, so I presume you move up to that as you get trained up as it says that to be mindful of the fact that candidates moving up from level 2 will be applying for the role. I definitely don't want to go to uni under my own steam as I feel it would be more beneficial to train 'on the job', and at nearly 40 it might be a bit of a waste of time to get myself into student debt again. Maybe I'll take the address for applicants down and email to ask about the lower level role.
I went to a maternity open day last year and the head of midwifery that I spoke to was really dismissive when I said that I wanted to train up, she was quite rude about it, but was really enthusiastic when she spoke to the younger girl next to me who was looking to do midwifery at uni, which was a bit odd. When I asked about starting as a care assistant and training on the job she said "well it's not all about cuddling babies all day and I get a lot of applicants, so you'd have to write a really strong application. Otherwise you need to go to university". I was a bit like, "I didn't say I wanted to cuddle babies". I wondered why she was so snappy at me.