Talk to me about becoming a midwife

[pumpkinsweetie]

As a mother of 5 myself and having seen the dedication and magical role of mws i have decided however old, that this is a future job for me.

I didn't leave school with many good GCSEs, maths being my downfall.
But i do hear of access courses being the way to get accepted into uni to study midwifery.

Ideally i would like to take this course online whilst my youngest us still small to prepare me for uni when she has started school. Then i plan to go university.

Would appreciate anyones input tia x

Access courses are equivalent to A Levels so you can get on them but you will still need 5 GCSEs and you will most definitely need at least a C in maths. You will have to take a numeracy test to get on the course and during the course there will be drugs calculations tests where you have to get 100 per cent right to pass. Even if you only get one wrong, you will have to resit the whole thing. I would look at getting your GCSEs and maths sorted before doing an access course. Start brushing up on your maths now so that you're really confident by the time it comes to applying. I hadn't done maths for years when I came to apply and the numeracy tests caused me so much stress it was ridiculous. It took months of maths prep for me to feel confident enough that I could pass. Get some drugs calculations for nurses books, they were a life saver for me.

You'll hear this a million times but to be successful on the course you will need to have good childcare in place that you can rely on for weekends and nights. You will be expected to follow your mentor's shift pattern, there can be some flexibility but you will still be expected to work a set number of weekends and nights. Good luck!

Thankyou Pandora, i will look into taking my maths GCSE.
Do you know how i go about finding my old GCSE scores? as i have lost my certificates.
So the access course alone will not be enough?

Hi, I have experience about nursing rather than midwifery but for this sort of query I'm sure they're identical. Just to clarify, I trained as a nurse direct from school (via uni of course) but I'm now in a position where I supervise students so this has come up.

You will need at least 5 GCSEs or equivalent (inc maths & English) and an access course is a perfectly acceptable way of getting onto midwifery training.

Nursing & Midwifery are becoming degree qualifications so please do not underestimate the academic requirements. There will be times when you will be on placements working a 40hr week - including nights - and still having essays to write.

I am not trying to put you off at all, but I firmly believe everyone should be fully informed.
If there's anything else please do ask
X

You'll need gcse English and maths at grade c to do the access course, the fees are about £3,300 if you take out a 24+ learning loan. If you can fund the access course yourself the fees are much cheaper. Some uni's want at least a grade b in gcse English and maths.

Re getting your GCSE results, contact your high school to find out the examining board that they used and you'll have to contact them direct for copies of your certificates there's a charge of about £10 to each examining board.