How to prepare myself for this type of career? NHS hospital

[Wh2mval]

Hi all I wanted to ask a few questions from mumsnetters who work in a hospital setting. I am due to apply to university soon and I am trying to choose between nursing or midwifery. Originally I liked midwifery due to the role being based around women's care and my fascination with my own body and the journey of pregnancy and birth 😀.

Part of me wonders if I may have more career options if I studied adult nursing. Mainly because all of the midwifery roles I’ve seen offered have been rotational, in order to keep up skills of course you are expected to rotate around and I don’t see any options to just choose community or clinic roles, i.e 9-5. It seems inevitable that I would still be doing 12 hour night shifts when I’m old.

I figured with the nursing path, I could choose a permanent role in a clinical setting with appointments that stick to mostly normal working hours such as, practice nurse, sexual health, beauty clinic or private clinics, school nursing, infection control etc. I could even branch out into a masters in a different area. With midwifery you are literally only ever going to do the same thing, unless you specialise in infant feeding, for example or management, which might give better hours.

Or is there another occupation that might suit me best where the shifts wouldn’t be as stressful? What advice would you give?

Thanks

You could do adult nursing but work in the gynaecology ward so still working within women’s health.

Yes the 12 hour day shifts and night shifts are a drag.
Clinics are great.
How do you feel about the 3 years of those 12 hour night & day shifts while training?

You can go core in midwifery into certain areas/wards. i.e. labour ward, antenatal ward, community. Community work is generally 8.30-5 with on calls, although different trusts will differ with respect to continuity teams. Antenatal clinic midwives also work short shifts, although where I work the hours are slightly different to cover an early/late but definitely no nights. As a Band 5 you will rotate and this continues as a Band 6 until you decide to go core.

There's a big variety of specialisms within midwifery too ie labour ward practitioners, infant feeding, vulnerability, antenatal screening and fetal medicine.

It's an incredible career. HOWEVER is it worth the level of debt you get into now? For an average wage and many sacrifices in terms of family commitments/health/stress...

Lots of midwives work within sociable hours. Community midwives for instance (although there is likely to be some on call commitment required). Or like you say, specialising in an area such as screening, infant feeding, safeguarding, public health, bereavement. Or the many many management roles (although of course there would be a requirement to work your way to this!).

I can’t comment on nursing though. Although my mum was a MH nurse and worked in a community role 9-5 mon-fri.

Thank you all have been so helpful. I really like the idea of seeing patients during pregnancy or after. I like the day assessment unit or the antenatal clinic. I am worried because some of my colleagues told me that you can’t stay in a permanent role in Midwifery. Apparently so many contracts state rotational. So just as you are enjoying clinic hours, you’re told you now have to go to Labour ward for 1-2 years 12.5 hours plus nights, then you switch again and again. This is what I see at my job (maternity ward).

I am willing to rotate as a student of course, and for a few years after to build up skills. I just don’t want to be working long night shifts as I get older. I see some midwives who are 65 years old, working night shifts, they literally look so exhausted and frail. This worries me in all NHS professionals. This then makes me wonder if I'm cut out for nursing patients in general. I have looked into other degrees that are maybe a little less full on and some of them even stick to daytime hours, but then I’m not sure that is my passion, I worry that I might lose interest. It’s such a hard choice to make. I know all of these roles are very difficult both physically and mentally exhausting and emotional at times. It’s a big decision.

There may well be some maternity units that expect you to rotate continually but that’s not in my experience as a midwife and the various trusts I have worked for.

@Lj8893 really 😀 thats great

I’d seriously consider doing adult nursing with a view to becoming a practice nurse if you are keen on day time clinic type work. Huge variety of what you do, and loads of opportunities to gain specific skills. Ie you would do smears and contraception checks, baby immunisations as part of the standard role but could then do extra study to do more sexual health, menopause- all sorts. As well as wounds, diabetes etc
Opportunities to become a prescriber as well.
Completely different world to ward based work and shifts and you need to be good at swapping from one thing to the next every 15 mins or so but no nights so much more family friendly

How about allied professions?

OT
Physio
Social Work