can someone talk me through midwifery placements etc

[me23]

Hi, a secondment opportunity has come up at my place of work to be entered onto the midwifery diploma/degree. I have applied and am waiting to hear if I have been shortlisted! fingers crossed.

how does the semesters work i.e how long are you on placements for during the year? and do clinical placements take place in the first year?

I'm a single parent with a 2 year old and need to think about how I'm going to organise childcare.

Ask here www.studentmidwives.co.uk for advice, they may be able to help more. It varies from one uni to another, so you really need to find someone from the same uni.

Clinical placements will be in the first year. Where I am we mix blocks of school and placements up, 6 weeks school, 6 weeks palcement, 2 weeks school, 8 weeks placement. But the ratio varies madly. Now am hardly ever in school and its solid placement with odd school days.

You will have to work shifts, inc weekends.

thnak-you for that stripey, will look at that link, from what you said it really is a mad ratio. are you in the first year? and do you have to do night shifts or is there any way out of that if you are a single parent?

Hi me23- Im not doing Midwifery but am doing nursing where we still have to do same amount of clinical hours and theory- there are single mums on my course and to be honest, they are expected to do the same as everyone else. At your interview you are asked how you expect to cope with placemnets and children. It is hard with support- imagine it must be sheer hell without.

hi, I can imagine it will be very hard but at the moment I'm working and studying (with the OU) and looking after dd its just the placement hours I'm really worried about i.e early or late starts.

I'm in my final year now. You do have to do nights and being a single parent can't be used as an excuse not to. As a m/w you will be expected to work shifts so you have to show you can manage.

I've just finished an 8 week labour ward placement and worked every weekend for 8 weeks. No choice, didn't even bother trying to say it wasn't fair as I knew what the response would be. As a student you have to fit in with whatever shifts your mentor is doing, or whatever shifts are available. I've just had a nightmare placement with no proper mentor, they have that many students on placements at the minute they struggle to fit them all in as you can only have so many students per shift.

I have a flexible childminder, a hubby and my mum close by. Do you not have any family help, will your kids' dad not help?

hi, well done with getting to your final year! I work on a maternity unit and I can see how manic it is, with staff shortages etc. As for support I have a fantastic partner at the moment, it still early days yet but I know he will support me. I also have a cousin who could stay over on weekends and a flexible childminder who currently does saturday as I work weekends in my cuurrent job but I'm sure it will still be a struggle.

this is all hypothetical though as I may not even get an interview, willhave to wait 3-4 weeks to hear back.

I wouldn't let it put you off, especially if its a secondment. You manage on a day to day basis.