Is 37 too late to re-train as a midwife?

[dramallamakarma]

Not sure if this is the right place to post but did anyone train 'late' or know of anybody qualifying in their 40s?

I'm currently 12 years into an office based career & really want to do something I feel worthwhile before it's too late.

I have a degree (2:1) from the university I'd hope to apply to although unrelated to nursing.

Am I better to try applying for HCA jobs first to get some NHS experience?

No personal experience but my aunt's friend retrained in her late thirties and has been qualified for a number of years now.

One of the midwives I had during labour was in her mid 30s retraining to be a midwife she was wonderful.
It's never too late to follow your dreams

You aren't even a third of the way through your working life. You have plenty of time. You may want to do your research first. Working conditions in the NHS are very poor and you may not find midwifery as rewarding as you imagined when you are forced to deal with understaffing and budget cuts.

When I studied nursing at 29 I thought I'd be one of the oldest but there were loads of people in their late 30s and 40s. The oldest was 52 I think. It's never too late to follow your dreams. You'll bring all your life experience to your training and your job. Go for it.

You might also be able to get onto an accelerated 2 year programme as you already have a degree

Midwifery and nursing are common second careers - both for career-changers and for people returning to work after time out with kids. Does your local university offer open days for midwifery degrees? Worth having a chat with someone there about what’s involved and what prior experience they’d recommend.

One caution, don’t underestimate how tough it can be to make ends meet as well as studying (more so than in your early 20s, especially if you’ve a family to support) - or what intensively hard work a degree which mixes theory and practical experience can be. These are both among the reasons the drop-out rate can be high in these degrees. Can be worth asking early on about the university’s support arrangements, what their drop-out rate is like and how they address these issues.

But if it’s what you want to do, loads of people would agree it’s an incredibly rewarding career!

Go for it.

I often think of midwifery myself.

Thanks for all your replies.

I'm going to see if there's an open day soon although applications for next year close in January so I best get my skates on!

Midwifery is a very hard course to get on to. You will need education on the last 5 years in a related field I.e access course, ALevels, GCSE's. You'll also need some volunteering in a relate role to show you understand the realities of working within an environment like maternity. The majority of students are mature students retraining later in life but it can , and usually does, take a fair few years to successful get a place at university.

Not trying to put you off just telling you the realities so you know a bit what your in for. It really is one of the best careers in the world and totally worth it. Good luck

That's really helpful thanks.

I graduated (as a part-time mature student) in 2013 so not too long ago. I've also signed up for NHS job alerts with a view to applying for a HCA role or similar.

The only thing I'm worried about is childcare as DH is away mon-fri however my parents & his are extremely helpful.

I was accepted onto a midwifery course at 36 and had to do a health and social care diploma as my BSc geography degree wasn’t relevant enough to biology. You could have also done A level biology.

I had been a breastfeeding supporter for years before that and had experience volunteering in various antenatal groups and in hospital.
I was also a trained doula.
I got a place in a cohort of 28 from over 400 applicants and they said it was my experience volunteering that swayed them.

However, I sadly had to give up 3 months into the course due to family issues and realised that I had to put my autistic child before my career. I’ve never reapplied.

I would say that becasue its extremely competitive, having done work or volunteering in a health based environment that demonstrates the qualities needed for a midwife, will set you in better stead than with none. Your personal statement needs to be amazing and the more you can put in about relevant experience, the better.

40 isn’t too old at all though....there were others in my cohort older than that.its not another age, it’s about what you can bring to midwifery.