Career Guest Post; Working as a Midwife

Name: Jenny    

Blog: www.midwifeandlife.com

Industry: Health, NHS, Maternity

Job Title: Community Midwife

Brief description of job role and industry

My role is to look after and support women physically and mentally during their pregnancy from the first point of contact, the birth (if having a home birth) and the postnatal period, usually for about 10-14 days after the birth but we can continue visiting for up to 28 days.

An average day consists of... 

Seeing women in my clinic, performing routine checks, referring on as and when needed, weighing babies, doing paperwork, answering phone calls, making phone calls, visiting women and helping support them in the days after birth with feeding issues, sleep (or lack of) issues, booking in newly pregnant women, saying goodbye to them at the end of their time with us.  Could be attending a home birth.

Qualifications/experience required 

You need A levels or equivalent as you need to do a degree in midwifery.  No experience necessary prior to starting the course but it is advisable to gain some work experience in the care sector to understand the demands of the job. 

I became a qualified nurse first but this is not necessary.

Career progression

You can become a manager, teacher, speaker, researcher if you want to progress your career.

Best tip to crack the industry

Work hard, keep up to date, be compassionate.

Best thing about my job

Knowing I have made a difference in a family's life and successfully helped them transition into this life changing event.

Worst thing about my job

Having my hands tied by policies and having to give difficult news