Hi everyone! Today I am going to give you some top tips before you apply for a midwifery place at university
- Get some experience - Now, i know this is easier said than done! a lot of hospitals etc. will not accept volunteers, and it can be so frustrating when your willing to work for free just to improve your chances of getting a place. What i will say is that it does not have to be midwifery related, and it certainly doesn't have to be in a hospital. I worked in a care home for a year before applying (this length of time is not necessary, i'm not saying that you need to work for an entire year!), however I also volunteered to teach dance to 4-6 years olds. The important thing to do is make sure you can link it some how to the role of a midwife. For example, i had to earn the trust from the parents, which is important when working as a midwife as both parents need to put their trust in you throughout the pregnancy and especially during labour. Here are some ideas of experience you can get (i will also create a post which explains each of these)
- Care homes
- Bank care assistant
- NCT volunteer (http://www.nct.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/nct-volunteering-roles)
- Hereford bank (ring hereford hospital and ask to be put through to nurse bank, explain you are looking for experience on the maternity ward as preparation for university)
- Breastfeeding support worker
- Nursery's
- Weigh up the costs - if you have children or are going to be commuting to and from university, you need to seriously work out if it's going to cost too much. Obviously you will receive extra help if you have dependants and sometimes travel costs. However having roughly £9000-£10,000 a year as oppose to a full time job is going to put strain of your day to day life. Also bear in mind that if your children are young, you will be in lectures between 9.00-17.00 monday-friday, and 12 hour shifts will occur on placements. Here are some things to consider
- How much is childcare going to cost
-If you have a partner, how can they help?, will they be able pick the children up from school etc.
- Get a NHS bursary estimate
I don't want to put a damper on something that is actually very exciting - however i just want you to think about all these little things before you apply! - if you will manage then thats great, however you're not 100% that you will be finically supported enough then that is something to think about.
- Research - I realise this seem totally obvious, however not everyone does this- and it's so so important. Not only should you have an insight to the role of a midwife, but you also need to understand what the demands of university are, what you will need and what you should do to prepare etc. Here are few useful websites
- university websites
I hope this helps somehow! - there is so much more I need to say but I don't have enough time
If there is anything that you would like me to blog about please email me - ellie20049@gmail.com
I will post tomorrow on personal statements!!
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