My placement experience as a midwifery student

Student midwife Beth blogs about her experiences on placement, which have included being present for births and working on the neonatal ward.

Midwifery is one of the most rewarding jobs there is; I am lucky enough to be in my third year and so close to qualifying. The past two years have been a mixture of emotions and a range of highs and lows. You get to support women going through a truly special time in their life and the next minute you can be assisting during an emergency in a team that’s put together like a well-oiled machine. Thirteen-hour shifts and university deadlines can be hard, mentally and physically, therefore the best advice I can give is to ensure you have a good support system and prioritise self-care. I have made friends for life from my course and we all support each other every day.

Before going out into placement you get the chance to practice skills in the skills lab at university. This includes taking blood, catheterising and delivering breech babies to name a few. I feel really lucky to be taught by truly passionate lecturers at university with a wealth of knowledge and experience that make every module exciting and engaging. A range of different assessment methods such as essays, exams and presentations mean that you are assessed in a much fairer way. At Anglia Ruskin, you gain an extra qualification called a NIPE (Newborn Infant Physical Examination) which is a screening examination carried out within seventy-two hours post birth. The aim of the NIPE is to detect any congenital abnormalities of the newborn and refer appropriately.

It is key to get stuck in when on placement and make the most of all opportunities. So far, I have been fortunate enough to facilitate twenty-one births and I can honestly say that every birth has been different. I have also spent time in the community, running clinics for pregnant women and visiting them at their home after having their baby. Spending time on the postnatal ward can be a very busy environment caring for high-risk women after having their baby. As well as triage, where pregnant women come into the ward presenting problems (such as reduced fetal movements or symptoms of pre-eclampsia) that you have to manage and investigate. Two days are never the same no matter what area of midwifery you are in and for me, that is the excitement of it all. In second year, you also have the opportunity to spend a short time on the neonatal unit caring for the special care babies as well as the gynaecology ward. At the end of second year, you can go on an elective placement to somewhere of your choice, some students decide to go to an alternate hospital perhaps closer to home, whilst others decide to go across the world and see how other countries facilitate birth. I love how much opportunity the course brings and midwifery in general, there are many careers and specialist areas you can go into. If you are reading this blog and considering midwifery or are currently in the process of applying, then good luck!

By Beth Worthington, BSc (Hons) Midwifery student

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Beth studies BSc (Hons) Midwifery at ARU. If you're interested in this, or other courses, come along to an Open Day to find out more about studying with us.