Midwife

Midwives look after women and their babies during pregnancy, and during and after birth. They give advice to individuals and groups, before and after the birth of a baby. This job is open to both women and men.

The Work

You could be:

• physically examining a pregnant woman and discussing her options for labour


• giving advice to individuals and giving talks and running classes on contraception, fertility or labour


• assisting at the birth either in hospital or at the woman's home


• administering pain relief to the woman, either injections of pethidine or else gas-and-air delivered by machine


• if qualified to do so, carrying out an assisted delivery with a ventouse


• if labour is difficult, carrying out an episiotomy (surgical cut) and inserting stitches after the birth


• cutting the umbilical cord and if necessary carrying out resuscitation to the baby


• carrying out home visits for up to a month after the birth, checking both mother and baby


• keeping records of patients and their progress.

Conditions

• You might work in a maternity hospital or the maternity unit of a general hospital.


• You might work in the community, in an ante-natal clinic, health centre or doctor’s surgery, or in a midwife-led maternity unit (MLMU).


• You often visit patients in their homes and might assist at home births.


• If you work in hospital, you would work shifts.


• If you work in the community, you would sometimes be on-call.


• You would wear a uniform and sometimes protective clothing.

Getting In

There are several ways to qualify as a midwife.

• You can take a 3-4 year degree in midwifery, entry requirements 2-4 Highers, usually including English and a science subject.


• An Access to nursing course may also give entry. However, always check that the course is accepted by the college or university you want to go to before you apply.


• You can qualify as a registered nurse and then take midwifery training which lasts 18 months.


• For health care workers employed in areas of Scotland beyond travelling distance of a teaching hospital, it is now possible to train part-time through the Open University. This is a new initiative developed by the OU in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing. Training is available both for health care assistants who want to train as registered nurses, and for qualified nurses who want to train in a specialism. The availability of these courses mean that health service employees in remote or rural areas no longer have to leave home and their jobs to undergo further training.


• To work in this job you must declare any criminal convictions. Certain types of conviction may prevent you from getting in. Contact Disclosure Scotland for details.


• You should be fit – there is a medical examination. You must provide evidence that you do not have, and have been immunised against, Hepatitis B.


• When you complete your training you must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).


• Many Scottish institutions have a waiting list of 1-2 years for entry to the most popular nursing courses, especially midwifery. Because of this, if you plan to enter midwifery after completing a sixth year at school, you might consider applying when you are still in fifth year.


• A driving licence is useful.

What Does It Take?

You should be:

• able to get on well with people from a wide range of backgrounds


• caring and kind


• observant and able to act on your own initiative


• interested in helping women and babies


• able to answer questions and give advice


• patient and tactful


• willing to take responsibility


• not squeamish


• practical


• able to remain calm in stressful situations.

Training

Once you have gained your NMC registration, training is on-the-job, with a range of courses to widen your skills and to keep you up-to-date.

Getting On

• With experience you could progress to a senior post such as senior clinical midwife.


• You could train to be a midwife teacher.


• You could become self-employed, as a private midwife.


• You could take a further course to become, for example, a midwife ventouse practitioner or a neonatal nurse.


• You could take courses leading to work as a manager.

Pay

On the NHS Agenda for Change salary scale, as a midwife you will be on Band 5. From April 2010 this ranges from £21,176 to £27,534 a year. You also get payments for unsocial hours and being on-call.

You can find details of the Agenda for Change pay structure including promoted senior posts at NHS Careers website.

More Information

Most midwives work in the National Health Service (NHS), but you might also be able to work in private hospitals, clinics and the Armed Forces.

You might find work abroad. This is easier if you are also a registered nurse as some countries do not accept the direct midwifery qualification.

You can find more information about NHS careers and job vacancies in Scotland by visiting the InfoScotland NHS website at www.infoscotland.com/nhs/.

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.