I want to be a...

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Samantha I'm looking at UniSA as currently they're the only university that offer external study. It's not within our financial means for me to go back to Uni now, and it's especially ideal if i can study and be a SAHM, so when DP goes back to uni i can work, IYKWIM.
They're requirements for Current Y12's are just a TER of around 91. I got 80. 80 is enough to get me into 4 out of the 5 (i think) VIC courses on offer and all the academic results in subject results I have no problems with.

I like your perspective how M should only be known as M but from what i was reading, when you qualify aren't you registered as a nurse, restrictdd to midwifery only? Or maybe that's only one of the courses i was looking at.

[SamanthaP]

No that's how it used to be. You were endorsed to work in midwifery only. Now we're Registered Midwives - full stop. I never shall be nor do I ever want to be referred to as a nurse

[Mother Goose]

Sorry Sam, but I disagree that they should abandon post grad mid courses. If I want to work with the royal flying dr service or work in a remote area, I have to have both quals - nursing and mid - and I sure won't be wanting to do 2 3 year degrees!!!

But great advice about not necessarily having to do the doula course first. Def chat to the Uni you're thinking of first Ash but also keep in mind that the courses change every 3 or so years (depending on the state/territory) and so entry requirements can also change...

HTH

MG

[BellyBelly]

I am gonna go against the grain and say its great if you have a doula course under your belt. You don't have to of course, but so many melbourne doula students I have spoken to have been disappointed at the heavy medical content and delving right into the medical pov... I think Obs should do a doula course before Ob school LOL!!

I think its great to be in touch with normal birth before you head into medical birth. I wouldn't have known better myself, would have just believed what I heard as gospel and how birth is safest! Training to be a birth attendant with Rhea was the biggest eye opener. Could have gone the other way and could be telling everyone different things about now!!

[Emma1979]

hey i guess by doing the doula course it is a good way to 'sound out' if you are on the right path and going in the right direction, before paying uni fees etc... im reluctant to do the 4 year nursing/midwifery double degree, because i'm not sure i have the commitment to study for three years before i hit the midwifery component (which is what i'm interested in)... maybe by doing the doula course it will give me the motivation i need to persevere.... or on the other hand, i guess maybe it might show me that its not the right time to undertake a heavy course load, as i said, a great way of sounding out whether i will be able to commit to all the hours of study... THANKS!!!!!

on a side note, does anyone know how soon into the nursing/midwifery course would you be working in a hospy environment?

[Mother Goose]

on a side note, does anyone know how soon into the nursing/midwifery course would you be working in a hospy environment?

It depends on where you live but usually at the end of second year of nursing you can work as a Div 2/EN and in some hospitals in SA you can work as a "student nurse" at the completion of 2nd year. Not sure if Mid have something similar or if you can work after completing the second year... Perhaps Sam can answer that. It will also depend on which State/Territory you live and study in as they have different rules...

[The[cookie]Doctor]

I was reading with one of the courses, perhaps uniSA that you have to support 30-40 women through the duration of your course.
And a friend doing nursing/mid at LTU is 2nd year and gets to deliver her first baby in may.

[BellyBelly]

Doesn't mum do all the birthing? Pizza delivery guys do the delivering I think mums should get credit for all the hard work, making the baby appear

I know a fair few doulas who get into mid - when I enquired into the course before I knew about doulas, they said that any births you have attended are looked on favourably too - its a benefit. You would hope women have been to a birth to know what they are in for! Some doulas can also work and count them as follow-throughs too.

The biggie though is previous tertiary study but at the amount of doulas I know getting in here, seems to be an open and completely doable field.

[Emma1979]

kelly are they getting in to Mid directly, or doing the nursing degree first? if direct route to Mid, where are they doing this at??

at the moment i'd have to travel 100kms to do the bach of mid, so not gunna happen. ironically the uni is located 10mins from my old house

oh and another question, how soon into the course would you be on placement studying at the hospital?

[BellyBelly]

You are in hospitals pretty early on, in the first year.

They are getting into direct entry as thats what they want to do - look after birthing women, not sick women iykwim.

[Emma1979]

wow placement in hospital first year.... uni and how it works is so foreign to me as i never went after school... i am struggling to find out about the course load, how many days/hours of actually attending the uni, when the placements would be, so i could work out if i could still hold down a job, be a mum, and afford to live!!

how do you find out these things, surely you don't enrol/get accepted into the course first then ascertain the amount of hours etc?

dam i wish the direct entry mid course was offered where i live. makes it really hard as i'm just not interested in doing the nursing component. agree, want to look after birthing women, not the sick population.

has anyone out there done the nursing degree purely to get to midwifery?? would love to hear how you found it.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Ooooh Kelly is a smartie pants, haha

I totally agreee with seeing it non medicalised first. And I gather it would then be less full on and a lot more welcoming to ease into. I was hoping that having attended births would make you more favourable, how about having given birth?

I think doula training would be a great accompaniement to the degree either way. I could be wrong, but seeing as midwife = with woman, wouldn't doula training be a positive step?
I had such good Mids for Alexander's birth, they were so supportive & I can only see Doula training as a positive component to add to care like this. KWIM?

I wish i could do Rhea's course but my only option is really CBI or Optimum Birth so I guess I should get researching.

Emma why don't you give the Uni's enrolment department a call. Or the Health Sciences faculty - they'd be able to tell you the average fpor first year students and whether or not it is offered on a part time basis. I think anyway.

[SamanthaP]

Sorry MG, I knew somebody would mention that but I was too lazy to go back and edit my post. The only exception should be remote or flight nursing.

[SamanthaP]

I caught my first baby in the third week of first year! You go out into the hospital environment with Follow throughs pretty much immediately/as soon as you recruit them. You can work as a midwifery student in some hospitals in 3rd year.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Wow that's real quick.
Sam can i ask what you find to be most rewarding about being a Mid?

[SamanthaP]

Oh and most unis make you do a nursing placement in 1st year. We had to do two. I was in palliative care and oncology. The most depressing and career affirming place for me to have worked! It's only now in second year that we are doing mid placements. The uni's are all so different though you need to speak to whichever one you're applying at.

[Janie]

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[ElleJay]

Good luck Ash! I reckon you'll make a great midwife!

I want to be a teacher, but because I didn't get into the course in time, I'll be praying very hard that I get in next year